Black tomato planting technology

We all know that tomatoes are red in color, but have we ever seen black tomatoes? Here I will tell you about the planting techniques of black tomatoes:

The most ideal soil for black tomatoes is: deep and fertile soil, good drainage and considerable water and fertilizer retention capacity, sandy loam and clay sandy loam with a soil pH value between 5.6 and 6.7.

1. Key points of cultivation technology

(I) Sowing period:

The best time to sow black tomatoes in the southern region is in early August and early to mid-January. In the northern region, it is best to cultivate them in greenhouses, with mid- to late August being the most suitable time.

In the south, it is better to sow in the summer in high altitude cold areas, or to plant in high altitude cold areas after raising seedlings on flat land, which can solve the problem of balanced supply throughout the year. In late autumn, it is better to cultivate in protected areas or greenhouse facilities for the best quality.

(ii) Seedling cultivation:

Black tomatoes are generally grown in seedling beds first. When the seedlings grow to the point where they have two true leaves, they can be transplanted into 8×8cm nutrient pots and continue to be grown until they have four or five leaves, and then transplanted into the field for planting.

After spreading the base fertilizer in the seedbed, mix it into the soil within 5 cm deep, make a high bed, sow the seeds, cover the soil with a thickness of about 1 cm, cover with straw and water. Remove the straw after germination, pull out the weeds and apply topdressing once every week, twice in total; it is advisable to plant the seedlings as soon as they grow to 4 true leaves in the nutrient pot, and it is best to transplant them with soil. The seedling raising period is about 20 to 25 days. The price of the first generation of hybrid seeds is relatively expensive, so it is advisable to save the amount of seeds. When the two cotyledons are unfolded, dig them without soil and transplant them into the aforementioned nutrient pots, which will have the best effect. For the soil used in the seedbed and nutrient pots, it is best to add decomposed organic fertilizer to the original soil.

(III) Making beds for planting:

After the land is plowed and broken up, according to local ridge preparation habits, furrows are dug according to the width of the row spacing, base fertilizer is applied, and then soil is covered to make high ridges. The ridges are generally oriented north-south. The width of the ridges can be greatly flexible depending on the variety and cultivation method, as shown in the table below.

Connected furrow width

Number of rows, plant spacing, number of plants per mu, and planting method

120cm double row 45cm 2000 plants support whole vine cultivation

130cm double row 45cm 1800 plants support whole vine cultivation

140cm double row 45cm 1600 plants support whole vine cultivation

Select neatly arranged seedlings and plant them on the side rows where base fertilizer has been applied. Plant one seedling at each planting distance. After planting, water them to establish roots and ensure that the tomato seedlings do not regreen.