Almost every gardener who plants vegetables every year is interested in growing tomatoes. To get a good harvest, it is recommended to determine in advance the most suitable dates for planting the seeds. Therefore, it is necessary to determine in advance when to plant tomatoes for seedlings in 2024 and whether this can be done in winter.
When to plant a vegetable in January
Some gardeners are trying to grow tomato seedlings in 2024 in January. After all, this vegetable has a rather long development period, which in some cases is more than 100 days. Experts do not advise planting tomatoes with seeds this month, since January days are too short and young seedlings do not have enough sunlight to develop normally.
If, nevertheless, it was decided to plant the seed this month, then this should be done only on favorable days. Planting tomato seeds for seedlings should be carried out on January 30, 10 and 8. According to the lunar calendar, these are the dates when it is best to plant tomatoes in 2024.
Before planting tomatoes in the first month of winter, you need to prepare in advance the room in which they will be grown. Special fluorescent or metal halide lamps should be placed near the tomatoes to provide additional lighting. Without them, even vegetables planted on favorable days according to the lunar calendar can quickly wither and dry out.
When to plant tomatoes in February
February winter days are perfect for planting tomatoes for seedlings. If you sow grains in February, then towards the end of May it will be possible to plant the grown seedlings in open ground or in greenhouses. This month it is worth planting large-fruited and tall varieties, as they are the strongest and can be grown without additional lighting. All other varieties are grown only in rooms with additional lamps.
Before you start sowing seeds, you need to determine favorable planting days in February using the lunar calendar. It is recommended to plant after the 16th, when the new moon arrives.It is at this time that the month turns into the most suitable sign for planting tomatoes - Pisces. It is better to plant the vegetable on the second or third day of the new moon - February 18 or 17. In this case, the seeds should be planted before four o’clock in the evening Moscow time.
Many people advise planting tomato seeds in February, since there are no unfavorable days for planting in this month after the 16th. Therefore, if it was not possible to plant on the 17th or 18th, then the procedure can be rescheduled.
When can you plant tomatoes for seedlings in 2024 in March
You can plant tomatoes in 2024 in March. Some argue that it is too late to sow tomatoes in the first month of spring, but this is not true. Many people sow them in the spring, as this vegetable grows quite quickly if grown in good conditions. During the increasing size of the Moon, almost any day in March is suitable for landing.
In March of this year, you can observe two full moons at once, which will be on the 31st and 2nd. It is on these days that no one sows tomatoes, as they will definitely not sprout well. It is also worth refusing to plant vegetables on March 17, since there will be a new moon on this day. It is recommended to plant seed on the 24th, 26th, 21st and 20th. The above dates are best suited for planting tomato seeds.
When to sow tomatoes for seedlings in April
Few people prefer to plant tomatoes in April 2024, since at this time spring is in full swing and many vegetable growers are already thinking about replanting previously grown seedlings. April days are the last dates for planting grains for growing seedlings. If you plant them later than April, the bushes will not have time to grow normally even by the onset of September.It is recommended to plant only early-ripening varieties in mid-spring so that they can be transplanted to the site by summer.
It is recommended to plant vegetables after the 14th, when the Moon moves into the constellation Pisces. However, it is better for residents of the northern regions to plant tomatoes earlier, since their summer ends earlier. For them, a favorable date for planting will be April 4-5, when the Moon moves into the sign of Libra.
How to plant tomatoes for seedlings
Having determined the date for planting tomato seeds for seedlings in February 2024, you should familiarize yourself with the features of planting this vegetable.
Seed processing
Before sowing the seed, it is necessary to do the preliminary preparation of planting material. First, you should sort the seeds to select only the highest quality ones for planting. For this, a special saline solution is prepared, consisting of 150 grams of salt and a liter of boiled water. The seed will have to soak in a container with liquid for at least half an hour. During this time, grains that are unsuitable for further planting will begin to float up.
To prevent tomato seedlings from suffering from serious diseases, all grains are disinfected before planting. Disinfection is carried out using a weak manganese solution. To prepare it, add 2 grams of manganese to 200 ml of water, after which the mixture is thoroughly mixed. Soak the grains in manganese for about 40 minutes.
Also, before planting, seeds must be soaked in liquid with mineral fertilizers. This is done for better germination of tomatoes in the soil.
Soil preparation
It is necessary to plant tomatoes for seedlings only in the most suitable soil.For the development of tomato seedlings, loose soil is ideal, which contains many nutritional components and retains moisture for a long time.
You can buy a suitable soil mixture at the store or make it yourself. Many vegetable growers prefer to prepare the soil for planting with their own hands. To do this, two parts of turf, peat and fresh sawdust are added to the ground for growing seedlings. All components are thoroughly mixed, after which a little sand with fresh manure should be added to the mixture.
To grow healthy seedlings, the soil must be cleared of pathogens and other pests. To do this, the soil mixture should be frozen a little. Containers with soil should be periodically taken outside throughout the winter. In this case, the soil should be exposed to frost for no more than three hours.
Thanks to the prepared soil mixture, the sown tomato seedlings will receive the required amount of all nutritional components during cultivation.
Landing
When all the seeds and soil mixture are completely ready, planting tomato seedlings begins. To begin with, all containers must be filled to the top with the prepared soil mixture. Then the ground is watered with warm water and small holes are made in it for planting grains. Sow the seeds in holes that are not too deep so that the seedlings hatch faster. When sowing is completed, the pots of tomatoes are covered with film and transferred to a room with good lighting. In this room, seedlings should be grown before further transplantation into open ground.
Conclusion
Planting tomatoes interests many gardeners who love to grow vegetables. Some of them do not know which days to prioritize and start planting seeds.To figure out which days are suitable for planting tomatoes for seedlings in 2024, you should familiarize yourself with the lunar calendar.
