Is it possible to grow cucumbers and tomatoes together in one polycarbonate greenhouse?

The size of the plot for many gardeners does not allow them to install another greenhouse. And in a difficult climate, I really want to have both cucumbers and tomatoes on the table. Is it really true that these vegetables have no place under one greenhouse roof? Experienced agronomists believe that it is possible to co-cultivate antagonistic plants if you follow a number of rules.

Is it possible to plant cucumbers and tomatoes in the same greenhouse?

Cucumbers and tomatoes require completely different levels of humidity, temperature and soil composition. Therefore, growing them in a common greenhouse is difficult, but possible. It is first important to study all the requirements for neighboring cultivation of both crops and create an optimal environment for them.

Compatibility: pros and cons

There is only one pro: growing cucumbers and tomatoes together saves space.

There are many “against”:

• from systematic ventilation, so necessary for tomatoes, cucumbers get sick;
• due to the increased humidity required for the growth of cucumbers, fruit ovaries do not form in tomatoes;
• with excessive air humidification, tomatoes will inevitably “catch” late blight;
• These plants are irrigated and fed at different times, but this inconvenience can be tolerated.

Requirements for growing cucumbers

Cucumbers require special conditions to grow:

1. Water they are needed regularly, since this vegetable crop does not tolerate dry soil. Irrigation is carried out in the evening before closing the greenhouse using sprinkling method.For 1 m², a vegetable requires 15–25 liters per day. When fruit ovaries form, the volume of watering is increased.
2. Feed Cucumbers should be grown 1-2 times a month from the first days of planting. For proper development, they need organic and nutritious fertilizers based on minerals.
3. To fully develop, cucumbers require 10–12 hours of daylight.
4. Cucumbers need warmth. Immediately after sowing, this crop is provided with a temperature of +25–28°C. As it grows, the average daily temperature in the greenhouse should be +17°C.
5. Humidity below 85% significantly slows down the process of pollination and the formation of fruit ovaries of cucumbers.
6. The crop does not tolerate drafts, so it is necessary to ventilate the greenhouse premises very carefully. This is especially important when the cucumber sprouts are still small and weak.

Requirements for growing tomatoes

Luxurious and juicy tomatoes grow if gardeners follow all the rules of care:

1. Tomatoes in greenhouses require mandatory artificial pollination. This procedure is carried out in warm sunny weather. When finished, you need to spray the flowers with warm water from a spray bottle so that the pollen in the pistil germinates.
2. Tomatoes need systematic ventilation, especially during the flowering phase.
3. For active growth and fruiting, they require a suitable temperature: +20...+22°C during the day and +16...+18°C at night.
4. Tomatoes prefer soil with a moisture content of 75–80%.
5. Water they are needed rarely and plentifully, no more than once a week at the rate of 12–15 liters per 1 m². Do this in the morning with water at a temperature of +20°C.
6. Dry air is the main requirement for tomato growth.
7. They prefer fertilizers from the category of organic and mineral.

How to find a compromise

The rules for cultivating tomatoes and cucumbers have nothing in common. If it is impossible to install another greenhouse on the site, you can find a compromise solution:

• zone the greenhouse space, distribute the plantings so that they do not disturb each other;
• choose varieties suitable for your neighborhood - tomatoes that are immune to fungal diseases, and cucumbers that can tolerate drafts and coolness.

How to grow cucumbers with tomatoes

Before combining cucumbers and tomatoes, it is recommended to study the characteristics of these plants and create an acceptable environment for their existence.

The best varieties for the neighborhood

It is recommended to plant those varieties of tomatoes that are not afraid of high humidity and are immune to fungal diseases:

• Dubrava;
• Dwarf;
• Tsar Peter;
• Lark;
• New Year;
• Blizzard;
• De Barao is black;
• Union 8;
• La-la-fa.

Cucumbers that can withstand coolness and drafts:

• baby crane;
• Thumb Boy;
• Masha;
• Murashka;
• Natalie;
• Pasadena;
• Diva;
• Nightingale;
• Sister Alyonushka.

Technology and planting scheme

It is important to select separate areas for cucumbers and tomatoes. It is better to plant cucumbers on the north side of the room. Here their sprouts will be protected from drafts, and less sunlight will reduce moisture evaporation. But you shouldn’t leave seedlings completely without sunlight.

You can separate cucumbers and tomatoes with partitions by stretching the film from top to bottom. And divide the soil into 2 parts using a slate sheet - this will prevent excess moisture from reaching the tomatoes.

It is advisable to plant seedlings in a checkerboard pattern, keeping a distance between plantings of 25–30 cm for cucumbers, and 40 cm for tomatoes. You can also separate the “neighbors” with film.

Tomatoes are planted deeper (up to the first leaf) in the center and southern part of the greenhouse. So for them there is enough fresh ventilated air without excess moisture.

It is better to plant tall varieties at a distance of 60 cm between the bushes. Small-growing ones - in the front line so that taller plants do not shade them.

Attention! When planting, cucumbers should be fed with organic matter. Humus produces heat, which is so necessary for cucumber shoots.

When planting cucumbers, it is recommended to add half a glass of hydrogel to each hole. This will increase soil moisture for them, reducing excess moisture for the tomatoes.

Features of care, soil preparation, fertilizing, bush formation

Correct and timely watering, fertilizing, airing, loosening and pruning bushes are extremely necessary for plant life:

1. Crops need to be treated in time to prevent infectious diseases and insects.
2. It is important to regularly monitor temperature and humidity.
3. Tomatoes are in dire need of regular ventilation. During this time, it is recommended to protect their neighbors with a partition or film.
4. Cucumbers vitally need moisture in the soil and air. Experienced vegetable growers recommend adding hydrogel under the cucumbers when planting or covering the soil around them with mulch.
5. It is imperative to form bushes in order to enhance the growth of fruit ovaries, and not of a green bush.
6. Tomatoes are fertilized 4 times per season, cucumbers - 6 times.

Reference. 7-8 days after planting, the plants should be tied up.

Combination conditions

For a conflict-free existence of cucumbers and tomatoes, it is important to observe a number of conditions:

1. Do not let the vines of cucumber seedlings block the light of the “neighbors”.
2. Plant tomatoes near the entrance, as this is the most ventilated place.Vigorous ventilation removes excess moisture from the greenhouse air and protects plants from diseases.
3. Purchase tomato seedlings that are immune to late blight.
4. Manually pollinate flowering plants: it is easy to shake them in sunny, warm weather.
5. Place cucumbers in the most windproof place - at the end of the greenhouse.

Film separation

Beds can be divided using film. Polyethylene is stretched from the ground to the roof. With this method, each type of plant creates its own microclimate. For tomatoes, it is important to provide the possibility of regular ventilation.

In addition to the air separation of the territory, the soil should also be partitioned. It is advisable to separate the beds with different species of plants.

Separate landing

You can do without plastic film. It is enough to place the plants correctly: plant tomato bushes in the south and central part, and cucumber seedlings in the north. Then the amount of evaporated moisture will decrease, and the cucumbers will have enough of it.

How to achieve a good harvest when growing together

To get a good harvest, it is important to create a warm and humid microclimate for cucumbers, and a well-ventilated and dry one for tomatoes. This can be done in two ways:

1. In the greenhouse, three beds about 60 cm wide are laid out with passages between them. The middle one is reserved for cucumbers, so a trellis is constructed on it from stakes and a special plastic mesh for climbing plants. The side beds are for tomatoes. To have more light in the greenhouse, it is better to plant low-growing varieties. As they grow, tomato bushes are tied to stakes. The air humidity in the greenhouse should be a compromise for both plants - 70%, daytime temperature - +25°C, night temperature - +19°C.
2. The greenhouse is divided into two parts, the crops are separated from each other with a double curtain made of film, and the vegetables are planted on opposite beds. For the tomato half, choose a section of the greenhouse with a large number of windows and closer to the exit. In this case, you can plant tall varieties of tomatoes.

Advice from experienced agronomists

To create a microclimate suitable for both crops, vegetable growers advise using hydrogel when planting cucumbers. Its crystals quickly absorb excess moisture.

If the cucumbers are already planted and the hydrogel is not applied, mulching is used. After the cucumber sprouts appear, mown grass is scattered around them - mulch. This helps reduce the frequency of watering for cucumbers while retaining heat and moisture.

Conclusion

Cucumbers and tomatoes require completely different conditions for ripening, so planting them in the same polycarbonate greenhouse is difficult, but possible. To get a rich harvest, it is important to take into account the needs of both crops, choose the hardiest varieties and follow the planting pattern.