Growing tomatoes requires constant care. In summer times you need to water tomato plants daily. Moreover, a variety of pests and diseases find the fruit an ideal host. As a result, you need to spray plants often. Although greenhouse shields tomatoes from animals, there is a chance that you can find eaten fruits.
If you are going to grow tomatoes for the first time, you might be wondering whether it is better to grow them in a greenhouse. Even though humid greenhouse creates perfect environment for many pests, you can easily get rid of tomato bugs with natural solutions. However, if you noticed yellow leaves on tomato plant, it can be a sign of overwatering or viral infection.
Nevertheless, growing tomatoes in a greenhouse is a pleasant experience. When you start from planting a seed and then pick up a juicy fruit – it is extremely satisfying. Yet you need to make sure to follow the best practices when sowing, planting, caring for the crop and harvesting fruits.
When to move tomatoes to greenhouse?
Most gardeners grow tomatoes in a cold greenhouse (unheated) where a minimum temperature is 28°F (-2°C) . So you can move tomatoes to greenhouse in late April or early May. Expected time for harvesting start from July until October. However, the benefit of greenhouse growing is that you can extend growing season.
That is why you can put tomatoes in heated greenhouse where minimum temperature is 50°-55°F (10°- 13°C) in late February or early March. Keep in mind that you need to sow tomato seeds in propagator with a temperature of at least 60°-65°F (15°- 18°C) for successful germination. You can do it in December or January and harvest fruits from May to June.
When should you transplant tomatoes?
Transplant tomato seedlings to greenhouse when they are about 8 inches tall and the flowers of the first truss are just beginning to open. Move the pots with tomato seedlings to the coolest part of the greenhouse. Shade greenhouse in sunny weather until plants are past the seedling stage.
You need to water the pots thoroughly before transplanting into growing bags, soil or pots in a greenhouse. Plant seedlings 1.5-2 foot apart on soil or growing bags. Alternatively, place the pots or containers about 2 ft apart from each other.
When to transplant tomato seedlings from seed tray?
Tomato seeds germinate in about 7 days. When the seedlings have formed a pair of true leaves you can transplant them from seed tray into 3 inches peat pots filled with potting compost. Remove the weaker seedlings after germination. Keep the pots at 60°-65°F and water little but often.
When to transplant tomato seedlings from peat pellets?
When roots of tomato seedlings stick out from the sides and bottoms of the peat pellets, that is a perfect time to transplant them. Also, you can transplant when seedlings develop second set of true leaves folding out. The first set of leaves should be spread out at the top, and a second set just below them.
When should you repot tomatoes?
You need to repot tomatoes when the roots have filled the pot. So, if you see that roots are growing through the drainage holes or compost dries out very quickly, you need to repot them. Also, if the growth if slow despite favorable conditions, you might need to move a tomato plant into a bigger pot.
A tomato plant will reach desired or maximum size in 2 gallon polythene containers or 10 to 12 inches plastic or clay pots. If you don’t want to disturb plant by repotting, you can remove the top inch of compost and replace it by fresh compost.
When to move tomatoes outside?
If you live in the UK, you can start sowing seeds indoors in a propagator in the end of March or beginning of April, so you can move tomato seedlings outside after the last frost date which is usually around the end of May. The last frost date is not the determining factor, you should still check the forecast and make sure that night temperatures are above 30°F ( -1°C).
Use this table to check when to move tomatoes outside according to your locations last frost date:
| When to move tomatoes outside | Plant Hardiness Zone |
|---|---|
| From the beginning to the end of May | 3 |
| From the beginning to the end of May | 4 |
| In the end of March to the end of April | 5 |
| In the end of March to the end of April | 6 |
| In the end of March to the end of April | 7 |
| In the end of February to the end of March | 8 |
| In the end of January to the end of February | 9 |
| In the end of January or earlier | 10 |
If you are in zone 7, for example, in central Virginia, the average date of last frost is mid of April, so typically that is when you can move tomatoes outside. However, you should check that there won’t be nights where it is into 30s degrees F.
Not sure what is your planting zone? You can check the plant hardiness zone map here and can also find your growing zone by entering your ZIP code.
