Growing Tomatoes In A Greenhouse

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

An excellent harvest of tomatoes ripened right on the bushes in my greenhouse

I now have two polycarbonate greenhouses at my dacha. In one of them I plant tomatoes and melons with watermelons, in the other - cucumbers, peppers, zucchini (bush varieties for greenhouses). The dacha is located in the south of the Leningrad Region - this is a house in the village of Gusli, Luga District, Leningrad Region. I live there from April to November.

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Preparing the beds in the greenhouse

I prepare and fill the beds for the new season in the fall. First, immediately after harvesting, I sow white mustard, and then, when it grows up to 15-20 cm, I fill it with compost or humus (if any). I bring in one bucket of organic matter for each square meter of the garden and pour a glass of ash. I dig up the soil, embedding mustard in it. I spill the beds well with water.

In the spring, a new dressing: I bring in one glass of ash, 2 tablespoons of superphosphate, 1 tablespoon of potassium sulfate, 1 teaspoon of urea for every square meter throughout the garden. In early May, I dig up the soil, level it, spill it with hot water with potassium permanganate. Then I cover the bed with a film for one week to warm the soil. After warming it up, I make holes for tomatoes - in two rows in a checkerboard pattern, after 50 cm. Usually, I plant 32 tomato bushes on a garden bed 8 m long and 110 cm wide. After creating the holes, I spill everything well with hot water with potassium permanganate, add a handful of ash and "Giant" each, cover it with a little soil and spill it again.

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Planting and caring for tomatoes

I plant sixty-day-old tomato seedlings (also well-spilled) in the holes: closer to the wall, determinant tomatoes, reaching a height of 150-180 cm - varieties and hybrids Bif, Tamina, Persimmon, Red Arrow F1, Verlioka F1, Pepper-shaped striped, Mushroom basket, Kostroma F1, Blagovest F1. And closer to the aisle, I plant indeterminate varieties and hybrids: Eupator F1, Italian, Scarlet candles, Golden Konigsberg, Konigsberg (red), Meaty handsome, Princess, Ildi, Cherry red.

After planting, I water and mulch the soil under the bushes with peat so that there is no crust and moisture lasts longer. I put arcs over the seedlings and throw spandbond on them, and on top - also a film. At night I cover the tomato plants, and during the day (thanks to the sun) it is warm in the greenhouse, the seedlings are open. If the weather is sunny when planting tomatoes, I shade the plants for three days so that there are no burns. If it's minus at night, I put a heater under the arches.

I do not water tomato seedlings after planting for two weeks. When the plants take root and warmth comes, you can already remove the shelter. After that, I tie the seedlings with twine to the wire passed under the ceiling. I do the first feeding of my tomatoes in 2-3 weeks: 0.5 cups of "Ideal" per 10 liters of water or 30 g of Kemira universal fertilizer per 10 liters of water. I pour 0.5 liters under each bush. I alternate subsequent feeding of tomatoes in ten days: I use a half-liter can of ash for 10 liters of water, insist it overnight and then water the plants with settled water - 1 liter per plant (I throw the sediment under the berry bushes).

The next top dressing is done with nettle infusion with mullein. To do this, I take half a bucket of fresh nettle, add one fresh cow cake there and pour water there, I insist all 10 days. Then I dilute the resulting solution - 1 liter in a bucket of water. I bring in 1 liter of tincture for each tomato bush.

When stepchildren appear, I form plants into two stems. I leave my stepson under the first brush. I pinch the rest of the stepsons, leaving a stump 0.5 cm long.

In greenhouses, I constantly open the vents on both sides at 7 o'clock in the morning, and after another hour - and the doors. Such gradualness is needed so that there is no shock in the plants due to the cool morning air. And ventilation of greenhouses is a must. It reduces air humidity, preventing late blight. In addition, the high temperature in greenhouses, especially in polycarbonate ones, leads to loss of yield. By the way, low temperatures are harmful. Scientists have proven that night temperatures below + 15 ° C delay the maturation of pollen, at temperatures above + 30 ° C, the pollen becomes sterile, and the flowers fall off. Therefore, it is necessary to regulate the temperature in the greenhouse with vents and doors. I close everything, focusing on the weather. If the nights are warm - the temperature is + 15 … + 17 ° C, I leave the doors completely open, and if the temperature is below this level, I leave only the vents. When it is cold and damp outside, in this case I close both the doors and the vents immediately after sunset or leave one window.

I mulch a bed with tomatoes with mowed grass (I wither in the sun for 2-3 days) or dry hay. Moisture is retained under it, weeds do not grow, and the roots are warm. Phytophthora practically does not exist, since in my greenhouse, thanks to the mulch, there is no high humidity. As the grass decomposes, the plants receive additional feeding. In early August, I pinch the tops of the tomatoes, leaving 2-3 leaves. I water the tomatoes once a week, and since mid-August I don't water them at all, as a result, the fruits ripen very quickly on the bushes. The picture at this time in the greenhouse is impressive, you can look at the photo.

I pick tomatoes as they ripen, they are only eaten when ripe. And only in September, when the temperature of + 10 ° C is stable on the street, I remove all the unripe fruits and put them for ripening. I keep the doors closed since the end of August so that there are no late blight. I ventilate, opening the vents, on both sides, in the morning and in the evening, not for long, about half an hour.

I have never considered my harvest, since it is difficult to do it. After the beginning of ripening, I took red, pink or yellow tomatoes to the table every day, sent tomatoes to children and friends every weekend.

Read the next part. Recipes for preparations of tomatoes for the winter →

Lydia Ivanova-Krichinevskaya, summer resident