April is a time when spring is coming in almost all of Russia, even in its coldest regions. However, the fact that warm April, as a rule, comes immediately after the winter, many people are worried: can you plant tomatoes, will they not die from cold or frost?
To solve this problem, we wrote an article describing suitable varieties of tomatoes, the regions for their planting and the time when it is better to abstain from planting in April. Compliance with the described conditions will help any gardener and gardener to get a big harvest and plant seeds in April.
Why are the April days most suitable for planting?
In order to answer this question, it is necessary to recall the ripening of tomatoes. The ripening time of ordinary tomatoes lasts about 110 days.
If you count, it turns out that Planting in April is the most optimal in terms of the ripeness of the fruit: if the tomatoes are planted in mid-April, they will become fully mature by the beginning of August - the time when the most stable and rather hot weather is observed throughout Russia.
It should be understood that 110 days is an average value. With a small amount of incoming light, the time of maturation can additionally last for 20, maximum 30 days. In this connection, far from all regions, it is possible in principle to grow tomatoes in the ground, and in some it is necessary to know the local weather conditions.
Otherwise, the likelihood is high that tomatoes either do not have time to ripen in time, or begin to bear fruit with the onset of cold weather, or they will die at all until the end of maturity.
Recommendations for choosing a seed variety
Any variety of tomatoes is suitable for sowing in April - but this is relevant only for hot regions. (for example, Krasnodar Krai). In the rest of Russia, the climate is usually more severe: spring comes late, summer is short, autumn comes quickly and immediately with bad weather.
Therefore, the usual varieties of tomatoes are not suitable in most regions of Russia; instead, sow early ripening varieties. Varieties of this species:
- will have enough time to get stronger in the first days of spring heat, so they will not be very scary frost;
- due to the rapid maturation, they will have time to ripen in time, which means that the plant will bear fruit all summer.
If instead of early ripening varieties we plant a normal variety in April, one may encounter a situation when tomatoes begin to bear fruit only by the very end of a short Russian summer - as a result, with the onset of autumn cold, the plant will die and the summer dad will not be able to collect even 40% of the possible yield.
For more information on which varieties can be sown in April, see the video below:
In which regions and when can I plant tomatoes?
Tomatoes are very demanding on light and heat, because their homeland is located in hot South America. This means that in cloudy and / or cold regions, it is better to either drop the planting of this plant, or plant it in special greenhouse conditions.
The lack of sufficient light intake most often leads to the fact that tomatoes stop growing, cease to "blush", and in some cases completely begin to fade. Accordingly, for the best result, the summer resident should rely on the table of frost-free periods inherent in different regions of Russia.
In the southern regions, the sooner the tomatoes are planted, the better it will be - and the southern early onset of spring allows you to plant not early ripening, but ordinary varieties of tomatoes. There, the most optimal time for planting tomatoes will be March 20, because already at this time there is a frost-free period and heat comes.
Regions of central Russia are ideally suited for disembarking in April - southern Urals, southern Siberia, Volga region, and so on. Consider where and what number is better to conduct sowing.
In really northern regions - if the summer resident still wants to plant plants in open ground, and not in the greenhouse - the frost-free period begins in mid-May. At this time, you need to plant tomatoes, and only very early varieties.
In the Urals, the most appropriate number will be April 15-16, when spring really came to the region. It is dangerous to plant before, since the Urals are characterized by unstable weather - there may be sharp frosts; later, it is also undesirable, since the onset of autumn, as a rule, occurs very quickly in the Ural region - tomatoes may simply not have time to grow.- Practically the same applies to Siberia, but it’s better to land there on April 26-27. The reason is the sharply continental climate prevalent throughout Siberia, which means that the temperature fluctuations there are much sharper than anywhere else in Russia. Therefore, you need to plant tomatoes in a relatively quiet period of time.
- For the rest of Russia, the number of April 12-13 will be optimal. In the southern regions a little earlier, in the north - on the contrary.
In the Urals, the most appropriate number will be April 15-16, when spring really came to the region. It is dangerous to plant before, since the Urals are characterized by unstable weather - there may be sharp frosts; later, it is also undesirable, since the onset of autumn, as a rule, occurs very quickly in the Ural region - tomatoes may simply not have time to grow.In what cases can not be sown?
In no case It is impossible to plant tomatoes in the event that the spring has come late. This especially often happens in the territory of central Russia, as well as in the northern regions. If the snow still lies or the temperature is still around zero or even lower, you must forget that April has come.
In the end, even in the coldest regions, a frost-free period begins in May.
Also It is not recommended to plant tomatoes in the southern regions during the period when the so-called insect pests begin to spread throughout the countries. Within a few weeks they are able to completely destroy the sowing, leaving behind only a tolerable fertilizer for the future harvest. In order for crops to not be destroyed by pests, the summer resident must regularly monitor botanical news.
Fortunately, now with the help of the Internet you can access almost any information; only full awareness can truly be saved from the destruction of the harvest. The use of insecticides, although it helps to fight pests, but it also affects the properties of the tomatoes themselves.
The same applies to diseases related exclusively to plants and transmitted by water, air or through natural channels (bacteria can "cling" to dandelion flowers, poplar fluff, and so on - as a result, the infection can be spread many kilometers from the place where it originally appeared).
In all other respects, there are no dangers for planting in April.
Thus, planting tomatoes in April is the most accurate and universal solution. Summer resident only needs to determine exactly which variety is suitable for the local climate, and for an experienced summer resident the selection of a variety does not seem to be a serious problem.
