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If the weather outside the window is consistently warm and the tomato seedlings have already grown sufficiently, then it’s time to think about planting the plants in the ground. At the same time, you need to know at what distance to plant tomatoes in order to use land sparingly and at the same time get the maximum yield of vegetables. The distances between tomatoes depend on the tallness of the plants and growing conditions. You can also use some tricks that will allow you to create compact plantings of tomatoes in a greenhouse and in open ground.
Why is it important to maintain the recommended distances?
You can get a good harvest of tomatoes only if you place the seedlings correctly when planting. In pursuit of saving space, many gardeners plant plants too densely, which can lead to undesirable consequences:
- Closely located plants shade each other, which does not allow them to develop normally and produce fruits in the required quantity.
- in the shade of tomato foliage, the fruits ripen longer, which is not desirable when growing the crop in open ground;
- strongly developed roots suppress the growth of neighboring plants, absorbing large amounts of nutrients;
- caring for dense plantings becomes more difficult;
- in protected conditions there is no natural air circulation, and densely spaced tomato leaves may suffer from fungal diseases;
- close contact of densely spaced tomato leaves contributes to the accelerated spread of diseases from one bush to another.
Thus, dense placement of tomatoes in the soil can lead to the development of diseases, lack of nutrients and moisture, a slowdown in the process of fruit ripening and other consequences that negatively affect the yield of tomatoes.
Planting tomato seedlings at too great a distance from each other is also not a solution to the problem, since in this case it is necessary to give up large areas of land for planting. That is why a competent gardener should know what distances for plants are optimal and what planting schemes for tomato seedlings can be used in open ground and in a greenhouse.
Distances depending on variety
All tomatoes, depending on the shape, tallness, spreading nature of the bush and the extent of its root system, are divided into three types:
- Standard tomatoes sometimes called stunted. The height of their bushes does not exceed 45 cm. The root system of the plants is compact, which allows you to plant tomatoes 6-7 bushes per 1 m2 soil. The trunks of standard tomatoes are thick and strong. Such plants do not need staking.
- Determinant tomatoes are called medium-sized. Their height does not exceed 1.5 m.The root system is well developed. During the growing season, plants independently limit their growth and require the formation of a bush. Grow determinate tomatoes in open and protected ground, planting 3-4 plants per 1 m2 soil.
- Indeterminate varieties tomatoes grow throughout their entire life cycle. Their height can reach 3 m. The developed root system does not allow such bushes to be planted densely. Thus, the recommended planting scheme involves placing no more than 2 bushes per 1 m2 soil. During the growing season, indeterminate tomatoes must be tied up, pinched, and pinched.
Thus, when purchasing tomato seeds, you need to pay attention to their classification in order to determine at what distance they will need to be planted in the future and what plant care rules to follow.
Schemes for planting tomatoes in open ground
Tomatoes should be planted in open ground in early June. At this time there is no threat of frost, and night temperatures do not fall below +10-+120C. In a greenhouse environment, such conditions occur 2-3 weeks earlier.
Before planting seedlings, you should decide on the plot of land on which the tomatoes will grow. This should be a well-lit, windless area with a predominance of nutritious soil. It is also worth paying attention to what crops previously grew in this place. The best predecessors for tomatoes are cucumbers, zucchini, peas, onions, cabbage, garlic, and root vegetables. You cannot plant tomatoes in areas of soil where eggplants, peppers or potatoes previously grew.
To grow tomatoes, you must first prepare the soil.During autumn digging, manure, humus or other organic matter should be added to the soil. In the spring, with the arrival of warmth, the soil must be loosened and fertilizers containing phosphorus and potassium added. After such preparation, it is necessary to determine which planting scheme and technology is best to use.
Planting in rows
This technology is most common among gardeners. It is used by both experienced and novice farmers. It involves planting tomatoes in the ground in rows according to pre-made markings. Standard and determinate tomatoes can be planted using this technology. Depending on the tallness of the tomatoes, distances between plants in the same row should be from 25 to 40 cm. Between the rows of tomatoes, passages 50-80 cm wide should be provided.
It is worth noting that planting tomatoes in rows is used only in open ground, since the technology requires large areas. The advantage of this method is easier plant care, good lighting of the bushes, and excellent air circulation. All these factors allow tomatoes to grow freely and produce a full harvest in a timely manner.
Parallel landing
This planting technology is similar to the above method. The only difference is that between the technical passages you need to plant not one, but two rows of tomatoes. This allows you to save land while maintaining ease of maintenance of plantings. Plants of any height are planted using this technology, while maintaining the recommended distances: between two rows of distances 25-50 cm, depending on the tallness of the bushes, the distance between bushes in the same row is 60-70 cm.
Between two ridges with parallel plantings of tomatoes, a passage should be provided, the width of which should be 80-100 cm. You can see the diagram of such planting of tomatoes below.
Parallel planting is sometimes called strip-cluster planting. It is used for growing tomatoes in a greenhouse and in open areas of land.
Checkerboard landing
Checkerboard planting is more often used for growing determinate tomatoes in open ground. The method allows you to provide plants with maximum sunlight. At the same time, caring for plants is not difficult, since access to each bush is free.
To plant tomatoes in a checkerboard pattern, you need to mark two lines, the distance between which will be 40-50 cm. Tomatoes should be planted on one line, maintaining a distance of 50-60 cm between the bushes. After filling one line, you can begin planting plants on the second line. This will allow you to evenly fill the soil and make the plantings level.
Square nest planting
This technology for growing tomatoes is more often used in industrial enterprises. It involves planting not one, but three tomato seedlings in one hole (nest). Nests can be placed in unlimited areas in squares. They are created by marking several parallel lines, at a distance of 80 cm from each other. Nests are made on each line at a distance of 60 cm.
After the tomato seedlings planted in the square-cluster method adapt to new conditions, one less viable seedling is removed. The remaining two stronger ones are tied up.
Caring for plants with this planting scheme is quite complicated, however, the technology has been proven to be highly effective in practice.
Tomatoes are planted at a distance that depends on their tallness. Thus, it is better to grow indeterminate tomatoes in rows, since in this case the massive bushes will receive a sufficient amount of sunlight and the roots will not be deficient in nutrients and moisture. This arrangement will allow you to grow the maximum harvest of vegetables without any particular difficulties, because the plants will be located without restricting access to them.
It is better to plant medium-sized, determinate tomatoes in a checkerboard pattern to save free soil. Low-growing, standard tomatoes will take up little space, but will give a good harvest when planted in parallel rows. At the same time, despite all the recommendations, the choice of planting scheme for tomatoes in open ground depends primarily on the preferences of the gardener and the availability of free soil.
Planting tomatoes in a greenhouse
Most gardeners traditionally grow tomatoes in greenhouses and greenhouses. This allows plants to be planted in early spring, thereby speeding up the harvesting process. Low-growing and tall-growing tomatoes can be planted in protected soil. At the same time, farmers recommend giving preference to indeterminate tomatoes, which grow and bear fruit until late autumn. Greenhouse conditions in this case allow you to maintain a favorable microclimate for plants for as long as possible.
Soil preparation
Prepare the ground for growing tomatoes in a greenhouse necessary in the spring. To do this, you need to sift and disinfect or partially replace the top layer of soil, since it contains pest larvae, seeds and roots of weeds. The soil can be disinfected by heating it or spilling it with a manganese solution. Also, during soil preparation, it is necessary to add rotted manure and a complex of mineral fertilizers with a high content of potassium and phosphorus. After applying fertilizers, the soil in the greenhouse should be leveled.
Classic planting methods
After preparing the soil for growing tomatoes in a greenhouse, you need to determine at what distance the seedlings need to be planted, taking into account the tallness of the variety. In this case, you can use one of the above landing schemes. However, it is worth remembering:
- planting in rows is not advisable for growing tomatoes in a greenhouse, since it requires the use of large areas;
- Square-nest planting of tomatoes is also not recommended for protected conditions, since it requires large areas and makes caring for plants in a limited space difficult.
At the same time, most often, gardeners when growing tomatoes in greenhouses use the classic scheme of parallel placement of seedlings. This diagram indicating the recommended distances for medium-sized determinate tomatoes is shown below.
The method of planting tomatoes in a checkerboard pattern is also popular among farmers who grow tomatoes in greenhouses and greenhouses.An example of the arrangement of holes according to this principle can be seen in the photo below.
Combined landing
Gardeners often resort to a little trick - combined planting. It consists in the fact that tall, indeterminate and low-growing, standard tomatoes grow on the same area at the same time. In this case, tall plants must be placed in the middle of the ridge, and tomatoes of low-growing varieties along its edges. Using this method growing tomatoes in a greenhouse, special attention should be paid to the formation of bushes.
Bush formation
For normal growth, development and abundant fruiting, it is necessary to plant tomato seedlings at certain distances. When purchasing seeds of a particular variety, you can see the recommended distances on the packaging, however, it should be taken into account that the manufacturer indicates them taking into account the correct formation of the bush.
Indeterminate tomatoes are shaped so that one main fruiting stem remains. This can be achieved by removing stepsons. Closer to autumn, indeterminate bushes can be pinched so that the plants devote their energy to the ripening of existing fruits. Indeterminate bushes must be tied up.
Determinate, medium-growing tomatoes also need to be formed during the growing process. The technology for forming bushes in this case involves pinching the main stem when it reaches a certain height and removing the stepsons. In this case, only some stepsons are removed, leaving 3-4 fruiting branches below.
There is no need to pinch standard and low-growing tomatoes. They, as a rule, independently regulate the intensity of their growth.However, it is still sometimes necessary to remove lush leaves and shoots from low-growing tomatoes.
There are no leaves on the flower shoots, while the stepsons already form leaves in the early period.
Planted tomatoes can be exposed to various fungal diseases. Often their source is contaminated soil. To prevent diseases, the lower leaves touching the soil should be removed at all stages of cultivation.
Details about formation of tomato bushes you can find out from the video:
Let's sum it up
Every gardener should know at what distance to plant tomatoes. This is especially important when growing tomatoes in a greenhouse, where there is no natural air circulation, as this can give rise to the development of fungal diseases. Maintaining distances when planting seedlings and proper formation of tomato bushes allows you to avoid such troubles and at the same time increase crop productivity. When growing tomatoes outdoors, maintaining the recommended distances allows the plants to receive more sunlight, causing the tomatoes to ripen faster. Thus, the distance between seedlings chosen during planting is the basis for obtaining a good harvest.
