Auspicious days for planting tomatoes in March 2020

The quality and maturity of the tomato crop is largely influenced by the planting period. Most often, sowing is performed in early spring, so you should know favorable planting days for tomatoes in March 2020. Planting plants at the right time will help prevent a number of problems with further maintenance.

March for sowing seeds: pros and cons

Planting tomatoes in March 2020 has a number of positive and negative sides.

The list of the main advantages includes the following:

• when sown in early spring, the seedlings will have time to grow to the required size and will yield a harvest during the warm period;
• low ambient temperatures in spring will not lead to drying out of immature plants;
• according to the lunar calendar, March has the largest number of days favorable for sowing.

The main disadvantage is the high risk of recurrent frost. Sowing early can cause young seedlings to die due to exposure to cold weather. In addition, the soil at the beginning of the spring period may not fully warm up.

Early planting - problems with overgrown seedlings

Timely grown seedlings are the basis for a large harvest. Seedlings should be transferred to the soil at the age of 55-60 days. The exact timing depends on the variety of tomatoes grown. If the seedlings are not transferred to the ground in time, they will outgrow. Also, the causes of overgrowth are:

• early sowing;
• insufficient lighting;
• unsuitable temperature regime;
• abundant watering;
• frequent feeding.

Overgrown seedlings have low immunity, therefore, hardening of seedlings is required before planting in the ground. Otherwise, the plants are likely to die. First, you need to leave the seedlings outside for 2 hours in cloudy warm weather and high atmospheric humidity. During the week, the procedure is repeated several times with increasing time. After a week, the seedlings are left in the open air for a day and only after that they are transferred to the ground.

When to sow tomatoes for seedlings in March?

Sowing dates for seedlings vary depending on several factors. It is necessary to pay attention to the cultivated tomato variety. As a rule, growers indicate the recommended sowing period on the seed package. The following factors also matter:

• Weather. With the onset of early and warm spring, sowing is allowed at the beginning of March, and in case of frosty weather, it is better to postpone planting for 1-2 weeks.
• Moon calendar. The calendar, developed taking into account agroastrological nuances, contains information on the phases of the moon, which allows you to plant tomatoes in the most favorable period.
• Seedling condition. With improper care or external influence, the seedlings may not have time to get stronger by the beginning of spring, and in this case it is recommended to postpone the transfer of plants to the soil.

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Favorable days of planting seedlings in the greenhouse

Seeds for seedlings for subsequent transfer to open soil are sown in the first half of March. According to the lunar calendar, the most successful days for sowing greenhouse tomatoes are 3-5, March 10, 12.

In open ground

It is recommended to plant tomato seedlings for open soil in March 2020 on the 20th, 25th, 30th and 31st. Tomato seeds for growing in open soil are sown later than greenhouse varieties so that they have time to get stronger and acquire a sufficiently powerful root system.

For home conditions

When growing tomatoes in an apartment, sowing seedlings is allowed from early March to mid-April. The time period is increased due to the fact that tomato bushes will grow and bear fruit in the same environment. For active growth and abundant fruiting, a favorable environment is required. In particular, when sowing seedlings at home, you need to pay attention to the following factors:

• Temperature conditions. The optimum temperature for tomato seedlings in the daytime varies from 18 to 25 degrees. In the dark, the temperature can drop to 12-15 degrees.
• Moisture indicator. In order for the seedlings to germinate on time and begin to develop, the moisture level should be within 65-75%.
• Lighting. Regardless of the variety of tomatoes grown, the seedlings need a lot of natural light. It is recommended to leave the container with seedlings on the windowsill if the windows face south and are not covered with trees. If there is a lack of natural light, it is allowed to use artificial lighting.

Unfavorable days for sowing and disembarking

Sowing seedlings and transferring seedlings to open ground or a greenhouse is not recommended on March 12 and 28. These dates fall on the full moon and new moon, respectively. During periods of changing lunar phases, it is better not to perform any agrotechnical actions, since the Moon affects the processes of plant growth and development. At the moments when the moon passes from one phase to another, the juices move inside the bushes, and transplanting can lead to a disruption of the process.

What affects the landing time?

The timing of planting seedlings, as well as sowing for seedlings, depends on a number of conditions. It is important to take into account the growing region, the variety of tomatoes, climatic features.

Region

Having planned to plant tomatoes, you need to prepare for the weather conditions and the specifics of the soil in a particular region. Considering all the features, it will be possible to grow a large crop and not face problems with care.

Moscow suburbs

Tomato varieties suitable for growing in the Moscow region begin to be sown for seedlings from early spring to early April. The long period is associated with the specifics of the varieties and the method of growing them. If the tomatoes are planted in open soil, you need to determine the moment when the probability of return frost will be minimal.

For different territories of the Moscow region, the transition of the average daily air temperature through 10 degrees in the spring occurs at different times. In the center and in the northern territory, this transition occurs in the first ten days of May, and in the southeastern regions, the transition occurs a week earlier.

In most districts of the Moscow region, stable warm weather is established starting from the second decade.On a flat terrain, frosts end after the 20th, but depending on the average daily temperature over the last year, there is a risk of recurrent cold snaps in early June.

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Ural

The climatic conditions of the Middle Urals are more suitable for growing tomatoes in a greenhouse. This is due to the fact that the period of positive temperatures lasts less than 3 months. In the Urals, modern hybrid varieties of tomatoes are often chosen for sowing, which have high rates of resistance to diseases and changing weather conditions.

Due to the climate in the Urals, sowing is carried out 50-60 days before the onset of the warm period, so that the plants can adapt and develop to the desired level. As a rule, sowing for seedlings is allowed during March. It is especially important to sow seedlings on time if in the future the tomatoes are transferred to unprotected soil. Determinant and super-determinant varieties are more often planted in open ground, and tall bushes in greenhouses.

Siberia

When planting tomatoes in Siberia, it is important to take into account a number of nuances.

A limited number of varieties can be grown in Siberian territories, which are able to endure a sharp drop in temperature and cool summers. If you plan to grow vegetables in greenhouse conditions in the spring, then the sowing dates are in mid-March, just like when planting in open soil. In other cases, it is allowed to choose any day for sowing. It is recommended to grow tomatoes in Siberia in greenhouses, because:

• Tomatoes are considered a thermophilic crop, and in greenhouse conditions it is possible to provide a favorable temperature for active growth and the formation of large fruits.
• The crop can be cultivated throughout the year.

Determined depending on the variety

Different varieties of tomatoes should be planted in a favorable period for a particular variety. The following dates for planting tomatoes are distinguished:

• early varieties are sown from 7 to 13 March;
• mid-season varieties are planted in mid-March from 13 to 25;
• late-ripening tomatoes begin to sow from the last days of February;
• tall tomatoes of the indeterminate type are planted between mid-February and early spring;
• small cherry tomatoes are allowed to be planted in early April.

Most producers of planting material mark the packages with information about the sowing period for seedlings. Using the information provided by the agricultural firm, you will not need to calculate the exact dates of planting.

Further care of tomatoes

For most tomato varieties, basic care is sufficient, which involves watering, soil cultivation, bushes pruning, top dressing and shelter. Watering is performed as the soil dries up, taking into account the amount of precipitation. Each watering is accompanied by loosening the earth so that air can freely pass to the plant roots.

For proper development and intensive fruiting, phosphorus-potassium, nitrogen and organic fertilizers are used. It is recommended to make feeding 3-4 times during the season. The formation of bushes also contributes to active growth. The procedure consists in removing yellowed leaves and deformed branches that continue to absorb nutrients.