Growing vegetables is a troublesome business. Each of them requires certain knowledge and skills. To obtain a good quality crop at an earlier date, a seedling method of cultivation is used. It is used for vegetable and annual flower crops. Grown seedlings allow you to get the necessary "race" to obtain high-quality ripe products. At the same time, the fruiting period increases, and the yield and the possibility of ripening the fruits of thermophilic plants increase.
Seedling age
Vegetables are plants that can be cold-resistant and heat-loving. Depending on this, the age of the seedlings for each of them is different. Therefore, we sow vegetables for seedlings at a certain time.
A group of plants whose seedlings are forty-five or fifty days old when planted in open ground are all varieties of early cabbage. For late-ripening varieties, this period is 30 days. Head-worn salads and Beijing cabbage are planted with seedlings, the age of which will be from twenty-five to thirty days. And for seedlings of cucumbers, zucchini and watermelons, it is from thirty to forty days. The longer period that will be required to obtain seedlings will be sixty or seventy days for such plants: onions and leeks, tomatoes, eggplant, pepper, celery.
Emergence of seedlings
A different number of days will be required for seed germination.
Seed germination timeVegetable culture | The emergence of seedlings, days |
Tomatoes | 4-5 |
Cucumbers | 3-7 |
Pepper | 8-10 |
Salad | 4-10 |
Bow | 5-12 |
Eggplant | 6-7 |
Cauliflower | 3-8 |
Cabbage | 3-10 |
Celery | 7-14 |
When to sow seeds?
It is impossible to unequivocally answer this question.
Features of climatic zones make adjustments. The time to sow in each of them can be different. However, the same principle of determining this period, which will accurately calculate what to sow in March for seedlings, and which vegetables sooner or later.
When calculating the following should be considered:
- the onset of favorable conditions for planting on the beds;
- the necessary age of the seedling;
- sprouting period after sowing.
Defining these parameters is not difficult. For example, let's try to find out when to sow a salad. The required age when planting on the beds is twenty-five days after seedlings, which appear five or ten days after the seeds hit the ground. Suppose favorable weather conditions for planting a salad occur on April 25th. Determine the date the seedlings are moved to the beds. The formula is simple and applicable for any climate zone. The seed sowing date of any vegetable is defined as the difference between the planting date of the plant (April 25) and the age of the seedling (25 days), taking into account the period of emergence of seedlings (10 days). As a result of simple arithmetic, we obtain the desired number. In this case, it turns out March 21. Similarly, you can determine the date of planting seedlings for any type of vegetables. Moreover, this formula is applicable both for growing in open ground conditions, and for film greenhouses.
Readiness for planting seedlings
Seedlings when planting on the beds should be strong and well-formed. Such planting material quickly takes root and does not get sick. The seedling's readiness is determined by the number of well-formed true leaves.
Seedlings readiness when planting in the groundVegetable culture | The number of leaves |
Cucumbers | 3-4 |
Zucchini | 3-4 |
Squash | 3-4 |
Tomato | 8-11 |
Pepper | 8-12 |
Eggplant | 8-12 |
Cabbage | 5-6 |
Growing tomato seedlings
A good planting material is the key to a quality crop. Seedlings can be purchased on the market or grown independently. We sow tomato seeds for seedlings in March. Landing day is determined taking into account a particular climate zone. So, in central Russia, when growing tomatoes in greenhouses and greenhouses, planting material will be needed in early May. Seeding occurs in the third month of the year.
When to sow tomatoes in March?
The maturity of the variety, which determines the number of days from germination to planting, affects the timing of sowing seeds. They will be extended throughout March.
Sowing seeds is as follows:
- late ripening - the first of March;
- mid-season - mid-March;
- early - the end of March.
Many gardeners at the same time take into account the favorable days indicated on the lunar calendar. However, when you start sowing tomatoes in March, you should first familiarize yourself with the description of the selected varieties. Some gardeners make the mistake of sowing seeds ahead of schedule. For example, tomatoes sown at the beginning of February by the time of planting in the ground will be very elongated and outgrow. At the same time, the survival rate of planting material is significantly reduced. As a result, plant productivity is deteriorating.
Growing Features
Tomato seedlings can be obtained at home.
To do this, observe light and temperature conditions. Crops are produced in pre-prepared containers filled with specially prepared soil. It should be fertile enough with good aerobic qualities. Before sowing the seeds are treated. This event includes: sorting, disinfection, soaking and other methods that will contribute to improving the quality of planting material. Seeds are sown to a depth of not more than 1.5 centimeters. To accelerate the seedlings, seedlings are covered with plastic wrap. The room maintains a temperature of 22 to 25 degrees Celsius.
After emergence, the plants are moved to well-lit places. Lack of light leads to the rapid extension of tomatoes. For early dates, you can use varieties that do not require light. Plant care involves moderate watering. Excess moisture can cause black foot disease. After a month, the seedlings dive, pinching the bottom of the spine. Tomatoes are thermophilic plants. Landing in the ground is possible with the onset of stable favorable weather.
Pepper seedlings: planting dates, cultivation features
The ripening of the fruits of the thermophilic culture, depending on the variety, occurs in the period from 95 to 125 days. The seeds of this plant germinate for a longer period than that of tomatoes. To accelerate the emergence of seedlings, it is necessary to conduct seed treatment. What to sow in March for seedlings among numerous varieties of pepper? Only early ripening varieties are suitable for this period. They are sown in the first days of the month. Mid-season and late varieties will require a longer growing period. Sowing of these varieties occurs in February. Each vegetable crop has its own growing characteristics. When sowing seeds, it should be borne in mind that they have a long germination period and a low percentage of germination. It is recommended that they be processed in order to obtain better sprouts and to reduce the germination period. The soil should be highly fertile with a full set of trace elements.
Pepper does not tolerate damage to the root system when planting in open ground. Therefore, it is advisable to grow seedlings in separate cups without picking. After emergence, observe the temperature regime:
- daytime temperature - 20-25 degrees Celsius;
- night temperature - 15-18 degrees Celsius.
It also provides high air humidity, which should be 70-80 percent. Pepper is neutral to light. Unlike tomatoes, it does not require additional lighting. Before planting in the soil, pepper seedlings are hardened.
Eggplant Seedlings
What to sow in seedlings in March? In addition to planting material for tomatoes and peppers, eggplants are grown in the third month of the year. This is a thermophilic and photophilous vegetable crop.
It is planted in open ground in late May or early June. Therefore, for central Russia, the date of sowing of seeds falls on the last week of the month. Growing eggplant and tomato seedlings are similar.
Seedlings of cabbage
Do not rush with the planting material of cabbage. She, like tomato, will stretch with a lack of light. The result is planting material unsuitable for growing quality heads of cabbage.
What varieties of cabbage to choose? What to sow in seedlings in March? For these dates will be suitable: early ripe and mid-ripe white cabbage, early ripe cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels and ripe savoy cabbage.
Flower planting material
Seedling method is suitable not only for growing vegetables. It is quite often used by gardeners to obtain seedlings of annual plants. When to sow flowers? In this case, one should not rush. Many annual garden flowers are photophilous plants. When sowing seeds in the early stages, special additional lighting will be required. Therefore, the most suitable month will be March. Already from its middle, you can grow good quality seedlings of such flowers: sweet peas, sweet tobacco, gatsaniya, hibiscus, petunia, salvia, levok, snapdragon and others.
Many gardeners successfully receive seedlings of their favorite annual plants. It is important to know not only when to sow flowers, but also the little tricks of their agricultural technology. Often the mistakes made by novice gardeners do not allow to grow high-quality planting material. What to look for? First of all, these are seeds. They are sorted and sorted. Do not forget about the shelf life. You can not use expired seeds. It's a waste of time. It will be useful to treat the seeds. Sowing is carried out in specially prepared seedlings. They are filled with earth typed in the garden. Sowing should not be thickened. Particular attention is paid to emerged seedlings. Ensuring favorable conditions is the key to obtaining high-quality, viable seedlings of flowers. This is regular watering and air temperature, which should be at a level of ten to twenty degrees Celsius. If the seedlings are thickened, they are thinned out, rejecting poorly developed plants.
Plants that form a very weak root system are sown in individual cups or special cassettes. Petunias,
snapdragons and cochia suffer from damage to the root system. Growing in cups avoids this. In contrast, asters,
annual dahlias, marigolds and other flowers have a fibrous root system. Volumetric plastic containers will be suitable for these plants. At the age of at least seventy or eighty days, flower planting material is ready for placement on a flower bed.