How to prepare the soil for planting tomatoes outdoors?

Previously, tomatoes were always grown in a greenhouse that was simply opened. This season I want to try to plant seedlings in the garden beds. Tell me how to prepare the soil for tomatoes in the open field?

Growing tomatoes outdoors requires special attention. Indeed, in this case, nutrient soil for plants cannot be bought in a store, because it is unrealistic to fill the entire area with it, and there is no point in that either. Experienced gardeners have long known how to properly prepare the soil for tomatoes in the open field so that the plants receive the necessary nutrients and delight them with a bountiful harvest.

Preparing a site for tomato beds includes the following activities:

• choice of location;
• tillage (digging, plowing);
• fertilization;
• breakdown of beds.

Choosing a place for tomatoes

A well-lit place on the site should be allocated under the tomato beds. It is better that the predecessors were onions, carrots or cucumbers. But if other representatives of the nightshade family grew on this place, you can use such a plot for tomatoes only after 3 years have passed since they were planted.

It was noticed that tomatoes feel great next to strawberries - the yield of both crops increases significantly, and the fruits and berries themselves grow larger.

Tillage

The land on the site is recommended to be processed two times:

• in the fall - after harvesting, plow the area to destroy weeds;
• in the spring - dig up with a shovel or pitchfork before cultivating the beds, and fence.

Fertilization

In the process of preparing the soil for planting tomatoes, fertilizers must also be applied in two steps:

1. In the autumn. During deep plowing, poor soil should be fertilized with organic matter (5 kg of humus per 1 sq. M.). Also, mineral fertilizers can be scattered over the site (50 g of superphosphate or 25 g of potassium salt per 1 sq.m.).
2. In the spring. Before planting tomato seedlings, add bird droppings (1 kg per 1 sq. M.), Wood ash (the same amount) and ammonium sulfate (25 g per 1 sq. M.) To the plot.

It is not recommended to fertilize the soil under the tomatoes with fresh manure, since the plants in this case will increase the green mass at the expense of the formation of ovaries.

If there is soil with high acidity on the site, it is necessary to additionally add lime at the rate of 500 to 800 g per 1 sq. m. area.

Breaking the beds

At the end of May, in the prepared area, it is necessary to make beds for tomato seedlings. To do this, form small trenches, directing them from north to south. The distance between the beds should be at least 1 m, and between rows - about 70 cm.

For each garden bed, make sides up to 5 cm in height. For convenience, some gardeners divide the beds into sections with a width of 50 cm, using the same sides. In each section, you will need to plant 2 tomato bushes. This planting pattern prevents water from spreading when watering seedlings.

After the preparatory work is completed, you can start planting tomato seedlings in open ground.

Spring preparation of the beds - video

Every gardener, sowing vegetable seeds for seedlings, dreams of a good harvest of his favorite tomatoes. But in order to get it, you need to try hard: take care of young plants, water, feed them, and also pay due attention to the choice of soil. It is the soil for tomato seedlings that plays a leading role in the qualitative development of young seedlings. And only then the time will come to worry about other nuances: the intensity of watering, the rules for caring for the bushes, as well as feeding or tying up.

What kind of soil is unsuitable

It is on what soil is chosen for tomato seedlings that not only the quantity, but also the quality of the future harvest will depend. The soil for tomatoes should be loose, light, air and moisture permeable.

Speaking about which soil is absolutely unsuitable for growing tomatoes, there are several main limitations:

• the soil on the tomato bed should not be oversaturated with various fertilizers;
• high acidity of the soil is not allowed;
• the soil for your tomatoes should not be overdried or, conversely, overly flooded with water;
• tomatoes do not like cold soil, as well as those soil mixtures that do not warm up well and do not allow air to pass through.

When planning to grow tomatoes, do not forget that soil preparation is an important stage not only for young seedlings, but also for adult plants.

Video "Soil preparation"

From the video you will learn how to properly prepare the soil for planting tomatoes.

Seedling soil

The best soil for growing tomato seedlings is land on which nothing has been grown for the past several years or ordinary nettles have grown. If it is not possible to get such soil, you can use the soil from the beds on which zucchini, pumpkins, carrots or cabbage grew. In this case, it is important that the plants do not get sick with late blight. In extreme cases, ordinary forest land is suitable.

The selected area must be prepared in the fall: remove the remnants of plant debris, carefully dig it up. If the soil for tomatoes is in a greenhouse, many people prefer to settle chickens in it for the winter period: then by the arrival of spring the soil will become soft and loose, well fertilized, warm and sterilized from parasitic insects. After the chicken family leaves the greenhouse and the litter is removed, it will be possible to start growing.

Preparing the soil for seedlings

Preparing the soil in a greenhouse for tomatoes in spring involves a whole range of measures, which, as a result, should lead to the following set of characteristics:

• good soil should not contain seed from other crops, including weeds;
• the soil should not contain pests, larvae or pathogens of dangerous diseases;
• soil for tomatoes simply must have the ability to retain moisture well;
• choose soil with a normal acidity level;
• the composition of a tomato bed should include vermicompost, mineral nutrient compounds;
• tomatoes prefer the presence of sand and other loosening components (for example, ash) in the ground.

By the way, today agricultural stores sell specially prepared soil mixtures, ideal for growing tomatoes. And if it is hardly possible to acquire a sufficient amount of such land for adult plants, then you are quite capable of providing tomato seedlings with it.

But if you don't want to spend extra money on purchasing soil, you can prepare a suitable mixture yourself. To do this, you will need: peat and turf, taken in a ratio of 3 to 1, sawdust, mullein and peat (1: 3), sand mixed in equal proportions with peat, as well as soil, manure and ash (3: one).Such a composition will perfectly suit your tomatoes, they will be able to receive all the necessary nutritional components, develop fully, in order, in the end, to please you with a generous harvest.

Preparing the soil for seedlings

In order for the seedlings to feel good and develop quickly, it is not enough to prepare a suitable soil mixture, it still needs to be properly prepared. To do this, you have to go through several stages:

As soon as the ground is completely warmed up, you need to add compost, urea or manure to it.

You can add a small handful of wood ash and a little superphosphate to the mixture, according to the recommendations on the package with the product.

The next step is treatment with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, at the rate of 3 grams of crystalline powder per 10 liters of water. Or you can refuse this procedure and just steam the earth - for this, a dense cloth is pulled over a large saucepan, the earth is poured into it and held over boiling water for half an hour.

You can add lime - 15 grams will be enough for every kilogram of soil.

Regardless of what kind of land you use - bought in a specialty store or prepared yourself, it is better to finish all the preparatory stages in the fall, so that during the winter months the earth can completely freeze through.

The cold has a disinfecting effect, ridding the soil of possible pests and pathogenic microorganisms that pose a danger to tomato seedlings.

Preparing the soil for planting

Preparation is necessary not only for the land in which the seedlings will develop, certain manipulations need to be carried out on the garden where you will plant it. As in the case of the seedling mixture, it is better to do this in the fall, so that the surface layers of the soil are thoroughly frozen. The main preparatory manipulations consist of cleaning the beds from various debris (both plant and mechanical), thoroughly digging up the soil, adding compost and wood ash, and fertilizing the beds. 10 days before the expected planting of tomatoes in a permanent place, the beds are well watered with hot water and covered with foil. After the specified period, you can start planting.

Be extremely careful when adding nutrients or organic and mineral fertilizers to the soil: if you do not have enough experience, it is better to read the instructions. An excess of fertilizer not only will not help the tomatoes, but can pretty much harm young plants, in particular, plants can begin to actively build up green mass without spending energy on setting fruits.

Growing tomatoes is far from the most difficult task for domestic gardeners; this culture is well known to our farmers for a long time and has consistently endowed us with rich harvests. The main thing is to adhere to the basic rules of agricultural technology and take care of your beds with love. Success will surely overtake you!

Video "Soil for seedlings"

From the video you will learn how to prepare the soil for seedlings.

Tomato is a finicky plant, reacts to temperature and light, does not like gusts of wind and excessive watering. For these reasons, in garden plots for tomatoes, the best places are usually chosen. Harvesting a good crop in open land while following simple rules is not such an overwhelming task for a gardener. Definitely, planting tomatoes in open ground is characterized by its own characteristics, the understanding of which will help to grow a rich harvest.

Planting tomatoes in open ground

In order to understand when to plant tomatoes in open ground, it is necessary to provide good external conditions for seedlings among the first tasks. It is worth paying attention to soil preparation, calculating the appropriate time for planting tomatoes in the ground, optimally forming the beds and planting scheme, and ensuring good follow-up care for the bushes.Carry out pinching, garter, top dressing in time, timely identify pests or symptoms of diseases - tomatoes respond well to proper care.

Soil preparation for tomatoes

To get a decent harvest, even before the time when you plant tomatoes in open ground, you should choose the best place for tomato bushes. The culture loves indirect sunlight and usually does well in lighted but sheltered beds. The best pre-tomato plants are onions, carrots, and cucumbers. If you plant seedlings next to strawberries, both crops will react well. The yield of both plants will noticeably increase, and ripe fruits will grow more voluminous. The beds where eggplants, peppers, potatoes were previously planted should not be given to tomatoes, since there is a high probability of finding pathogens of various diseases in these areas.

The quality of the soil is different not only in each region, but even in the fields of the same locality. Tomato crops are quite capricious to the soil, which is why, before planting tomatoes in open ground, it is best to find out the condition of the soil in future beds for tomato seedlings, if possible. In the garden department there are tests for the acidity of the soil on sale. The lower the indicator, the higher the acidity level is considered. Soil with a 7.0 number is considered neutral. Tomatoes will grow well with an acidity range of 6 to 7. If the figure is lower, it is worth adding lime to the soil, if higher, sulfur.

Compost is ideal for preparing land for planting. It also acts as a good bait for earthworms, which are known to loosen the soil well and provide a breeding ground for beneficial bacteria. Experienced gardeners know how to plant tomatoes correctly, and they begin to prepare the soil in the fall immediately after thoroughly cleaning the site from previous plants and their debris. It is better not to use manure, since tomatoes, after fertilizing with manure, begin to actively grow leaves to the detriment of the fruits. If the soil does not warm up well, it is usually covered with black film or dark plastic.

The time of planting tomatoes in the beds

The most common period when you can plant tomatoes in open ground is undoubtedly May. Usually hardened tomato seedlings are transplanted into open beds this month. Some gardeners try to plant the bushes a little earlier during the warm spring, hoping for an early harvest. However, do not rush, tomatoes planted in mid-April can take root for a long time, get sick and even die, since the soil is still not warmed up enough.

In the first decades of May, the first planting of seedlings gradually begins, which has already grown a little stronger in the air and the sun. The hours when planting tomatoes in open ground are best chosen in the afternoon or evening. At this moment, the sun is no longer shining so brightly, or it is worth choosing cloudy weather for transplanting to the beds. Thus, the entire process of planting young plants may not take place in one go.

As soon as the spring frost ends, you can safely start planting.

Formation and arrangement of beds

Gardeners have long formed the opinion that the tomato planting scheme affects the future number of fruits. The most common arrangement of the beds: traditional and double rows. According to the traditional method, rows of beds about a meter wide or slightly more in the direction from north to south are formed on the prepared soil about 5 days before planting. This rule helps to ensure uniformity of illumination of the sprouts. A distance of 70 centimeters is usually made between the beds, regardless of the tomato variety.

The placement of young bushes is in two rows.As for the space, at what distance to plant tomatoes, for low varieties, the gap is made about 30 centimeters, for medium and tall ones - 45 cm.When forming double ridges, tomato bushes are arranged in a checkerboard sequence on a strip of soil about half a meter wide, leaving wide paths between themselves beds. Wide paths are comfortable, it is convenient to pull hoses along them, to process bushes, with such a planting, each sprout receives more light.

Landing method according to Mitlider

It should be noted that planting tomatoes in Meathlider trenches is quite reliable and practical. Using this technology, it is necessary to form and dig trenches so as not to go beyond the boundaries and not to affect other areas of the soil. It is not necessary to loosen the land, weeds will grow quite rarely. You can plant tomatoes in narrow trenches made in boxes with sand and sawdust. The Meatlider method is usually used on difficult, barren land. A small piece of land is suitable for this method. The length of the trenches can be of any length.

If the garden is located on a lowland, then for this method it is worth raising the ground level by 20 centimeters using bulk soil or subsoil flooring. It is necessary to form a clear horizontal soil level.

Understanding how to properly plant tomatoes in open ground according to Meatlider will help to harvest tomatoes that taste different from fruits from ordinary beds.

Proper feeding, regular watering, and photosynthesis help the tomatoes to purify themselves. After harvesting, all waste is best left between the trenches.

Open ground planting technique

Before planting tomatoes in open ground, the soil in containers with seedlings is well watered. This contributes to the easy removal of the bushes from the seedlings, and also prevents the possibility of damage to the roots of the shoots. Pits for planting and subsequent cultivation of tomatoes in open soil should be about 10-15 centimeters deep. Usually they are watered at the rate of a bucket of water for 8-10 holes, then fertilizers are applied along with humus.

Gardeners know how to properly plant tomatoes in open ground, so the sprout is usually carefully removed from the container with two fingers, removing all leaves except 2-3 on top. The stem, together with the root soil, is placed vertically in the hole and covered with earth and compost. In this case, the sprout must remain open. Only the roots enter the soil. After planting, the land is often treated with mulch. After transplanting to the ground, the tomatoes do not touch for 8-10 days, during this period the plants get used to the new place and take root.

There is no need to water the bushes yet. However, one should not forget about possible frosts. Therefore, it is worth choosing the right time when to plant tomatoes in the ground, in order to avoid the death of immature sprouts. To protect against cold snap, immediately after placing in the soil, the bushes can be covered with a transparent film material. The film is usually kept until the tenths of June, when the threat of cold will disappear. After 10 days, the sprouts are watered for the first time, after two weeks they are spud.

Rules and nuances of caring for tomatoes in an open area

The carried out planting of a tomato in open ground is supported by the subsequent care of the plants. One of the mandatory procedures is pinching or removing excess shoots. When pinching, the side shoots should not be pulled out with force, but gently broken out by pulling to the side. If the stepsons have become powerful enough, they should be cut off with a razor or a sharp knife. First of all, shoots are removed under the brushes so that the bush does not throw off the ovary. It is also better to get rid of extra brushes with flowers where the fruit could not be tied.

Many gardeners are of the opinion that a plant is like a tomato: planting and care in the open field should be accompanied by extremely competent actions, since tomatoes are one of the most demanding plants. The main components that are more necessary for tomato plants are phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen. Creating fertilizers on their own with the addition of various components, gardeners have long been using many traditional types of dressings that have been proven in practice.

Sowing seeds in open ground

The planned planting of tomato seeds directly into the ground has its own subtleties. As you know, tomatoes are susceptible to the same diseases and pests as peppers, potatoes and eggplants, therefore, when sowing seeds, it is better to avoid places where these crops previously grew, because carriers of diseases in the soil can remain active for several years. The most favorable predecessors of tomatoes are legumes, pumpkins, cabbage, and zucchini.

Preparing seeds for planting

One of the main things in how to properly plant tomatoes in open ground directly with seeds is the preparation of the land. In the spring, after the soil dries up, the soil should be well loosened and leveled to retain moisture and get rid of weeds. For sowing, it is better to choose a section of the garden protected from the wind. Sowing is usually done in mid-April. The seeds are evenly distributed in the pits with a diameter of 40 centimeters. Each hole is watered with potassium permanganate water.

Quite often, before sowing tomatoes in open ground, summer residents fear that during frost or cold snap, seedlings may die, and the beds will have to be sown. To minimize this, experienced gardeners often sow germinated seeds along with dry ones. From dry grains, sprouts will germinate later, but they will be able to avoid cold weather. Many gardeners believe that bushes grown from seeds are stronger, less susceptible to diseases than tomatoes planted with seedlings.

Thinning tomato shoots

When 2-3 leaves appear on the sprouts that appear, the shoots should be thinned out. The optimal distance between the bushes should be 5-10 centimeters. Before sowing tomatoes in open ground, gardeners know that not all hatched sprouts should be left, but only the strongest ones. The second thinning is done after 4-5 leaves have grown, again leaving only strong bushes at a distance of 15 centimeters. After the final thinning, the gap between the shoots is about 40 cm.

It is worth saying that planting a tomato in the ground is stressful for young seedlings. For this reason, some sprouts begin to wither. Most often these are the bushes that lacked sunlight. And this is not unusual. After about two weeks, the weakened sprouts will heal with proper care. Caring for tomatoes in open beds requires constant weed-free soil maintenance. Tomatoes are poured rather slowly, which means that a little moisture is needed. But, if the ground is too dry, green fruits can rot.

By choosing a place for planting tomatoes, properly preparing seedlings and organizing high-quality care for the sprouts, you can get a healthy crop that will bring the desired profit. Moreover, the farmer will be able not only to earn, but also to provide personal needs with products!

The content of the article:

• How to grow and what you need to know
• Preparing the soil for planting tomato seeds
• Seedling preparation for seedlings
• Preparing the soil for planting seedlings
• Preparing the soil in the greenhouse for planting tomatoes

Tomato is one of the favorite vegetables, which is especially widespread in Russia. Tomatoes have received well-deserved recognition not only for their rich taste, but also for their ability to be useful in canned form.Tomato pastes, pickled and pickled tomatoes are a traditional dish on the table in any family. What a feast without pickled tomatoes?

Tomato is traditionally involved in many dishes that are firmly rooted in our menu. One of the most important, namely Russian borscht, is not possible without tomato paste. Many housewives do not even know how to stew meat and vegetables without fresh tomatoes or pasta. And among many peoples, tomatoes are the main dish, like raw, dried, stewed, pickled or salted. The area of ​​application in cooking is huge: an excellent juice is obtained from a tomato, thick pastes are made, which are perfectly preserved in canned form and are available all year round, tomatoes can be preserved whole or in the form of salads, they are frozen and dried. The only thing that cannot be done with tomatoes is to keep fresh for a long time. Like any vegetable, tomato is not suitable for long-term storage, only processing.

Fresh tomato is incredibly rich in vitamins and minerals. What's more, this vegetable contains serotonin, a joy hormone that is great for treating depression. Oddly enough it sounds, but banal tomatoes will help you from a bad mood. It is also known as an excellent antioxidant, which means that it cleanses the body of harmful substances simply and effectively, without medical intervention.

What else is Señor Tomato good for? Tomato peel has a great effect on intestinal motility, regulating all metabolic processes in the body, and the seeds of the fruit are known as an excellent natural blood thinner. Regular consumption of fresh tomatoes is recommended as a preventive measure at the risk of thrombosis.

Well, one cannot fail to note the rich set of vitamins contained in this unique vegetable - vitamins of group B, A, PP and K. from important trace elements - sodium, manganese, iron, magnesium and zinc.

Even pickled tomatoes are useful, oddly enough, because this is an excellent hangover cure! After such praise, the desire to grow this valuable product on your personal plot should appear instantly! Is it difficult to grow tomatoes? Let's talk about this further.

How to grow and what you need to know

After the question of planting tomatoes has been resolved, it is worth planning the whole process. First of all, you need to know what conditions are needed.

1. Choose the right site.

Tomato is a rather demanding plant. It loves the sun, but is bad for the wind and drafts. Therefore, when choosing a territory for tomatoes, it is necessary to adhere to exactly these rules - open sun and minimal ventilation. It should not be a slope or lowland, especially if it is always damp there due to the proximity of groundwater, the site should be flat.

2. Determine the type of soil.

Tomatoes are extremely demanding on the soil. Sandy loams with abundant addition of organic fertilizers are perfect for growing. Heavy soils, as well as cold and wet soils, are categorically unsuitable. Excessive acidity also harms this vegetable. One of the most important factors in which tomatoes will not grow is cold. Everything else can be corrected with new and classic agricultural technologies.

3. Prepare seedlings correctly.

Tomatoes are planted in open ground in the form of seedlings. Seedlings are obtained from seeds. The seedling preparation process will be described below.

4. Correct care.

Tomatoes require attention as they grow and ripen. To get large and juicy fruits, it is necessary to look after the crop - weed, remove weeds, loosen the soil in the beds and water it regularly.

Preparing the soil for planting tomato seeds

The first thing a gardener needs to do in early spring is to plant seedlings. Of course, it can be purchased, but a true gardener will grow seedlings personally. He will select the variety himself or use the seeds from the previous harvest.How to prepare the soil for planting tomato seeds? First, you can buy soil for seeds at a specialty store. Such a soil will already be prepared - it will contain all the necessary substances. Then it will be enough just to divide the earth into containers and plant seeds in them. Seeds are planted for future seedlings at the very beginning of spring, choosing the brightest place in the house - window sills on the sunny side. Often, special lamps are mounted above the seedlings, then the choice of location is not fundamental, although there is still one thing - this place should not be cold and there should be no drafts. The ideal temperature for seedlings is 20-24 degrees.

Remember that the future harvest depends on the quality of the seeds and, accordingly, the seedlings!

Seed preparation for seedlings

Seeds are prepared several days before planting - they are immersed in water and everything that has surfaced is removed. A quality seed will remain at the bottom. The water is drained along with the garbage, and the remaining seeds must be treated with a solution of potassium permanganate:

• make a solution of potassium permanganate to get a thick purple hue.
• dip the seeds in the resulting solution for 25 minutes.
• after disinfection, the seeds are soaked in ordinary water until they swell, for about 10 hours.

When the planting material is ready, it is planted in the ground in two or three seeds. Planting containers can be purchased, such as small peat pots, which are then planted in open ground. You can use disposable cups or trim the bottoms of plastic bottles. Here the fantasy of gardeners is not limited by anything.

It is necessary to plant to a depth of one centimeter, not deeper, otherwise the seed may not break through. During the growth of seedlings, it is necessary to ensure that the plant does not dry out, but is not flooded with water. It is ideal to water with a spray of moisture to maintain uniformity.

As soon as the seeds rise to about a height of 5-7 centimeters, they need to be planted or simply thinned out. You need to carefully consider the seedlings, remove unhealthy plants, and plant the necessary ones again one at a time. This process is called picking.

Preparing the soil for planting seedlings

The process of preparing the soil for planting tomato seeds is different from the process of preparing the open field. In the first case, it is enough to buy a few kilograms of ready-made land in a store. But the growing area itself must be prepared carefully and in two stages:

• prepare the soil in the fall.
• prepare the soil in spring.

In the fall, after harvesting, the land is carefully removed from plant residues and debris. Then it is dug up by a deep method, to a depth of 20-25 centimeters, with the formation being thrown over. If the soil is noticeably heavy, then it is necessary to add sand at this time - 1 bucket per square meter. You should get a fairly light and fertile soil.

High acidity is "treated" with lime in the amount of half a kilogram per square meter. Liming the soil is done at the time of digging.

In the fall, organic fertilizers are also laid - manure, compost or humus. The treated soil is left in this form for the winter - frosts will have to destroy all pathogenic bacteria from the surface of the earth, and fertilizers can be absorbed evenly into the soil during snow melting and spring rains.

In the spring, the soil is also cultivated before planting. Mineral fertilizers are applied during spring loosening or digging of the earth. Mineral fertilizers are introduced into the soil to a depth of 15-20 centimeters per square meter:

• 20 grams of saltpeter
• 50 grams of superphosphates
• 20 grams of potassium chloride.

Good digging and loosening is extremely important because tomatoes have a weak root system and they need to take all substances from the soil from a confined space. Uniformity and good oxygenation of the soil is important. In this case, the plant will thrive and yield a good harvest.

Preparing the soil in the greenhouse for planting tomatoes

Seedlings can be planted either in the open ground, when it finally gets warmer (the very beginning of summer), or in greenhouses. In any case, whether it is an open area or a greenhouse, beds are made on the ground, a distance of at least 50 centimeters. Depending on the variety, tomatoes can be high or low, but the bushes will definitely be "spreading". They need a place.

The distance between plants should also be at least 30 centimeters.

For greenhouses, as well as for an open surface, there is a rule - add fertilizer in the form of chicken manure or urea to each prepared hole. This will help the plant adapt to a new place and take root faster.

The greenhouse is used when you want to get the first fruits as soon as possible, because outdoors, the harvest will come until August. In this case, the soil should be prepared in the same way, having previously well fertilized and dried the soil before planting.

Whichever way you grow tomatoes on your plot, it is very important in the future to rid the beds of weeds, fluff the soil under the plants in time and not let it dry out.

We hope that these simple tips will help you grow a great tomato crop in your backyards and enjoy the results of your work all year round!