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Experienced gardeners never throw away old buckets and other unnecessary containers. You can grow wonderful tomatoes in them. And although some do not welcome this method, the results of growing tomatoes in buckets speak for themselves. The reason for such a high yield is the rapid heating of the soil in the container. Besides, you will agree that it is much easier to care for a bush in a bucket than in a large area. Considering all the advantages of this method, let's see how it happens growing tomatoes in buckets.
Features of growing in buckets
Feeding and watering tomatoes in buckets is much more effective. The fact is that the liquid will not spread and will 100% get to the roots of the plants. It should be remembered that every year the soil from the container must be thrown out and replaced with new one. This process occurs much faster than replacing soil in a greenhouse. You just need to shake out the old soil and add new one. Various nutrients can be added to it.
Tomatoes grown in this way do not crack and also have a beautiful appearance. These tomatoes boast dense and juicy flesh. Gardeners who have already grown tomatoes using this method claim that the quality of the fruits is much better than those grown in a greenhouse or from the garden.They reach their maximum weight and size.
Seed preparation
Before sowing, the seeds must be carefully sorted, leaving only large and undamaged ones. You can purchase such seeds in a specialized store or prepare them yourself. To do this, several large and ripe tomatoes are left in the fall. Last year's seeds are best suited for growing seedlings.
Self-prepared seeds should be thoroughly heated with a lamp. The seeds are also pickled with a solution of potassium permanganate. Purchased seeds are most often already processed.
Growing tomatoes in buckets
You should start work by preparing the containers. Any buckets with a volume of 10 liters or more are suitable for this. They can be very old, full of holes and of no use. It doesn't matter if they are plastic or metal. The main thing is that the bucket has a bottom, since this is where drainage holes will need to be made.
In the fall (late November - early November), it is necessary to place wood ash and humus in containers. Some people add special substances here to make processes in the soil happen faster. Next, the mixture is watered and left directly in buckets in the greenhouse. They can be arranged in any convenient way or dug into the ground to a depth of about 20 cm.
The advantage of such planting is that it will be possible to plant seedlings in containers much earlier than in open ground. Thus, the harvest will be earlier.Containers with tomatoes can be placed anywhere on your site. They feel good both in the greenhouse and outside. This saves space for other crops. Only one seedling is planted in one container, this way you can achieve the best results. Planting is carried out in the usual way for us. In spring, you can add any organic fertilizer to the soil mixture. Since the soil in containers is not renewed naturally, fertilizing is simply necessary for good growth of tomatoes.
Some gardeners are coming up with more and more new ways to grow crops. Recently, it has become popular to grow tomatoes in buckets upside down. To do this, a small hole is made in the bottom of the bucket through which the seedlings are pulled upside down. Then, holding the plant, the bucket is filled with soil. It should be thoroughly compacted and watered.
The advantage of this planting is that the soil does not need to be weeded or loosened. In addition, tomatoes planted upside down can be placed anywhere, for example, hung on a balcony, in a greenhouse, or just in your own area. In the video below you can see in more detail how to plant tomatoes upside down.
Caring for tomatoes in buckets
Growing tomatoes both in open ground and in buckets requires some care. It consists of the following steps:
- regular moderate watering directly under the root of the plant. Do not spray tomatoes with water under any circumstances;
- Buckets dug into the ground can be watered under them;
- if the buckets are in a greenhouse, do not forget to ventilate it regularly. Fresh air is very important for tomatoes;
- like tomatoes in open ground, such tomatoes need pinching and regular removal weed;
- fertilizing is carried out no more than three times during the entire growing season.
Interesting Facts
Also, to grow tomatoes in this way, you need to know the following information:
- The leakier the bucket, the better. This applies to those buckets that are buried in the soil. Thus, the roots of the tomato can penetrate through the holes into the soil and extract moisture.
- The high yield of tomatoes in buckets is also explained by the fact that the root system is close to the walls of the bucket, which warms up very quickly in the sun. And as you know, the yield of tomatoes directly depends on heat.
- Metal containers warm up faster and are also more durable and durable. Experienced gardeners advise using them for growing tomatoes.
Conclusion
So, the article described step-by-step instructions on how to grow tomatoes in buckets. By putting these tips into practice, you can get an excellent harvest of tomatoes without much effort.
