Tomato cultivation in greenhouse

There are a lot of tomato varieties that can be grown in a greenhouse. However, if you are looking for the most productive or the ones that can best take advantage of the conditions of a greenhouse, they are the following:

• The Caramba tomato is one of those that offers the highest production in the greenhouse. It offers some large tomatoes, it is early and very productive.
• The 73 – 36 tomato is another variety that offers high production, in addition to large fruits. However, its foliage is very thick, so the task of harvesting it is somewhat difficult.
• The Antillas tomato variety is also a very good option, since its flavor is highly valued and, although it produces smaller fruits, it is of high production and precocity.
• The Cabrales tomato also offers high productivity, although it takes a long time to start producing.

In this other EcologíaVerde article we talk about more than 30 types of tomatoes.

Once you have decided the variety that you are going to put in your covered garden, follow these tips for growing tomato in greenhouse:

Temperature to grow tomato in greenhouse

The first thing when growing tomatoes in a covered garden is to control the temperature, which should be kept between 21ºC and 27ºC during the day, and between 16ºC and 18ºC at night. In addition to maintaining these temperatures in your greenhouse during all the months that you are going to grow tomatoes, you will need to keep the humidity below 90%, in addition to ensuring that the environment is ventilated and with fresh air. If you do not do this, it is likely that you will find yourself with mold problems on the leaves of your tomatoes.

Substratum

For the substrate or soil, it is necessary that the mixture you use has good drainage. If you make your own mix, don’t use unsterilized garden soil.

Tomato irrigation in the greenhouse

It is highly recommended that you have a drip irrigation system in the greenhouse, so that each plant receives its measured and necessary dose of water. If you have hydroponics in mind, it is also a very good option for this plant.

In this other post you will find the instructions on How to make a homemade drip irrigation system.

Germinate greenhouse tomatoes

Ideally, you should germinate the seeds in a seedbed before taking them to the greenhouse, keeping them controlled and in adequate light and irrigation conditions. Two weeks after they have germinated you can transplant the seedlings into small pots and take them to the greenhouse. Once they measure between 10 and 15 cm in height, it will be time to transplant them back to their final location.

Before this definitive transplant, check that the pH of the soil is between values ​​of 5.8 and 6.8. In addition, it is advisable to add calcium sulfate to the soil, which will help prevent necrosis in the crop.

Fertilizer and tomato pollination

Fertilize your tomatoes regularly, removing the suckers every week leaving only the main shoot and a single (tallest) shoot. So the plant will grow upwards. In addition, you will need to stake your tomatoes, and unless you have your own bees or a large number of them nearby, you will need to pollinate the flowers yourself. For this, you can help yourself with a specific electric vibrator for gardening. Always do the pollination between 10 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon every two days.

There are many different ways to stake tomatoes. In the greenhouse, one of the most used is the florida weave. For trellising tomatoes with rope With this technique, structures similar to trellises are formed, which we hold up with stakes, and the ropes are tied, leaving them taut, so that the tomato plant grows leaning on them.

It is also common to use the simple method of a stake for each tomato plant, which we will be tying to it carefully as it grows, or use tripods on which several plants can lean and, in addition, protect them from the wind. Lastly, the wire cages and fencing They are also widely used to make trellises in greenhouses, especially the first ones, since they do not require any kind of tying of the plant.

Now that you know the instructions for growing tomatoes in a greenhouse to achieve a good production for self-consumption, we advise you to deepen your knowledge to care for tomato plants and get good fruits. To do this, we recommend these Green Ecology guides on How to grow organic tomatoes and How to combat tomato pests ecologically.

If you want to read more articles similar to Tomato cultivation in greenhousewe recommend that you enter our category .