Many summer residents strive to sow seeds for seedlings as early as possible in order to plant them in the ground early. This is quite natural. The bushes are branching with might and main on the windowsill, they are cramped and they are about to bloom. Yes, besides, summer has come long ago, warm days insidiously beckon with the bright sun to summer cottages and ask you to take tomato seedlings with you. It's warm in the yard, the frosts remained far away in winter. For many beginners and experienced gardeners, this relaxes and makes it possible to believe that the weather will no longer bring surprises.
Summer is coming, but we have not planted tomatoes! In fact, it is very good that they were not planted. It's been warm outside for a long time. But this is only during the day. The nights are still cool and you shouldn't think that nothing terrible will happen, during the day they will warm up under the warm sun, and at night they can be covered with foil, geotextiles, boxes.
But this is only the ground part. The earth is still not warmed up properly. And therefore the most important part of the plant - the root system, freezes.
Tomatoes have an extremely negative attitude towards coolness. Temperatures tending to 10-15 degrees are no longer comfortable for them. And imagine if bad weather lasts a week? Once briskly standing on the windowsill, the seedlings will simply die or greatly slow down their growth.
Let's take a closer look at the consequences of early planting and see why there is no need to rush to transplant tomatoes from containers into open ground:
1. Growth will be severely inhibited.
as already mentioned, tomatoes are not cool. Temperatures below 18 degrees negatively affect the growth and development of the bush. Growth becomes slow, no shoots form at all, leaves can turn yellow from stress. From the outside, it seems as if the plant does not grow at all or is sick. Tomatoes take a long time to recover, they love comfort, consistency, predictability. Most likely, they will not pick up the previous growth rates. Although, the fruits on them, of course, will be, but not in the volume and not the quality as they could be.
2. Drop in color.
if the cold overtook the plant during the flowering period, then it can lose color. If the first ovaries appear, then they can fall off too. Therefore, it is not recommended to plant a flowering plant. if the stress from transplanting is superimposed on bad weather, then a good harvest this year can not be expected.
3. The ability to catch the disease.
Tomato seedlings planted early start to hurt on their own due to low night temperatures. She had not yet had time to settle down in the ground, when they began to pour cold water from a hose or a watering can. Everything that flew past clings to such bushes. The leaves begin to curl and fall off, the branches wither with sufficient moisture to the roots, the color of the foliage changes. Top rot can often be seen on young plants. Such fruits are no longer edible, and, as a rule, they do not ripen.
And if a strong bush tries to fight the disease (any), the seedlings against the background of unfavorable weather do not cope with the problem. In addition, the treatment will be protracted, difficult and, as a result, affect the yield.
When to plant tomato seedlings
It has been said more than once that tomatoes do not tolerate the slightest cold snap. It is an extremely thermophilic plant. For this reason, rushing harms the yield, rather than allowing it to be obtained early.
The optimal time for planting seedlings is no earlier than May 28. Usually by this time the daytime temperature is stable, the sun warms and caresses, the earth has already warmed up and all possible frosts have already happened. The night temperature during the week stays at least 15 degrees - this is a sure indicator that the time has come for the green bushes to move to their permanent residence, that is, to the garden.
