Healthy tomato seedlings are the key to a bountiful harvest of tomatoes, but often beginner gardeners make mistakes at the stage of sowing and growing seedlings. This subsequently negatively affects the quality and quantity of fruits of an adult plant. This is our detailed guide to planting tomatoes in February and growing seedlings for a large and healthy harvest
Sowing tomato seedlings in February: preparation
Tomatoes have seeds that do not lose their entry properties for a long time. Such seeds can lie for about 20 years and still not lose their qualities. However, absolutely for each variety there is a single preparation procedure.
You should start preparing the ground for planting tomatoes in the fall. Only in this case, the soil will have time to be saturated with minerals by spring.
The preparatory cycle for planting tomatoes includes:
- Culling seeds;
- Heating seeds;
- Seed disinfection;
- Growth stimulation;
- Soaking seeds
- Sprouting;
- Hardening of tomato seedlings.
It is in February that they begin to prepare tomato seeds. They are taken out of the bags and spread in salted water. Those seeds that begin to float can be used for planting. They are taken out of salt water, washed and dried.
If up to this point the seeds were stored in a cold room, then they must be warmed up. To do this, they must be left in a warm place for several days.
After these procedures, the seeds are disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate for half an hour or in hydrogen peroxide for 10 minutes. After that, they begin procedures that will increase the yield of the future tomato. This is achieved by stimulating growth. To do this, the seeds are soaked for 12 hours in a nutrient solution that includes potato juice or aloe. After that, the seeds are laid out on gauze moistened with water. Water is changed every 4 hours for 12 hours.
Then the seeds need to germinate. To do this, they are wrapped in gauze or bandage, laid out on a plate and watered with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. In this position, they are left for several days, until the moment when they swell. This procedure allows you to strengthen the viability of seedlings, and also helps to increase the yield.
Seeds that hatch need to be refrigerated overnight and kept warm during the day. Such actions are repeated for several days.
You should not plant undersized varieties in February, it is better to deal with early-ripening varieties. The rest are best left for March and April.
Planting a tomato: How to sow tomatoes in February
Gardeners who have been gardening for a relatively long time already have a large collection of tomato seeds that they want to grow by February.
You need to prepare a mixture of soil, humus and compost, which are mixed in a 1: 1 ratio. Additionally, you can add ash, superphosphate and potassium sulfate.
Tomatoes are not afraid of transplants, which cannot be said about cucumbers. This culture can be planted in any containers, peat tablets, in any case they will develop without obstacles.
But if the growing container doesn’t matter – the growing soil and sowing steps play a big role.
Steps of sowing tomatoes:
- Preparing the soil;
- Irrigate the soil;
- Sowing seeds;
- Sheltering seeds until germination;
- Water seedlings;
- Picking.
Tomatoes will grow well in turf or peat soil, mixed in a ratio of 1 to 3. Moisten the bud before planting. Then push the recesses into which you place the seeds. Cover all this with humus and earth.
Cover your crops with a lid or polyethylene before sprouts appear. When the third leaf appears on the sprout, the tomatoes can be transplanted, for example, into a greenhouse.
The period for planting seedlings, each gardener chooses for himself. But you need to take into account that in open soil you are better off transplanting only two-month-old seedlings in favorable weather.
It is recommended to plant tomatoes in open ground at least 1.5 months after germination. The main condition for landing is the establishment of a favorable temperature regime and the absence of frost.
If you start planting earlier, you can end up with thin seedlings that will bear fruit late and take a long time to adapt to the soil.
We hope that you will follow our advice about planting a tomato and be able to grow the perfect tomato.
