Contents
The tomato is native to South America, where it grows wild as a perennial vine. In harsher European conditions, the tomato can only grow as an annual if not grown in a greenhouse.
The Italian name for the overseas curiosity pomo d’oro and the original Aztec “tomatl” through the French tomate gave equivalent names to this berry in : tomato and tomato.
Wild tomato in the Galapagos Islands
The tomato brought to Europe was originally only an indeterminate plant, that is, it grows continuously as long as it was warm enough. At home or in a greenhouse, such a tomato may well grow into a long vine or tree. But the plant does not tolerate frost at all, it is relatively cold-resistant (papaya, for example, requires an air temperature of at least 15 ° C). During frosts, tomato bushes die, so for a long time it was believed that tomatoes could not be grown in the northern regions. But by the end of the XNUMXth century, gardeners had learned to grow tomatoes even in the northern provinces.
In Our Country, tomatoes have to be grown through seedlings or in greenhouses. Often, seedlings of tomato varieties intended for open ground must first be hardened in a greenhouse, planting them in an open garden only in June, when the air temperature is already stable above 10 ° C.
The optimal choice for open ground are determinant tomato varieties that stop growing when they reach their genetic limit. These varieties are not very suitable for greenhouses, although they are planted along the perimeter, because due to their low growth, the bushes of these varieties are not able to use the entire useful area of the greenhouse. At the same time, indeterminate tomato varieties planted in open ground do not reveal their full potential, as they do not have enough for this warm season.
True, determinant varieties of tomatoes often have a drawback that indeterminate varieties do not have: the fruits become smaller towards the top. But there is also an advantage: the growth of the main stem stops after the formation of several inflorescences, and these varieties of tomatoes give the harvest much more intensively than indeterminate ones.
When choosing varieties for open ground, the region in which the tomatoes will be grown should be taken into account. If in the southern regions you can practically ignore precocity, then in the northern regions this is a very important factor that often determines the choice of tomato variety.
For open ground, especially in the Trans-Ural regions, it is better to select tomato varieties belonging to the following groups:
- super-early with a growing season of up to 75 days;
- early ripe. 75 to 90 days;
- mid-season. 90 to 100 days.
Tomato seedlings are usually sown in March. If the deadlines have been missed, it is necessary to pick up earlier varieties of tomatoes. In the northern regions, with late sowing, it is better to abandon mid-ripening varieties, in the south from late-ripening ones.
Determinate varieties of tomatoes for open ground are the vast majority of all tomato varieties that are sown in beds under the open sky. Indeterminate in open beds are much less common.
Determinate and indeterminate tomatoes:
Determinate tomatoes for open ground
Tomato “Little Red Riding Hood”
Early-ripening for the south and mid-season for more northern regions, a tomato variety with a growing season of 95 days. Bush 70 cm high, does not require pinching. The tomato does not require special dressings, but will be happy to fertilize. The yield of one bush is 2 kg.
Tomatoes are not large, maximum 70 g. Tomato skin is thin, they are well suited for fresh consumption or for preparing assorted vegetables for the winter. For whole-fruit preservation, they are not very good due to the thin skin.
The variety is resistant to many tomato diseases, including late blight, and to temperature fluctuations. Can tolerate short temperature drops.
Tomato “Alpatyeva 905 a”
Mid-season variety of tomatoes. The bush is low, up to 45 cm, determinate, standard. In this tomato, mid-ripening is determined by the southern regions, since its growing season is 110 days, although, according to the register, it is recommended for outdoor cultivation both in the Central Strip and in the Ural region and Eastern Siberia.
Tomatoes are small, 60 g. 3-4 ovaries are formed on one brush. The variety is fruitful and has industrial value. 2 kg of tomatoes are removed from one bush, planting 4-5 bushes per m².
Densely leafy erect tomato bushes do not require pinching and need a garter only with a very large number of tomatoes. After the bush reaches a height of 20 cm, the lower leaves are cut off from it.
In the registry, the tomato variety is declared as salad, although it will not impress with a special taste. The tomato has a characteristic tomato flavor. But it is good for winter preparations.
For this reason, the variety has advantages over other salad tomato varieties.
The advantages of the variety are also:
- friendly ripening (in the first 2 weeks up to 30% of the crop);
- resistance to sudden changes in temperature;
- undemanding to growing conditions, which is why Alpatyeva 905 a is an excellent simulator for beginner gardeners.
Since this is a variety and not a hybrid, its seeds can be left for the next year. To collect seeds, 2-3 tomatoes are left on the bush until fully ripe. You need to take them off before they start to spread under your hand.
The seeds are taken out of the tomato and left to ferment for 2-3 days, after which they are washed well with clean water and dried. Tomato seeds remain viable for 7-9 years. But the optimal age of tomato seeds is from 1 to 3 years. Further, germination begins to decline.
Tomato “Kaspar F1”
Determinate high-yielding tomato hybrid, bred in Holland, with a vegetation period of 100 days. The height of the bush is 0,5-1 m. The stem of “Caspar F1” tends to creep along the ground and produce a significant number of stepchildren. To avoid excessive growth of the bush, it is formed by stepping into two stems.
It is breaking off the stepson in this way that inhibits the emergence of a new sprout in the same place. It is not necessary to pluck or pull out the stepson.
8 bushes of this tomato variety are planted per square meter. The bush must be tied up so that the tomatoes do not come into contact with the ground.
Red tomatoes, elongated, weighing 130 gr. Designed for open ground.
A new variety of tomato, included in the register only in 2015. Suitable for cultivation in all regions of Our Country. The hybrid is undemanding to care, suitable for beginner vegetable growers. Likes abundant and frequent watering.
The tomato is considered universal, but when preparing salads, the tough skin must be removed. Well suited for conservation, as the dense skin does not allow the tomato to crack. Ideal when preserved in its own juice.
Resistant to tomato diseases and pests.
Tomato “Junior F1”
An ultra-early tomato hybrid from Semco Junior, producing fruit as early as 80 days after germination. It is intended for cultivation in small farms and subsidiary plots.
The bush is superdeterminant, 0,5 m high. 7-8 ovaries are formed on the brush. Bushes of this tomato are planted at 6 pieces per m².
Tomatoes weighing up to 100 g. Yield 2 kg per bush.
With a large number of fruits, tomatoes grow small, with a small number – large. The total mass per unit area remains virtually unchanged.
“Junior” is a universal variety of tomatoes, recommended, among other things, for fresh consumption.
The benefits of a hybrid are:
- resistance to cracking;
- precocity
- good taste;
- disease resistance.
Due to the early ripening of tomatoes, the crop is removed even before the spread of phytophthora.
How to get a harvest several times larger than usual
To obtain a large harvest, it is necessary to form a powerful root system in the plant. The method of such formation was developed more than 30 years ago. The tomato bush has the ability to form additional roots, and the method of forming additional roots is based on this.
To do this, the seedlings are planted in the “lying” position, that is, not only the root is placed in the groove, but also 2-3 lower stems with the leaves removed. 10 cm of earth is poured on top. Seedlings in the grooves must be laid strictly from south to north, so that the seedlings, stretching towards the sun, rise from the ground and form into a normal, vertically growing bush.
Roots are formed on buried stems, which are included in the common root system of the bush and are superior in efficiency and size to the main one.
The second way to get the desired roots is even easier. It is enough to let the lower stepchildren grow longer, then bend them to the ground and sprinkle with soil with a layer of 10 cm, after cutting off unnecessary leaves. Stepchildren quickly take root and grow, and after a month they become practically indistinguishable from the main bush, neither in height nor in the number of ovaries. At the same time, they bear fruit abundantly in the immediate vicinity of the earth.
If the seedlings have grown too high, they are planted in the ground so that the top is 30 cm above the soil, having previously cut off all the lower leaves 3-4 days before planting, but leaving cuttings a couple of centimeters long from them, which will later fall off themselves. A bed with such seedlings is not loosened in the summer. Roots accidentally exposed during watering are sprinkled with peat.
Mistakes when growing tomatoes
How to get a good harvest
Reviews
Summing up
For open ground, it is better to choose the earliest determinant varieties of tomatoes, then there will be a guarantee that they will have time to ripen. And today there are a lot of varieties, there are for every taste and color.