Growing tomatoes in greenhouses and polytunnels

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Tomatoes are real sun children. They are best grown on a sunny house wall, in a tomato house or greenhouse. Find out more here.

self-made greenhouse
With a little manual skill, a solid greenhouse can be built from old windows [Photo: Galina Sharapova / Shutterstock.com]

Tomatoes love warmth and therefore protected locations such as warm house walls or places under protruding roofs are very suitable. If you have the luxury of still having a free spot for a greenhouse in the garden, you should seriously consider purchasing it. We explain the advantages of a greenhouse for tomatoes and what to look out for when growing them.

Advantages of growing tomatoes in the greenhouse

For example, tomatoes can be planted in the greenhouse as early as the end of April (about two weeks before the ice saints). The advantages are obvious: the plants not only grow faster, but also longer and can produce more tasty tomatoes. The harvest time in the greenhouse does not end until the end of October. Another advantage is the protected environment. Cold and strong winds cannot harm the tomatoes and even long periods of rain do not solve any problems

Late blight and brown rot the end. However, there are a few things to consider for successful cultivation in the greenhouse as well. On the one hand, quality must be paid attention to when buying. This also includes the height. Because if the tomato house is too low, warm and humid air will collect above. This means that the brown rot on the upper tomato shoots has an easy time and quickly spreads to the part of the plant below. To avoid this, the greenhouse should not only have a sufficient height, but also some ventilation options. Tomatoes don't like it too hot anyway. Plants tolerate temperatures above 35 ° C only poorly. In the best case scenario, you ensure constant temperatures between 20 and 30 ° C, because that's how the tomato likes it best. This includes ventilation during sunny days and closing the ventilation flaps at night and on cooler rainy days.

Tying tomatoes in the greenhouse
Tying tomatoes in a conventional greenhouse [Photo: Wanderlust Media / Shutterstock.com]

Tomato varieties for the greenhouse

Not all tomatoes are suitable for greenhouse cultivation. On the one hand, some varieties do not tolerate the high temperatures well, which can sometimes lead to modest growth or bursting of the fruits. On the other hand, a problem with pollination can quickly arise in a sheltered greenhouse. Usually the wind or insects pollinate the tomatoes in the field. If you buy seeds, you should always pay attention to whether the respective variety is suitable for cultivation in the greenhouse.

Tomatoes in the greenhouse
Not all tomato varieties tolerate the greenhouse climate well [Photo: Galina Sharapova / Shutterstock.com]

In greenhouses, tomatoes are either tied on strings (a common method in commercial cultivation) or on long ones Plant sticks (Hazelnut or bamboo) pulled up. It is important not to constrict the young shoots too much and thus damage them in the long term. Tomato plants in the greenhouse should be about 70cm apart, depending on the variety. The first harvest can be expected as early as June.

Buying a greenhouse for tomatoes: what to look out for

When buying a greenhouse, you should focus on quality. If you don't want to spend so much money in your hand, you can also make a construction with wood, foil and plexiglass. If you have some manual dexterity, the result is really more than impressive and is in direct competition with the professional tomato house.