In order to get an early harvest, gardeners around the world use greenhouses. We plant cucumbers and tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, as well as other thermophilic vegetables in the greenhouse. But to get a rich harvest, it is important to choose the right variety, as well as properly care for the plants. Every year new hybrids appear, and it is quite difficult for beginner gardeners to figure this out. What varieties of tomatoes are best planted in a greenhouse and how to properly care for them - in the article.
How to choose tomato varieties for a greenhouse?
Harvesting until late autumn is possible only in the greenhouse. Neither ordinary summer residents nor beginner vegetable growers can do without it. And if earlier it was possible to sort out tomato varieties without much difficulty, since there were not too many of them, today this number is already more than a thousand, and it is quite difficult to choose the right ones from them.
The quality and quantity of the crop largely depends on the observance of growing technologies, on the right variety, on the weather conditions characteristic of the area. And if the weather conditions cannot be changed, but you can slightly adjust the heated greenhouses, then everything else must be taken with care.
It is also important to choose the right planting material, and you need to rely not only on the attractiveness of the packaging with seeds, but also on other factors. Planting material must be selected according to the following characteristics:
- climate zone;
- productivity;
- frost resistance;
- disease resistance;
- taste qualities.
When choosing seeds, you need to determine in advance the purpose of the fruit - for long-term storage, for harvesting for the winter or for fresh consumption after harvest.
Planting greenhouse tomatoes
When growing tomatoes in a greenhouse, you need to take into account their property to grow greatly. Therefore, it is important to plant seedlings correctly, and not to let them grow arbitrarily.
When to plant tomato seedlings in a greenhouse? Seedlings are planted in the greenhouse, usually in the first decade of May. The air at this time is not yet warmed up too well, so you need to additionally cover the bushes at night. In early June, such additional shelters can already be removed.
It is very important to ventilate the greenhouse daily, since stuffiness and high humidity are harmful to seedlings. The beds for seedlings are made along the greenhouse.
How to plant tomatoes in this case? The beds in the greenhouse should be at least 80 cm wide. The soil must be prepared 3 days before planting, dig and spill with a hot solution of potassium permanganate. The distance between the tomatoes should be about 60 cm to make it easier to care for them.
Greenhouse tomato care specifics
Anyone who asks whether it is possible to plant tomatoes in a greenhouse can safely answer - yes! But to get a high crop of tomatoes you need to work hard and take responsible care of them. Proper care consists of three main actions: competent watering, pollination, and regular ventilation.
Watering the seedlings planted in the greenhouse should already be on the 12th day. Watering should be clearly standardized, since tomatoes do not like waterlogging of the soil. Before flowering per 1 square. m takes about 4 liters of water, and when the fruits are already formed, 12 liters. Water should be warm enough - about 22 degrees. Adult tomato bushes should be watered once a week.
An increase in air humidity in the greenhouse should not be allowed, as this prevents pollination. In general, greenhouse varieties of tomatoes are pollinated in a natural way, but additionally, mechanical pollination is also necessary, i.e. shaking the inflorescences. This procedure is carried out during the day in sunny weather. After pollination, the flowers need to be sprayed and the greenhouse aired.
For greenhouse tomatoes, ventilation is very important, so greenhouses must be with windows. A comfortable temperature for tomatoes is considered to be 22 degrees during the day, and 20 degrees at night.
These simple rules will help you get a high yield. And now we will consider which tomatoes are best planted in a greenhouse.
Determinant and indeterminate varieties of tomato for greenhouses
Many beginning gardeners are frightened by unfamiliar inscriptions on packages with seeds - a determinant or indeterminate variety. Let's try to figure them out and find out which tomatoes can be planted in the greenhouse.
Determinant varieties are characterized by small growth, that is, they grow a short period of time, then the stem ceases to develop and grow. As a rule, the height of such tomatoes reaches 35-70 cm. An inflorescence is located at the top of the crown. Typically, these varieties are early ripening and are often grown in open ground, but such tomatoes are also suitable for greenhouses.
Indeterminate varieties do not stop in development, but grow constantly, delighting the gardener with new inflorescences and additional stems. Plant growth can be stopped by pinching. The fruits of such varieties are usually large and juicy.
As a rule, it is the indeterminate large-fruited tomatoes that are grown in greenhouses, since a good crop can be harvested from them - up to 15 kg of tomatoes per square meter. m
What tomatoes are best planted in a greenhouse from indeterminate large-fruited varieties? Here are a few options:
- Mazarin. In industrial greenhouses, such tomatoes reach a height of two meters. Fruits of a beautiful crimson color and an interesting form - heart. Tomatoes are very large - an average of 600 grams. Suitable for salads.
- Bear Paw. The variety is medium early. It features beautiful red fruits, rounded in shape and slightly flat. Tomatoes are also very large, weighing up to 800 g. Such crops need to be tied and stepsoned in a timely manner.
- Goose egg. A relatively new variety. The fruits are saturated red, the shape of the fruit is oval. It is considered medium-sized in size, the weight of the fruit is approximately 300 grams.
- King of the giants. The average height of the bush is 1.2 meters. Productivity - 8 kg from one bush. It is well stored and transported.
Hybrid varieties of greenhouse tomatoes
If the question arises of which large tomatoes are best planted in a greenhouse, the answer arises by itself: these are hybrids.
Hybrids require less maintenance than normal tall large-fruited species. They have a high yield, even with sharp temperature jumps and insufficient light. Varieties with early and medium early ripening have a high immunity to diseases.
Here are some popular hybrid varieties:
- Ural F1. It is grown in film and glass greenhouses. A bush with round beautiful fruits, the mass of one tomato is up to 400 grams. The yield of the bush is about 8 kg. It is necessary to tie and stepchild in a timely manner.
- Cavalcade F1. Tomatoes with early ripening, unpretentious, with large and tasty fruits.
- Volgograd F1. This variety has a very high yield - approximately 35 kg per 1 sq. Km. m and good preservation of fruits. By maturity is considered average.
- Russian size F1 and Siberian F1. Varieties are super giants. The average weight of the fruit is 500 grams. They have a wonderful aroma and taste.
Tall or undersized varieties?
As we have already explained above, as a rule, tall varieties are grown in greenhouses (mainly indeterminate). These are tall lianoid bushes that give a large crop. For such varieties, high greenhouses and careful care are needed, only in this case the harvest will be plentiful.
Tall tomatoes are distinguished by larger fruits and higher shoots, which require mandatory garter. Grow them well in combination with medium-sized. Such cultivation provides continuous harvesting.
Low-growing varieties are suitable for low film shelters. As a rule, they are grown in the north of the country. The fruits of these varieties are medium and small.
Varieties of tall and short tomatoes
What tomatoes are best planted in a greenhouse of tall varieties:
- Athos F1 - a flat-round shape of the fruit, weighing about 150 grams, are well suited for canning.
- Samara F1 - has perfectly smooth and smooth fruits, weighing about 100 grams. It has a sweet taste and the ability to maintain taste.
- Mandarin - fruits with a bright orange color, weighing about 100 grams. This variety has a high yield.
- Yellow cherry - the fruits are bright yellow, small. They have a very sweet taste.
From undersized varieties:
- Biathlon F1 - the fruits are bright red, weight 90 grams. The variety has a high yield.
- Alaska. The fruits of this variety are tied in any conditions, their weight is about 90 grams, of which salads are mainly prepared.
- Bonnie is a fairly unpretentious and supe ripening variety. Fruits are bright red in color, weighing 80 grams. Due to early maturity, it is almost not exposed to diseases.
- Peach. Fruits are yellow-orange in color, have a light pile. The mass of the fetus is about 100 grams.
Of course, such ranking of varieties is conditional. Regardless of the height of the tomato, they can be different in terms of ripening, in size of the fruit.
Large-fruited, medium-fruited and small-fruited varieties of tomatoes
What tomatoes are best planted in a greenhouse from large-fruited varieties:
- Abakan pink - fruits are beautiful, sugar, pink in color, weighing about 300 grams. Of the merits of the variety, early ripeness and high yielding capacity can be noted.
- Bull's heart is a very famous variety with large fruits (fruit weight reaches 700 grams), fleshy, pink-red color.
- Two-color - yellow-red fruits, weighing up to 500 grams. They have a high sugar content and a sweet taste.
- King Orange - the fruits are sweet, bright orange in color, weighing about 800 grams.
From medium fruit varieties:
- Watercolor - early ripe tomatoes with plum shape, weighing up to 120 grams.
- Golden Queen - yellow fruits, plum-shaped, weighing up to 100 grams.
- Yellow Buyan - yellow fruit, egg-shaped, grown for salads and canning.
From small-fruited varieties:
- Butterfly - fruits of raspberry pink color, ovoid form. The variety is universal.
- Cherry Blossam - the fruits are very sweet, weighing up to 20 grams. Do not crack and practically do not get sick.
Greenhouse Tomato Productivity
Productivity is the main criterion, which is a priority for most gardeners. On average, yield per 1 sq. Km. m of greenhouse tomatoes is from 9 to 13 kg. When planting hybrid varieties or with special careful care for tomatoes, the yield indicator can increase up to 20 kg.
Hybrids F1 are most fruitful in greenhouses. They are undemanding to care, easily tolerate temperature fluctuations, resistant to most diseases, give an excellent harvest.
New varieties of greenhouse tomatoes, which appeared in recent years, are distinguished not only by rapid ripening, but also by large fruits with excellent taste characteristics.
Varieties for unsuitable climatic zones
Is it possible to plant tomatoes in unsuitable climatic zones in a greenhouse, and what can come of it? This question is of interest to many beginning summer residents.
The Urals is considered a risky farming zone. Its climate is considered not quite suitable for growing tomatoes in open ground. The frost-free period in the Urals is only 70-90 days. But you can still get a high tomato crop in greenhouses here, for this breeders have developed special varieties.
If you properly care for seedlings and adult bushes, you can get about 15 kg of tomatoes per 1 square. m. Varieties in this case, you need to choose those that are able to tolerate frequent summer frosts.
The most suitable varieties for the risky farming zone:
- Early Moldavian - the variety is characterized by high productivity and good resistance to disease. The fruits ripen quickly, they themselves are round, fleshy and very tasty.
- Of the large-fruited, one can note the varieties Giant and Kiev. Their fruits are large, yellow, very sweet. The bushes themselves are powerful, have a thick stem.
Tricky Tomato Tips
- To get large tomatoes from a determinant variety, you need to cut several unripe tomatoes from each brush. The remaining fruits will grow larger.
- It is better to grow different varieties of tomatoes in one greenhouse. This, as a rule, guarantees productivity, and in general will please the owner with variety.
- If the tomato brushes do not have as much color as we would like, you need to cut the lower ovaries. Perhaps the bush is hard, and freed, he will give twice as much crop.
- For tomato bushes to bear fruit better, in a greenhouse you can put several buckets with manure or roaming grass. As a result of this, the concentration of CO 2 in the air increases, and tomato growth is more intense.
As a conclusion, we can say that today there are a lot of greenhouse varieties of tomatoes, and every year the gardener can experiment with them. This article was created to help beginners figure out which varieties of tomatoes to plant in a greenhouse and easily get a good harvest.