Thanks to the seedling method, a heat-loving culture is grown in places where there is no suitable climate. This is important if the region has short summers and long frosts. With the help of seedlings, you can protect the plant during the growing season, and then grow it in natural conditions. For growing tomatoes and peppers, the same system of care and agricultural technology is required.
How to choose seeds
A typical mistake of inexperienced gardeners is saving on seeds. From them, you can get a little crop or some weeds at the exit. When buying, you need to evaluate:
- Productivity. High-yielding varieties or hybrids require careful maintenance and precision technology. This is difficult to accomplish in both time and cost.
- Endurance. Plants that are resistant to various factors give much more fruit.
- Shelf life. Seeds of peppers and tomatoes are suitable for planting for only 2 years.
- Comfortable conditions. When buying, it is important to consider how suitable the climate is for a particular variety of future tomatoes and peppers.
- Is there any preliminary preparation of the material. Many brands make work easier thanks to modern agricultural technology.
- Whether the imported product is suitable. Seedlings can be of excellent quality, but further care is often difficult.
Seedling soil
Next, it is important to choose the optimal soil. A common mistake is that a nursery is created right in the garden soil. It is necessary to take into account the level of ground and melt water. The base of the nursery should be higher than them in order to exclude flooding of organic matter. The walls of the frame are made from good planks or ordinary plywood waste.
During preparatory work with the soil, there are 2 diametric opinions. In the first case, they buy special land or fertilize it with peat tablets. They have no microorganisms and pests. In the second version, the seedlings initially grow in soil identical to the garden soil. This is to minimize plant weakening. Both methods are suitable for growing peppers and tomatoes. But it is important to observe the disinfection of the earth.
Presowing preparation
Preliminary manipulations are important both for purchased seeds and for those collected with your own hands. What pre-sowing preparation includes:
- soil disinfection;
- stimulating seed growth;
- soak.
Ready seedlings should not be planted early in the open ground. It also needs to be protected from possible weather changes. Sprouts need to be thinned out and dived. But the thickening should be small, so fragile seedlings are not injured. Seeds must be sown carefully so that there is enough light and nutrients. Each root system is free. The spines should be separate from each other. Before sowing, the soil must be well moistened. But even so, tomato and pepper seeds require watering after. For this, a sprayer is used.
Important nuances of care
When growing seedlings, it is important to control the following parameters:
- Watering. In addition to mandatory drainage, plants need irrigation by sprinkling. In the first days after planting, a film is required to create a suitable microclimate and retain moisture in the ground. The water should be at least 20 ℃.
- Lighting should be systematic. It is advisable to use reflective lamps and foil.
- The temperature should not be too low. At the beginning, + 25–30 ° С is considered ideal. After the appearance of the leaves, it can be reduced to 18 ° C.
Hardening occurs gradually, at least 1-2 weeks. A dive is also required after the leaves appear.For this, liter containers are used. It is necessary to plant seedlings not earlier than the end of May. Better mid-June. In cooler weather, it is best to use a temporary greenhouse.
