Content
Growing heat-loving crops in the Urals is quite difficult, since the region’s climate is characterized by short, cold summers. On average, during the season only 70-80 days do not predict frost. In such conditions, tomatoes with a long ripening period do not have time to fully bear fruit. That is why farmers mainly use early ripening varieties for cultivation. They are cultivated by seedlings and then planted in protected soil. In this case, it is especially important to know exactly when to plant tomatoes in a greenhouse in the Urals, so as not to harm the plants and at the same time collect the maximum harvest of tomatoes for the season.
Sowing seeds for seedlings
For cultivation in the Urals, early ripening varieties of tomatoes should be preferred. According to reviews from gardeners, “Moldavian early”, “Siberian early ripening”, “White filling” and others have proven themselves well in such conditions. The fruits of these early-ripening tomatoes ripen 100-115 days after the seedlings appear. At the same time, the given varieties are high-yielding and allow you to harvest up to 15 kg of vegetables from every 1 m2 per season.2 soil. Another advantage of the varieties is the rapid ripening of fruits, which allows you to get the maximum benefit from the plants before the onset of autumn frosts.
By choosing a tomato variety, you can determine the date for planting the seeds for seedlings. Suppose it is decided to grow the early-ripening variety “Siberian early-ripening”. The ripening period of its fruits is 114-120 days. You can plant tomato seedlings in a greenhouse in the Urals in late May - early June. By this time, the plants should have 6-8 true leaves, which is typical for the age of 50-60 days. It should also be taken into account that about a week passes from the day of sowing until the seed germinates. Thus, it is easy to calculate that the seeds of this early ripening variety should be sown for seedlings in late March - early April.
Modern selection offers gardeners not only early-ripening tomato varieties, but also ultra-early ripening ones. The ripening period of their fruits is less than 90 days. An example of such a variety would be the tomato “Aurora f1”, “Biathlon”, “Gavrosh” and others. It is necessary to sow the seeds of these varieties for seedlings at the end of April.
It is worth noting that ultra-early ripening varieties have proven themselves to be excellent for cultivation in the Urals, since they are able to bear fruit even in its northern regions.
It is worth noting that the Urals are distinguished by climatic diversity. Thus, it is necessary to distinguish between the climate of the northern and southern parts of the region. The Northern Urals are indeed characterized by harsh weather conditions, but its southern part is quite suitable for growing, including tomato varieties with a long ripening period. The varieties “Babushkin Podar f1”, “Veneta”, “Palermo” are available to farmers of the Southern Urals. These tomatoes ripen in 130-140 days, which means their seeds need to be sown for seedlings in early March.The favorable climate of this part of the region allows to plant tomato seedlings in the greenhouse in early May.
Thus, the time of sowing the seed and the time of planting tomatoes in the greenhouse depends on the selected variety of tomatoes and the climate of the part of the region where the crop will grow.
Lunar calendar tips
It is generally accepted that the phases of the moon can have a beneficial or negative effect on plants. During the descent of the Moon, it is recommended to plant plants that grow downward, deep into the earth, i.e. root crops. The young, growing Moon favorably affects the growth of stems, branches and other components of the above-ground parts of the plant. That is why it is recommended to sow tomato seeds and plant plants in the ground during the growth of the Moon. The transition of a satellite from one zodiac sign to another can also have an impact on plant growth. Thus, the gardener’s lunar calendar recommends sowing tomato seeds for seedlings in the first days of March and the second ten days of April.
If you pay attention to specific dates, the best time for sowing tomato seeds for seedlings is March 4, 5, April 8, 12, 13. If you need to sow tomato seeds for seedlings at the end of April, then it is better to do this on the 26th-28th.
Planning planting tomatoes in a greenhouse, you also need to take into account the recommendations of the lunar calendar. Considering the climate of the Urals, and choosing dates at the end of May - beginning of June, it is worth paying attention to the dates of May 24, 25 and June 2, 7, 11.
Skeptics who do not take into account the phases of the moon in their agricultural activities need to understand that the Earth's satellite has a direct impact on the ebb and flow of water in the oceans, the life cycles of some animals and even the mood of people.Having such an influence on ongoing earthly phenomena, the Moon will certainly have a beneficial effect on young shoots, speeding up the process of their growing season and making tomatoes stronger.
Features of growing seedlings
When growing tomato seedlings, it is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of the Ural climate. Seeds should be hardened before sowing in the ground. This will allow the tomatoes to grow more adapted to frost in early spring and cool summer weather. Seedlings grown from hardened seeds take root better in a new place and subsequently form more ovaries.
There are several ways to harden tomato seeds:
- 8-10 days before the intended disembarkation, the shift must be wrapped in a cloth bag and buried in the snow for 3-4 hours, then warmed at room temperature. This hardening procedure should be repeated several times over 3 days. After which the seeds can be treated with disinfectants, growth activators, germinated and sown as seedlings.
- The variable temperature method is popular among gardeners. It consists of placing the swollen but not germinated seeds in the refrigerator for 12 hours. After such cooling, the seeds are warmed for 6 hours at room conditions. This hardening cycle must be repeated until the sprouts appear.
You can find out some other details about hardening tomato seeds in the video:
Seeds hardened during planting produce stronger and more viable sprouts that will not be afraid of the spring cold and summer vagaries of the Ural weather, but despite this, in the process of growing seedlings, the plants also need to be additionally hardened.
It is necessary to prepare tomato seedlings for new conditions 3-4 weeks before the day of intended planting. The first hardening procedures should be short and gentle. For example, you can open a window in a room where containers with seedlings are installed for 10-15 minutes. This will lower the room temperature and saturate the room with oxygen. During such hardening, it is very important to ensure that there is no draft, as it can have a detrimental effect on young plants.
The next stage of hardening may be a decrease in night temperatures. Suppose seedlings are from a room with a temperature of +22-+230You can take it out onto a glazed balcony or loggia, where the temperature is slightly lower. Recommended night temperatures should be approximately +17-+180WITH.
A week before planting tomato seedlings in the ground, you must begin to take the plants out into the fresh air, if you plan to plant the plants in open ground, or in a greenhouse, if it will subsequently become a place of constant growth. You need to accustom tomato seedlings to new conditions by gradually increasing the time from half an hour to a 24-hour stay.
The process of hardening seedlings is quite painstaking, but it is mandatory for growing tomatoes in the conditions of the Urals. Seedlings prepared in this way will be maximally adapted to new conditions. Once planted, hardened plants do not experience stress and do not stop growing.
Planting plants in the ground
You can plant tomatoes in open ground during the period when night temperatures do not drop below +120C. In this case, temperature indicators during the day should be at +21-+250C. In the conditions of the Southern Urals, such weather is typical for mid-May, but the northern part of the region is much colder and such conditions can only be expected by mid-June. You can plant tomatoes in a greenhouse 2-3 weeks earlier.
The trunks of the plants should be strong, and the leaves should be healthy and green.
In the northern part of the Urals, gardeners should create warm beds in greenhouses. The organic matter embedded in their thickness will additionally warm the roots of the plants and become a source of nutrients. In warm beds, tomatoes are not afraid of short-term cold snaps, the fruiting process is more active, and the yield increases significantly.
In harsh climatic conditions, in the early stages of planting, you can resort to creating additional heating measures. So, in a greenhouse, planted seedlings can be additionally covered with film on the arches or the greenhouse can be heated. You can also protect young seedlings from frost by additionally covering the plants with rags or old carpets.
It is worth noting that additional shelter in a greenhouse is an effective means of protecting young plants from possible frosts, since the greenhouse itself has impressive dimensions, a large volume of air and a large area of contact with the external environment.During the day, the air and soil in the shelter warms up sufficiently, but at the same time it cools down quite quickly in the evening. Additional shelter in this case allows you to retain the warmth of the earth throughout the night. Of course, there is no need to cover adult plants in a greenhouse, since they already have enough strength and energy to successfully survive short-term cold snaps.
In the conditions of the Urals, you can harvest a full-fledged, abundant harvest of tomatoes in a greenhouse, but it is worth remembering that the early onset of autumn can interrupt the fruiting period with the arrival of frost, so tall tomatoes should be pinched in August. This will allow existing ovaries to mature faster. Also, to obtain a bountiful harvest in full, at the stage of choosing a variety, you should give preference to tomatoes with uniform fruit ripening.
Let's sum it up
Thus, it is possible to grow tomatoes in the Urals only taking into account climatic conditions. Late spring, harsh summer and early autumn oblige the gardener to accurately calculate the time of sowing seeds for seedlings and choose only the varieties suitable for this. Hardening is an additional measure to prepare young plants for climatic conditions, but even after carrying out the entire complex of hardening measures, plants require care and attention after planting in a greenhouse. At the same time, only through his own labor and efforts will a gardener be able to get truly tasty tomatoes grown with his own hands.
