March Crops

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

March can hardly be called the month of mass sowing of seeds for seedlings. If in February it was necessary to have time to sow crops with a long development period, for example, eggplants, peppers, then they are more likely to plant heat-loving vegetables in April. But even in March, the gardener has something to do with himself. At this time, you can sow tomatoes and physalis. You can also have time to sow early varieties of vegetable peppers. If you treat eggplant seeds with a growth stimulant, then they are capable of producing a crop

Tomatoes: preparing seeds for sowing

Tomato seeds are distinguished by their great vitality, and under favorable storage conditions, the periods of good germination extend up to 8 years. To do this, they must be protected from moisture and drying out, and also kept at a temperature of about + 16 … + 18 degrees C. But even young seeds are recommended to be treated with microelements and growth stimulants - both for disinfection and to accelerate germination of seedlings, and the opportunity to get a higher yield in record early periods.

In order to get friendly shoots and facilitate further care for the seedlings, it is recommended to always calibrate the seed. To do this, they need to be sorted by specific gravity. This is helped by immersing the seeds in salt water - approximately 25 g of salt per 0.5 liters. Allow the concentrate to stand before use to allow the salt to dissolve thoroughly. For sowing purposes, only seeds that have settled to the bottom of the container are used. You should not regret throwing the specimens that have surfaced on the surface of the water - they still do not differ with good results when landing.

Selected full-weight seeds are washed with clean water and then pickled. A solution of potassium permanganate is suitable for this. After the procedure, the seeds also need to be rinsed and allowed to dry. A note for the future - experienced gardeners are engaged in disinfecting seeds and 3-4 months before the planned sowing date. This is due to the fact that during storage, the effect of the drug on plant pathogens only increases.

Among the advantages of treatment with stimulants and microelements, it is worth noting not only a higher resistance to diseases, but also a better metabolism in activated seeds, accelerated development, and better growth. And in the future - and a richer and better harvest. This means that the fruits will contain a high amount of vitamin C, sugar, dry matter. To achieve this effect, the following solutions are used (dosage per 1 liter of water):

• boric acid - up to 0.3 g;

• copper sulfate - up to 0.05 g;

• manganese sulfate and zinc sulfate - up to 0.5 g;

• ammonium molybdenum - up to 0.5 g;

Tomatoes are a thermophilic culture. But the method of hardening can increase the cold resistance of seedlings. To do this, they are kept for two or three days under conditions at a temperature in the range of 0 … + 3 degrees C. You can use the refrigerator or bury the seed dish in the snow. Experience shows that such measures can increase the yield by about 15%, as well as increase the rate of fruit ripening by one to two weeks.

Pepper: sowing features

Presowing seed preparation is the same as for growing tomatoes. And if in February the absence of treatment with growth stimulants is not so critical, then in March it should still be carried out. In addition, let's not forget that although tomatoes and peppers belong to the same family of nightshades, the latter are more thermophilic than tomatoes. Do not be surprised if at a temperature of the above-ground layer of + 15 … + 16 degrees C, seedlings will appear only in a month. In order not to delay this process and admire them in a week and a half, the thermometer should be at a level of approximately + 25 … + 27 degrees C.