If you want to grow a healthy and rich crop of tomatoes, it is very important to choose a suitable soil for plants. In our article we will tell you how to prepare the soil for seedlings with your own hands.
What should be the soil
When planting seedlings of tomatoes, you must choose the soil, which will be:
- fertile. It must contain the required amount of nutrients;
- balanced. It is important to choose the right concentration of minerals, optimal proportions must be maintained;
- air and moisture permeable. Ideal for planting loose, light, with a porous structure and without vegetation, the soil;
- cleared of germs, seeds of weeds and other microorganisms that can adversely affect the plant;
- not contaminated with heavy metals.
Important! Before using the soil, it must be disinfected. To do this, prepare the mixture in the fall and leave it on the balcony or in a cold room for the winter.
If you follow these recommendations, you can achieve a high yield of tomatoes or other plants.
Buy or cook?
Preparation of soil for seedlings can be carried out in two ways: to purchase in specialized stores or to cook independently.
Why buy?
If you are a novice gardener and plant your first harvest, it is better to purchase a soil mixture in the store. Experts will offer you the best soil options that will meet all the requirements of the plants that you will grow. 
In this case, the risks that the seedlings will not take root or die due to inappropriate soil are automatically eliminated.
How do experienced gardeners
Gardeners, who are not the first time engaged in planting seedlings, prefer to make the soil for plants.
Of course, this requires certain knowledge and experience, but you will be completely confident in the composition of the soil and its quality. Self-cooking has its advantages:
- seedlings are less stressed during transplantation into open ground or greenhouse, as it will be planted in the same ground;
- it is possible to make the most suitable soil mixture by adding the exact amount of ingredients according to recipes;
- self-preparation of the soil is much more profitable;
- quality assurance.
Did you know? 95% tomato consists of water.
If you decide to independently engage in the preparation of soil mixture, you should carefully approach the mixing of components, strictly adhere to the proportions.
The main components and their role
The composition of the soil for seedlings includes many components. Consider the importance of each of them.
Peat
Peat is the main component in the soil for planting tomato seedlings. Thanks to him, the soil becomes loose, well absorbs moisture, retains it.
Chalk, dolomite flour, deoxidizers are necessarily added to peat, as it has an acidic environment. 
This component has a few large fibers, so you should perform its sieving. If this is not done, the fibers will entangle in the roots and make picking difficult.
You will probably be interested to know how and when to pick the tomatoes correctly after germination.
Turf ground
The component has a huge number of trace elements that provide full growth of seedlings. It is recommended to use the land on which previously grew cereals and legumes.
Mullein
The component is rich in beneficial trace elements, provides proper nutrition to the plant. Thanks to him, yields are increased, plants get a full range of essential vitamins. It can be used both in dry and fresh form.
Sand
Sand is used in the preparation of soil mixture, as it is an excellent baking powder. Prefer coarse, clean river sand that does not have clay interspersing. It is imperative to rinse and calcine it on the fire or in the oven. 
Perlite
Sometimes this component is used instead of sand. It is characterized by its environmental friendliness, gives the soil looseness, perfectly absorbs moisture.
Learn how to apply perlite to plants.
Sawdust
Sometimes, peat and sand are used as a substitute for peat and sand. In this case, you can use only the purified components, before using them scalded with boiling water. Land for seedlings, cooked with their own hands, will definitely have a better quality than the purchase.
But if you do not know all the nuances of making such a mixture, you should not risk the entire crop - it is better to seek advice from experts and choose the soil that is best for your seedlings.
Important! You should not immediately purchase a large capacity soil mix. Buy a small package and try to germinate the seeds. If everything goes well, you can proceed to more extensive work.
Ready soil preparation schemes with sawdust
If you decide to independently prepare the soil with sawdust for tomato seedlings, we offer a choice of several common schemes.
- Scheme 1. It is necessary to take 2 parts of sawdust and 1 part of sand. Before this, sawdust should be treated with a balanced mixture, which contains a complex of nutritional components. They can be used as a baking powder. This mixture, although it has a simple composition, but allows you to achieve a rich harvest of tomatoes.
- Scheme 2. It is necessary to mix peat, turf ground, mullein, sawdust in this ratio: 4: 1: 1/4: 1: 1/2. To 10 kg of the mixture obtained add: river sand - 3 kg, ammonium nitrate - 10 g, superphosphate - 2-3 g, potassium chloride - 1 g.
- Scheme 3. Humus, peat, sod land, rotted sawdust are taken in the ratio of 1: 1: 1: 1. In the bucket with the mixture add: wood ash - 1.5 cups, superphosphate - 3 tbsp. spoons, potassium sulfate - 1 tbsp. spoon, urea - 1 tsp.
What can not be added to the soil for seedlings
Before you start self-preparation of the soil, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with unacceptable additives.
- Adding organic fertilizers that are in the process of decay is strictly prohibited. This is due to the large amount of heat released, which can affect the seed and burn it. If, however, the seeds grow, the plants will soon die from high temperatures.
- Sand and earth with clay impurities are not suitable for the preparation of soil mixture. Clay significantly weights the soil, makes it dense, and seedlings can not grow in such conditions.
- Do not collect the soil near the road or near chemical plants, as heavy metals may accumulate in the soil, which will be absorbed by the plant rather quickly.
Did you know? If you store tomatoes at room temperature, their taste and healthy properties will improve, and by placing the tomatoes in the refrigerator, you will lose their nutrients and they will quickly deteriorate.
After reading our article, you learned how to prepare the ground for seedlings. By preparing the soil mixture yourself, you will be assured of its quality and will be able to harvest a rich and tasty crop of tomatoes.
