What is the best month to plant tomatoes?

Tomatoes can be planted in the open field in spring. For the Beijing area, the best time for sowing and seedling raising is usually from mid-February to early March. In addition, tomatoes are also suitable for outdoor planting in autumn, especially in areas south of the Yangtze River, such as Shanghai and Nanjing. The best sowing time is from late July to early August, so as to obtain the best cultivation effect. Let’s take a look at the best months to plant tomatoes.

What is the best month to plant tomatoes?

Sowing of spring tomatoes: For spring tomatoes grown outdoors, the ideal seedling period is 50 to 70 days, which means that sowing needs to be done the corresponding number of days in advance before transplanting. Taking Shenyang, located at 41 degrees north latitude, as an example, spring tomato seedlings are usually grown in greenhouses in February. After the late frost in early May, when the local temperature reaches a stable 12°C at a depth of 5 to 10 cm, the seedlings are planted outdoors. The average late frost date in Shenyang is May 2, so the best time to plant is usually between May 6 and 10. The planting time in the Yangtze River Basin is mostly during the Qingming Festival, in North China it is during the Grain Rain Festival, and in Northeast China it is around the Beginning of Summer. In high sandy soil with wind barriers, covered with mulch, or in areas sheltered from the wind and facing the sun, the planting time can be slightly earlier. If there is continuous rainy or windy weather, you should consider postponing planting. Tomato planting in Shaanxi Province is mainly based on the time to market. There are two main planting seasons in a year: one is delayed cultivation after autumn, with seedlings raised in July and August and put on the market in November; the other is early spring cultivation, with seedlings raised in November and December and put on the market in May and June.

Sowing of autumn and winter tomatoes: The sowing and seedling raising time of autumn and winter tomatoes is usually from mid-to-late July to early to mid-August, and transplanting is arranged from mid-to-late August to early September. Covering with film begins from mid-to-late September to early October, and the harvest period is from late November to early February of the following year.

Sowing of winter and spring tomatoes: The sowing time of winter and spring tomatoes is scheduled from early November to early December, and the planting is from mid-to-late January to early February of the following year. The harvesting period is from March to June.

Sowing of overwintering tomatoes: Overwintering tomatoes belong to the long-term cultivation type. The seedling raising time is generally from mid-to-late September to early October, transplanting is in November, and harvesting begins in January of the following year.

Basic conditions for growing tomatoes

Temperature: Tomato is a thermophilic crop, and the suitable growth temperature range is 15-33℃. Tomatoes grow best at temperatures between 20-25°C. When the temperature is below 10℃, tomato growth will be inhibited, and chilling damage may occur if the temperature is below 5℃ for a long time. Above 35°C, tomatoes will grow poorly, and above 45°C may cause the plant to die. The temperature requirements for different growth stages are different. For example, the suitable temperature for seed germination is 25-30℃, the suitable temperature for seedlings is 20-25℃ during the day and 10-15℃ at night.

Light: Tomatoes like light, and sufficient light has a direct impact on the growth and yield of tomatoes. Insufficient light or continuous rainy weather may cause flowers and fruits to fall. Therefore, when cultivating, we should consider how to ensure that the plants receive sufficient light, such as reasonable density planting, timely pruning, trellising and tying vines, etc.

Water: Tomatoes have a well-developed root system and a strong ability to absorb water, but they are also afraid of drought and waterlogging. The soil should be well drained and the water table should be low. The soil moisture should be between 60% and 80%, and water should be evenly supplied.

Soil and nutrients: Tomatoes are not very demanding on soil, but deep soil, good drainage, rich in organic matter, water-retaining and fertilizer-retaining, and good air-permeable soil are preferred. The ideal soil pH is slightly acidic to neutral. Tomatoes absorb a lot of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and other elements, so they need to be fertilized at the right time.

The above is an introduction to the time for sowing tomatoes. You can consider it based on the tomato variety and local environmental conditions, and don’t plant blindly.