All summer residents try to plant tomatoes on their plot. Healthy vegetables are always present on farmers' plots.
But sometimes certain conditions require extraordinary solutions. The problem with time during the spring planting period can be solved using the seedless method of growing tomatoes.
Growing tomatoes without seedlings is not difficult. In addition, you will get rid of many of the usual hassles during normal tomato seedlings:
- preparing pots;
- steaming and disinfection of soil mixture;
- daily watering of tomato seedlings;
- compliance with temperature and humidity parameters;
- additional lighting and nutrition of tomato seedlings.
Another factor is that the seedlings grown are not always of high quality. Confirmation that tomatoes without seedlings can grow even in the northern regions is the unexpected appearance of a tomato in the garden. It occurs among a bed of other crops, and proper care allows the fruit to reap. Of course, this can only happen if the tomato variety is early, capable of producing a harvest in a short time. To growing tomatoes without seedlings was successful, you need to know some nuances. After all, the short and cold northern summer does not provide enough time for the full ripening of many varieties. But if you have never tried to grow tomatoes without seedlings, then the listed advantages of this method will help you make a decision:
- Tomatoes develop better and faster.This is due to the absence of such transitional traumatic actions for seedlings as picking and transplanting. The seedlings do not need to take root; they are accustomed to sunlight and ambient temperature.
- The root system is much more powerful and goes deeper into the ground. Such bushes require watering less frequently and in smaller quantities. This is a very valuable parameter for summer residents who rarely visit the site.
In any case, choose varieties with good stress resistance.
What you need to know when growing tomatoes without the usual seedlings
Firstly, wise selection of seeds. It’s good to take an early, proven tomato variety adapted to your region. Then the bed will be the same in shape and height of the bushes. Use your own seeds, collected from the best fruits of the previous harvest. The second nuance is the preparation of shelters for tomato ridges. It's better if it's double. In the first half of the season, non-woven material is suitable, later – plastic film. Arcs are used to tension the coating. Before installing them, the beds are dug up and compost or humus is added. To insulate the ridge, it is good to make wooden sides along the edges. In the same way, ridges are made in a greenhouse. Here you can insulate the ridges from the inside with a layer of manure.
Before you start preparing land for planting tomatoes, be sure to pour hot water over the selected area. It is good to add potassium permanganate for disinfection.
Next, be sure to adhere to the timing and planting pattern of tomatoes.Sowing is carried out at the end of April (if the weather is favorable) and until mid-May. The nesting method has proven itself well, in which up to 5 seeds are sown in one hole. This makes it possible to leave the strongest seedling in the future. It looks strong, the leaves are dark green in color, the internodes are short, the taproot is deep in the ground. How to grow tomato seedlings without problems? Let's get started:
- thin out seedlings;
- mulch the holes with compost;
- we pinch the stepsons after two weeks to maintain their single-stem shape;
- we remove the growing points after making 3-4 brushes for pouring fruit;
- We remove the fruits from the lower cluster unripe for ripening;
- remove the lower leaves and skeletons of the brushes with pruning shears;
- We take a good harvest from the upper tassels of the tomato bush.
Growing tomatoes without seedlings is practiced both in open ground and in a greenhouse. The second option is very successful during a long cold spring. A tomato grown in a greenhouse is more reliably protected, especially when the owner is absent from the site. In addition, it is convenient to grow tomatoes in a greenhouse until warmer, and then transplant under the open sky. A greenhouse tomato should not be tall and spreading, so it is important to pay attention to the choice of variety. Tomato bushes grown in a greenhouse are planted in open beds and covered with non-woven material for the first time. This will speed up the ripening period of the fruit and protect the tomatoes from the vagaries of the weather. Growing tomatoes in open ground without seedlings will require preventive measures to combat fungal diseases. To do this, use folk remedies (garlic, pine needles) or Bordeaux mixture (0.7%). It is necessary to feed the bushes during the period of budding and fruit set.It is optimal to use complex formulations where all nutritional components are balanced. By providing simple care for your tomatoes, you will get a harvest in mid-summer. These plants are ahead in development of their counterparts grown by seedlings. Don't forget to harvest the entire crop in August. It is better to ripen tomatoes than to lose a valuable harvest due to bad weather.
Growing tomatoes without seedlings is a valuable experience and a fascinating process. Choose “your” varieties, experiment with beds and shelter. Your work will definitely be rewarded.
