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Both children and adults love to treat themselves to ripe, juicy and fragrant tomatoes. Needless to say, this irreplaceable vegetable is part of most dishes of Slavic cuisine. Therefore, it is not surprising that every average resident who owns a summer cottage is interested in the issue of growing this crop.
This article will focus on such a variety of tomatoes as Khali-gali. You will find out what kind of variety it is, its characteristics and cultivation features. The article will include a photo of the Khali-Gali tomato and a video with practical tips.
Description
The tomato bush “Khali-gali” refers to determinant varieties. The variety “Khali-gali” can be grown both in open and closed ground. This variety is grown on both small and large scales.
“Khali-gali” refers to early ripening varieties. The fruits are round and have a thick skin. By the time of ripening, the fruits have a weight of approximately 150 g. They are suitable for processing and fresh consumption. Taste characteristics are excellent.
From one hectare of land planted with this variety of tomatoes, you can harvest about 500 centners of the crop. If these figures are converted into percentages, then the yield will be 80%. Such results became possible due to the fact that breeders worked on the resistance of the variety to fungal diseases. The ripening period of a tomato is about 3 months.
Due to the fact that the fruits have a thick skin, they are not afraid of long-term transportation. For a long time, tomatoes retain their taste and appearance.
The height of the bush reaches about 80 cm. The size of the leaves is medium, and the color is light. The first inflorescence appears on the seventh leaf. The top of the bush has a sharp point. It is worth noting that the yield of “Khali-gali” largely depends on where the tomato was planted: in open or closed ground. So, in a field with 1 m2 land on which bushes are planted, you can collect about 9 kg of fruit. If for 1 m2 land in the greenhouse to plant tomatoes “Khali-gali”, then you can harvest up to 13 kg of the crop.
Sowing seeds should be carried out 3 months before planting in a permanent place of cultivation. You can count on the development of a healthy bush only if the air temperature on the street or in the greenhouse reaches about 25C. Seedlings should be planted at a distance of about 50 cm from each other. Bushes need to be fed and agrotechnical work carried out.
Timely garters and stem shaping will allow you to get a bountiful harvest. Pasynkovanie is an important stage of cultivation, which helps to increase yields.
Characteristics of tomatoes
The fruits are characterized by a characteristic rounded shape and a rich red color. Weight can range from 70 to 150 g. It is worth noting that at the first harvest, tomatoes can reach up to 200 g each, and subsequent fruits will have less weight. 150 g of the product contains 3% sugar.
Due to the high sugar content in tomatoes, they can be used to make juice and puree. In addition, “Khali-gali” is widely used for salting and home preservation.
Advantages and disadvantages
Of the positive aspects of tomatoes “Khali-gali” we note the following:
- Resistant to unstable temperatures.
- Resistance to lack of moisture, so “Khali-gali” can be grown even on the balcony.
- It contains a large amount of sugar, so even children like it.
- An early ripe variety that bears fruit for three months.
Among the shortcomings, only the need for regular feeding of bushes and a relatively low yield.
Diseases and pests
Another characteristic feature of Khali-gali, for which the variety has found its fans among gardeners, is disease resistance. To further strengthen the plant’s immunity to diseases and pests, it needs to be looked after. This includes timely watering the bushes, airing the greenhouse if the tomatoes are grown indoors, loosening the soil and providing the greenhouse with sufficient lighting.
Khali-gali tomatoes are vulnerable to thrips and melon aphids. To combat them, gardeners most often use a special drug “Bison”. If you grow tomatoes outdoors, they can be spoiled by the Colorado potato beetle. To get rid of the pest, you can use the drug “Prestige”.
Features of sowing seeds
Since it takes two to three months to grow seedlings, seeds should be sown in late February or early March. In this situation, young bushes will survive the transplant more easily, they will get sick less and release the first inflorescences faster.
It is necessary to start picking after the seedlings reach a height of about 5 cm.
Transplanting
Early ripe ‘Khali-gali’ bears fruit well on the south side of the site, which is well lit. In addition, to achieve the best yield, tomatoes need to be planted every year in different places. Otherwise, diseases that survive the winter in the ground will be transmitted to newly planted bushes. The quality and quantity of the crop will suffer.
Tomatoes thrive best on land that has previously grown root crops, legumes, and green crops. The soil after potatoes is not suitable for growing tomatoes.
If you have a small garden, then several varieties of tomatoes can be planted on one bed. Seedlings can be planted in open ground after frosts have ended, namely in the first half of June. If we are talking about planting in a greenhouse, then seedlings can be transplanted in mid-May.
The soil temperature when transplanting Khali-Gali tomatoes should not be lower than 15℃. The period for planting seedlings in open ground may differ depending on where you live. For example, in the non-chernozem zone, tomatoes are planted in the garden in the first decade of June, and in the greenhouse – in the last decade of April. 1 m2 You can plant no more than 6 bushes.
Low-growing tomato varieties are planted at a distance of 40 cm from each other, and tall ones are planted at a distance of 50 cm.
When planting, the stems are placed vertically, deepening the earthen pot so as not to bury the growing point of the crop. After planting, the tomatoes should be watered abundantly.
Cultivation
Caring for determinant varieties consists of the following manipulations:
- Hilling is performed several times. The first time it needs to be done two weeks after planting the seedlings. The next hilling is carried out after another 14 days and so on 2 more times.
- The soil should be loosened regularly, since the land around the root system should remain airy throughout the entire growing period.
- Watering is carried out as needed.
- Pasynkovanie allows you to form a bush for 1 or more shoots. Throughout the entire period of development of the bush, axillary inflorescences should be removed, as they take away strength from the bush, as a result of which the yield of tomatoes decreases. For the same purpose, the lower leaves are also removed.
- Fertilization is carried out 2 weeks after planting in open ground or in a greenhouse. The next fertilizer is carried out after the appearance of the second inflorescences.
Basic care
Khali-gali tomatoes develop well if organic fertilizer is applied under the bushes, for example, a solution of urea or mullein. At the second top dressing, phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are used. Dilute them according to the instructions for the preparations.
As mentioned above, tomato bushes of the Khali-Gali variety need pinching. It’s no secret that stepchildren can grow in the same place, so when they are first removed, small stumps should be left.
The importance of irrigation cannot be underestimated. This is especially important to do during the period of intensive growth of bushes and flowering. During the fruiting period, watering should be reduced, otherwise the fruits of tomatoes will crack. Watering is carried out only under the root.
We also suggest that you watch a thematic video on how to grow tomatoes on a balcony:
