The biggest advantage of having a foil tunnel is the ability to grow your own, juicy and organic tomatoes. Once you try it, you will never go back to store-bought vegetables. Tomatoes can be red, orange, yellow, green and even black. It all depends on what variety you want. Each of them is very healthy and rich in sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron and B vitamins. If you want to start growing tomatoes in a tunnel, read our short guide on how to do it.
How to plant tomatoes in a tunnel? Follow one rule
Tomatoes are grown exclusively from seedlings. In March, seeds are sown into boxes filled with fertile soil. After 2 weeks, leaves develop and need to be removed and transplanted into a new container. Tomatoes are planted in the foil tunnel at the beginning of May. Plants are planted in rows. The distance between seedlings should be 60-70 cm. In the case of cherry tomatoes it is 30-40 cm. Vegetables need the right temperature to grow. Inside the tunnel it should be 20-27 degrees C. If it is higher than 30 degrees C or lower than 15 degrees C, pollen will not germinate and fruit will not be produced.
On hot days, it is worth opening the tunnel doors or opening the air vents. Tomatoes need regular access to sunlight, which the foil transmits very well. However, it does not heat up as quickly as glass, so you do not have to worry that the seedlings will be damaged. Remember to water regularly and maintain constant air humidity. It is better to water the fruit less frequently, but more abundantly. you can do it every two days, but in hot weather it can be done twice a day: in the morning and in the evening. Use settled, lukewarm water. Humidity in the foil tunnel should remain at 60%.
Tomatoes alder7/iStock
How to tie tomatoes in a tunnel? This is a very important procedure
Tomatoes do best in fertile, humus and permeable soil. Its condition can be improved by mulching with straw or agrotextile. When the seedlings begin to mature, tie them to bamboo poles or wooden slats with delicate string. The supports should be 1.5-2 m high, of which 0.5 m of the stake should be underground. This will prevent the poles from tipping over under the weight of the fruit. Tying up is a very important procedure because the growing shoot is associated with too much load on the branch, which may break if it is deprived of support.
Tomatoes are harvested in the tunnel successively as the fruit ripens. You can move the last crops (harvested in autumn) to a warm room where they will have time to ripen. It’s worth mentioning that tomatoes aren’t the only thing you can plant in a tunnel. Other herbs can be planted in their company, e.g. onion, garlic, lettuce, parsley and spinach. They deter pests and reduce the risk of diseases. Seedlings belonging to the same family, i.e. peppers, potatoes and aubergines, will be bad company for tomatoes in the tunnel. Do not plant them next to radishes, cabbage or broad beans. If you feel like it, vote in our poll below.
Source: Gazeta
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