When to Plant Tomatoes? A Detailed Guide to Planting Methods and Timing
Summary Seed soaking and sprouting: tomato seeds can be soaked in warm water to improve the germination rate. Sowing and transplanting: sow under suitable conditions, and once the seedlings grow 2-3 true leaves they can be transplanted. Later management: carry out intertillage and weeding in good time, apply fertilizer reasonably, water at the right times and set up supports. Planting time: spring tomatoes are generally sown in February, autumn-winter crops are sown and raised as seedlings in July-August, winter-spring crops are sown in early to mid-November to early December, and overwintering crops are sown and raised as seedlings from mid-to-late September to October.
I. Tomato Planting Time
The tomato is a fairly common fruit vegetable; it can be eaten raw or cooked, is rich in vitamins and is grown fairly widely in China, and different regions can plant it at reasonable times according to their specific climate conditions. Tomatoes are divided according to planting and harvest time into spring tomatoes, autumn-winter crops, winter-spring crops and overwintering crops.
1. Spring tomatoes
Spring tomatoes are generally planted after the local late frost period, usually sown and raised as seedlings in February in protected ground; for early spring cultivation they are raised as seedlings in December and can reach the market in May-June.
2. Autumn-winter crops
Autumn-winter crops are generally sown and raised as seedlings from mid-to-late July to early-to-mid August, and transplanted from mid-to-late August to early September. The film is put on from mid-to-late September to early October, and harvest runs from late November to early February of the following year.
3. Winter-spring crops
Winter-spring crops are generally sown from early November to early December, transplanted from mid-to-late January to early February of the following year, and can be picked from March to June.
4. Overwintering crops
Overwintering crops are generally raised as seedlings from mid-to-late September to early October, transplanted in November, and begin to be picked in January of the following year.
II. Tomato Planting Methods
1. Seed soaking and sprouting
(1) Before planting, the seeds can be soaked in warm water, which helps break seed dormancy, thereby increasing the germination rate, and also has a certain sterilising and disinfecting effect.
(2) Method: first soak the seeds in clean water for about 1-2 hours, then take the seeds out and put them into warm water at 50-60°C; to prevent scalding the seeds, keep stirring constantly, and when the water temperature drops, keep adding water to raise it again; this process takes about 15 minutes, after which the seeds continue soaking for about 3-5 hours and can then be sown.
2. Sowing and transplanting
(1) Broadcast the treated seeds in the seedbed; do not sow too densely, with a sowing rate of about 30 grams per sq m being best, keep the soil at a certain humidity and the temperature at about 22-28°C, and they will sprout in about 3-4 days.
(2) When the seedlings grow 2-3 true leaves, they can be transplanted; the soil temperature must be kept above 10°C, which helps root growth and thereby increases the survival rate.
3. Later management
(1) To promote rapid rooting and recovery growth after transplanting, intertillage can be carried out right away, and can be done together with weeding and loosening the soil.
(2) Tomatoes need sufficient base fertilizer before transplanting, and afterwards no fertilizer is needed; if you want to speed up plant growth, you can apply fertilizer appropriately about 1-2 times, and after applying fertilizer you must water immediately, which helps lower the fertilizer concentration and prevents root burn.
(3) Tomatoes can be watered at the right times according to seasonal and climatic changes; in summer droughts water more, in winter water a small amount, and in the rainy season drain promptly to prevent waterlogging from causing root rot.
(4) Most tomato varieties need supports to grow, except for the few upright varieties.