When to plant tomatoes in a greenhouse in Siberia

Many people think that fresh tomatoes in Siberia are exotic. However, modern agricultural technology makes it possible to grow tomatoes even in such harsh climatic conditions and obtain good yields. Of course, planting tomatoes in the northern regions has its own characteristics; the gardener must know a number of rules and strictly follow the instructions for growing tomatoes in Siberia. But in the end, the farmer will receive a decent tomato harvest, which may be in no way inferior in quality and quantity to the harvest of a summer resident from central Russia.

This article will be devoted to the rules for growing tomatoes in cold climates: choosing a variety, preparing seedlings, methods of planting in a greenhouse, as well as the timing in which tomato seedlings should be planted in the ground.

How to choose tomatoes for Siberia

Today, choosing a tomato variety suitable for each region will not be difficult - a lot of varieties and varieties of tomatoes have been selected, specially acclimatized for specific weather conditions.

Seeds of special Siberian varieties cost a lot, so you need to handle planting material carefully and skillfully. All in all, The requirements for tomatoes for Siberia are as follows:

1. Precocity. It is better to choose ultra-early or super-early tomato varieties, but in no case late-ripening tomatoes with a long growing season. The fact is that summer in the northern regions comes very late - frosts do not subside for a long time, and autumn, in turn, begins too early - in September there may already be full-fledged frosts. Not all tomato varieties have such a short growing season; only very early tomato varieties can ripen in a short summer.
2. Low temperature resistance should also be present in the list of qualities of a Siberian tomato, because the likelihood of frost (both spring and autumn) is very high.
3. Ability to withstand high temperatures. Siberia is a region with huge temperature fluctuations: in summer it can be up to 40 degrees Celsius, and in winter it can be -40 degrees Celsius, and often night temperatures are very different from daytime temperatures - 10 and 40 degrees, respectively. Not all tomato varieties are able to withstand such temperature fluctuations, so you need to choose a tomato variety that is not only resistant to cold, but also able to withstand the heat.
4. High yield is also one of the main requirements for Siberian tomato varieties. In this case, it is better to focus on quality rather than quantity: it will be easier for a gardener to build a small greenhouse and plant a couple of dozen tomato bushes there than to provide the necessary conditions for an entire tomato plantation.
5. Purpose of fruits It’s also better to determine right away: does the summer resident need tomatoes for canning, or does he plan to make juice from the tomatoes, or does the family simply need fresh vegetables in the summer.Since most tomato varieties have a universal purpose, it is better to choose one of them so that there are no surprises later.

It is also worth paying attention to the method of pollinating tomatoes - self-pollinating tomatoes that do not need insects or human help are most suitable for greenhouses.

Where are Siberian tomatoes grown?

Oddly enough, the climate in different parts of Siberia can differ significantly: if in Miusinsk summer residents grow vegetables directly on their plots, then in cold Norilsk not every greenhouse can provide the gardener with a good harvest of heat-loving tomatoes.

So, decide on the method growing tomatoes in Siberia An analysis of the weather conditions of a specific region will help. If stable warmth in the area begins already in mid-May, and summer lasts until mid-September, then it is quite possible to plant tomato seedlings directly in the beds. Of course, in the first weeks after planting you will have to monitor night temperatures and, probably, cover the seedlings with film.

But in more northern regions, where warmth comes only in June, and already in August heavy rains and morning fogs begin, tender tomatoes simply will not survive in open ground: the fruits will not have time to ripen, and the plants will be at risk of late blight and rot. There is only one way out - to plant tomato seedlings in greenhouses or greenhouses.

As you know, greenhouses are also different:

• film;
• glass;
• polycarbonate;
• built on a foundation or simply on the ground;
• with ground heating or air heating.

All these factors are important, but each gardener must independently choose the appropriate type of greenhouse, taking into account the climate in his area, the location of the site (if it is lowland, for example, then the threat of frost and fog is more significant) and, of course, his material capabilities.

Undoubtedly Cultivation of tomatoes in protected soil (in greenhouses) is more productive. This way you can avoid a lot of surprises and preserve the tomato harvest as much as possible. This is why most gardeners in Siberia prefer to plant tomato seedlings in greenhouses or small greenhouses: both those who grow tomatoes only for themselves and those who sell vegetables do this.

When to plant tomatoes in a greenhouse in Siberia

Unfortunately, there is no clear date for planting tomatoes in protected soil. You can determine the time for planting tomatoes taking into account a number of factors, such as:

• weather;
• climate observations in previous years;
• variety of tomato;
• recommended planting dates indicated on the bag of seeds;
• the state of the seedlings at a certain point;
• soil temperature in the greenhouse.

In general, only one thing can be said - if the temperature of the soil in which the tomatoes are planted remains below 15 degrees, the plants will not develop. Simply put, a gardener can plant tomato seedlings earlier, but this will not give any results if the ground is still too cold - he will not get an early tomato harvest.

How to warm the soil for tomatoes

It turns out that The main task of Siberian summer residents is to provide seedlings with warm soil as early as possible. This can be done in many ways, the most common methods today are:

1. Artificial heating of the soil using energy resources: electric heaters located underground, hot water pipelines and other methods. Such methods are very effective, but they require the use of energy resources, and today such pleasure is not cheap at all.
2. A more economical way is to heat the soil using organic matter. In practice, it looks like this: the soil is removed from the bed and organic substances, such as compost, straw, cow manure, and humus, are placed at the bottom of the resulting trench. The main condition is that the organic matter is in a state of decay. Then the fermentation process will contribute to the release of heat, which is what is required to heat the soil in the garden bed. The rotting organic matter must be covered with a thick layer of soil on top, otherwise the tomatoes will simply burn alive.

There are several ways to raise a bed of tomatoes; most often, summer residents use one of the following methods:

• planting tomato seedlings in wooden boxes. Such a box needs to be prepared in the fall, stocked with the necessary amount of nutrient soil for the required volume, and the soil must be dug up and fertilized. And in the spring, the soil is disinfected, loosened and removed from the boxes. Instead of soil, put rotting organic matter (compost, humus or manure) at the bottom of the container, compact it well and cover it with a thick layer of earth on top.Now you can plant the seedlings - the tomato roots will be warm enough while the organic material rots and decomposes.
  
• Raised beds can also be a solution for those regions where the threat of frost lasts until June.
  
  To build such a bed, you will need additional substrate for tomatoes. The dry substrate needs to be poured into a mound onto the main bed, the height of the mound is approximately 15-20 cm. The tomato seedlings need to be planted in this bulk soil; as they grow, the roots of the tomatoes will still grow into the main bed, and while the tomato plants are young they will be warm and comfortable in the embankment.

These are not all methods; many summer residents use planting tomatoes in tubs or large pots, buckets; some successfully use bags with a special nutrient mixture for this; methods of growing vegetables in water with dissolved fertilizers are also known.

Secrets of Siberian gardeners

In addition to heating the soil in a greenhouse, summer residents and gardeners in Siberia know a few more tricks to help them grow a good tomato crop:

1. Use only prepared and hardened seeds for sowing. You can harden tomato seeds in a regular refrigerator, but before that they must go through several stages. First of all, the planting material is placed in warm water for 10-12 hours, so that the water temperature does not drop; you can use a thermos. Then the tomato seeds are washed with cool water and dipped in a potassium permanganate solution for disinfection for half an hour. You can feed tomato seeds with a solution of wood ash, sodium humate or nitrophoska. After this, they need to be placed on a damp cloth and placed in a warm place.When the first seed hatches, the saucer with tomato seeds is placed in the refrigerator (it is better to use the zero chamber). Here they are hardened for two to three days. Only after this can the tomato seeds be sown as seedlings.
   
2. Siberians grow tomato seedlings in low boxes, the layer of soil in which is no more than three centimeters. This is necessary so that the tomato seedlings have a well-branched root system and do not go deep into the beds. This is due to the fact that at depth the earth takes a very long time to warm up, while on the surface the soil, even in Siberia, will become quite warm in May.
3. During diving, the roots of tomato seedlings need to be pinched. At this stage, gardeners remove half of the central root, which can be easily recognized since it is the longest. This also promotes branching of the tomato root system, which allows seedlings to be planted earlier.
4. Tomato seeds are sown for seedlings in late March or early Aprilso that the seedlings have time to gain sufficient weight and not stretch too much.
   
5. When planting tomatoes, either in open ground or in a greenhouse, summer residents of Siberia try to choose only low-growing varieties, since they are more resistant to low temperatures, and at the same time are able to survive extreme heat. Indeterminate varieties of tomatoes are more demanding and delicate, they need stable heat, and besides, such bushes will have to be constantly pinched and tied up.
6. During the fog period (in most of Siberia they begin in August) Tomatoes planted in open ground need to be protected at least from above. To do this, the beds with tomatoes are covered with a polyethylene canopy.
7. Greenhouses for tomatoes can be temporary; as the seedlings grow and the likelihood of frost decreases, the side parts of the greenhouse can be dismantled or all the windows and doors in the greenhouse can be opened. This measure is necessary for maximum ventilation of plants, since greenhouse tomatoes in Siberia often suffer from late blight, After all, it is quite difficult to regulate temperature and humidity under these conditions.
8. For normal development, tomatoes need regular watering and repeated fertilization.. The first time you need to water and feed the seedlings is no earlier than 10 days after transplantation. After this, watering is repeated as the soil dries out, and the tomatoes are fed at each stage of their development: during the period of growing green mass, during the flowering period and at the stage of fruit ripening. Only organic fertilizers (manure, chicken droppings, humus) can be used for tomatoes.
   
9. So that the fruits have time to ripen, No more than seven ovaries should be left on each tomato bush. The remaining ovaries are simply removed by pinching out the shoots.
10. If frost or late blight prevents the fruits from ripening, large and medium-sized tomatoes can be picked green and placed in a warm and well-lit place. There the tomatoes will ripen quietly within 1-2 weeks.

conclusions

There are no exact recommendations for determining the date of planting tomatoes in Siberia. The gardener must independently analyze such important factors as the weather, the characteristics of the region, the location of the site, the type of greenhouse, the method of growing tomatoes and their variety. One thing is for sure - tomato seedlings must be maximally prepared for the harsh conditions of the north, so they need to be hardened off and treated with fungicidal preparations at all stages of development.

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