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Growing tomatoes in the climate zone is, to some extent, a risk. After all, there is no stable weather here in the warm season: summer can be too cold or, conversely, abnormally hot, droughts often occur here, or it can rain with hail and strong winds. Another obstacle to obtaining a stable crop of tomatoes is late spring and too early autumn: frosts at first do not allow planting tomatoes on time, and then prevent the fruits from fully ripening.
What are ultra-early varieties of tomatoes, and how they help summer residents – we will consider in this article.
Distinctive features of early tomato varieties
As you know, tomato varieties are divided depending on the speed of fruit ripening. Tomatoes are considered early ripe, the entire vegetation cycle of which is no more than one hundred days. That is, from the day the seeds are planted in seedling containers to the first ripe tomato on the bushes, no more than three and a half months should pass.
As a rule, early-ripening varieties are recommended to be grown in especially cold regions. In such conditions, only these tomatoes will have time to fully ripen and give their fruits.
Another area where early varieties are a priority is the commercial cultivation of vegetables. After all, when tomatoes are planted for sale, the speed of fruit ripening is also very important.
The faster the greenhouse tomato ripens, the earlier (respectively, more expensively) the owner of the site will be able to sell the crop.
Usually tomatoes for sale are grown in greenhouses, so the speed of their ripening increases even more.
Gardeners from the northern part of Our Country cannot do without ultra-early tomatoes. The earth here warms up only by the end of May – the beginning of June, so vegetables often do not have time to fully ripen before the onset of autumn cold weather.
It is believed that early vegetables are not as tasty as tomatoes of medium and late ripening.
However, with proper cultivation, sufficient sunlight, fertilization of the soil and frequent watering, even ultra-early hybrids have a good taste and rich aroma.
“Riddle”
Hybrid Ultra Early maturing tomato variety. These tomatoes are familiar to many gardeners as a productive and unpretentious variety. Plants reach 45 cm in height, have powerful stems and shoots, so they do not need to be tied up.
The fruits ripen 75 days after the first shoots appear. The shape of the tomato is round, the size is medium – the mass of tomatoes is about 150 grams. A characteristic feature of the variety is excellent taste and strong aroma.
Riddle tomatoes are often grown commercially and are suitable for greenhouses. Fruits perfectly tolerate transportation, can be stored without loss of taste and commercial qualities.
If you do not regularly pinch the bushes, the tomatoes will grow small. Therefore, it is important to remove side shoots in a timely manner. By the way, you can dig them in and get additional tomato bushes, full-fledged fruits will also ripen on them, only this will happen two weeks later than the main bush.
“Crimson Giant”
The only large-fruited hybrid among early ripening tomatoes. The average weight of Raspberry Giant tomatoes is about 700 grams.
Tomatoes from one bush can have a different shape: from rounded to flattened on the sides or bottom. The color of the fruit is bright crimson. Tomatoes are very tasty, fleshy, fragrant.
Up to six fruits are formed on each brush. The yield of the hybrid with proper care reaches 15 kg from each bush. The plant staunchly resists most “tomato” diseases.
Anastasia
An ultra-early hybrid tomato belonging to the determinate subspecies. The plant needs to be pinched, it is most effective to grow this variety in one or two stems.
In each brush, 7-9 tomatoes are formed, brushes are located after every second leaf. This leads to a high yield of tomatoes – up to 12 kg of fruit can be removed from one plant.
Ripe tomatoes are painted red, have a slightly elongated shape with a characteristic “pimple” at the bottom. The pulp has a pleasant sweetish taste and strong aroma. The mass of one tomato is, on average, 200 grams.
“Betta”
Tomatoes of this early ripening variety ripen 2,5 months after planting the seeds. Plants are small, their height is only 50 cm.
The size of the fruit is also small – the mass of each Betta tomato is only 50 grams. Tomatoes are sweet in taste, their flesh is dense. The fruits are great for pickling and canning as a whole.
With proper care, up to two kilograms of tomatoes can be removed from one standard bush of this variety.
“Sledge”
Ultra-early hybrid, ripening by the 75-80th day after planting the seeds. Plants are determinate, reach a maximum height of 50 cm, have an average foliage. The bush itself is very compact, which allows you to plant seedlings close to each other.
Tomatoes in a mature state are colored red, have an even rounded shape and a smooth surface. Inside the fruit is divided into four chambers with seeds. The taste of tomatoes is good, rich.
These small tomatoes are great for canning whole fruits, pickling and pickling.
“Valentina”
Determinate plant, growing up to a maximum of 70 cm. Spreading bushes, powerful, strewn with fruits. A feature of the culture is considered to be the utmost resistance to diseases, the ability to normally tolerate drought and irregular watering.
It is not necessary to pinch tomatoes of the Valentina variety. The fruits are not prone to cracking, are cream-shaped, painted red. The density of tomatoes is good, they can be cut into salads, processed into juice or canned as a whole. The mass of each tomato is, on average, 120 grams.
“Amur Shtamb”
A hybrid tomato of a determinate species. The fruits ripen within 90 days, so they can be classified as ultra-early varieties. Bushes reach a small height – only 50 cm.
Ripe tomatoes weigh about 80 grams. The shape of the fruit is round, they are painted in bright red. The taste of tomatoes is good, they can be used to prepare salads and other dishes.
The value of the variety is in its unpretentiousness. In any weather, even in cool or too hot summers, the Amur Shtamb tomato will delight the owner with a consistently high yield.
“Golden Brush”
Refers to early ripe indeterminate tomatoes. The height of the bushes is about one and a half meters, the plant is quite sprawling, therefore, it needs not only vertical tying, but also tying.
Tomatoes do not need complex care, they only need regular watering and a little fertilizer. With this approach, you can get a good harvest, because the bushes are literally strewn with small golden fruits.
Tomatoes are pear-shaped and have a pleasant taste. The fruits weigh about 30 grams. These tomatoes decorate various dishes, marinate as a whole and eat fresh.
“Sweet bunch”
Tomatoes of this variety are considered one of the most unpretentious – they can be grown on almost any soil, in difficult climatic conditions, with irregular care and watering.
The variety is indeterminate, the bushes grow up to 150 cm and begin to bear fruit very quickly. Tomatoes are small in size, have a pleasant taste.
“Tangerine”
The variety of these tomatoes is valued for its high yield, unpretentiousness and unusual appearance of the fruit.
Tomatoes ripen in clusters, each of which contains about ten fruits. The color of the tomatoes is unusual – bright yellow, tangerine. The fruits are quite large, so a tall plant must be tied up and the side shoots removed, otherwise the stem will not stand up and break.
The strength of the variety is its durability – tomatoes will give a good harvest even in bad weather conditions. Tomatoes are protected from most diseases.
“Wonder of the Earth”
Indeterminate early ripening tomato, which is one of the selection novelties of recent years. Plants reach two meters in height, need pinching and tying.
Tomatoes delight the owner with large fruit sizes – each can weigh about 0,5 kg. Despite such sizes of bushes and fruits, the variety tolerates climatic disasters well, it is not afraid of untimely watering and prolonged drought.
An undoubted advantage is also the good transportability of tomatoes, they do not crack during storage and transportation, they retain an excellent presentation.
“Appetizing”
Another of the new varieties of early ripening tomatoes, suitable for outdoor cultivation. The yield of the variety exceeds five kilograms from each bush.
Lovers of fresh vegetables will appreciate the large fruits of beautiful cherry color, distinguished by excellent taste and pleasant aroma.
The Appetizing Tomato can also be grown commercially and is suitable for planting in heated and unheated greenhouses.
“Balcony Miracle”
An early ripe tomato specially bred for growing on windowsills or balconies. Bushes grow very compact and low. We can say that this is an ornamental plant that will decorate a room or a loggia.
However, this variety is not only beautiful, it also bears fruit. Small tomatoes are round in shape, painted red. With good feeding and daily watering, you can get a good harvest from each tomato bush.
“Danko”
An ultra-early tomato with a heart-shaped fruit. It is considered one of the best varieties for both growing in a greenhouse and garden beds.
Farmers love tomato “Danko” for a harmonious combination of such characteristics as unpretentiousness, productivity, taste of tomatoes. After all, this variety is considered one of the most delicious!
Tomatoes are quite large, painted in rich red color. There are not many seeds inside them, the flesh is fleshy, juicy. The mass of each tomato ranges from 300 to 500 grams.
These fruits are great for fresh consumption, they can also be processed, for example, tomato juice from Danko turns out to be very tasty. With sufficient care and regular watering, about seven kilograms of large tomatoes can be removed from each bush.
“Currency”
An excellent variety for those who grow vegetables for sale. The fruits are very beautiful, have a regular, leveled shape and a glossy surface. The skin color is bright red. The pulp is tasty, has a sweetish aftertaste, pronounced aroma.
The mass of each tomato is approximately 200-300 grams. From one bush it turns out to remove about 4,5 kg of tomatoes.
The variety is stable – the yields will be the same every year, they do not greatly depend on external factors and weather. Tomatoes tolerate transportation well, as they have a dense skin. For the same reason, tomatoes are great for canning whole.
“Apples in the Snow”
An early maturing variety that allows you to get the first tomatoes on the 85-100th day after planting seeds for seedlings. The bushes are compact, about 50 cm high.
The tomatoes themselves are medium in size, weighing about 100 grams. When ripe, tomatoes are bright red. They are round and have a smooth surface.
The variety is suitable for planting in greenhouses and open beds. Fruits canned, added to salads and other dishes.
Rules for the care of early ripening tomato varieties
So that ultra-early tomatoes are not “plastic” fruits, without a characteristic aroma and taste, they need a sufficient amount of fertilizer. In addition, it will increase the yield of plants, contribute to the normal growth and rapid ripening of tomatoes.
The land is fertilized in several stages:
- Since autumn, the soil on the site must be dug up by about 30 cm, only the earth is not turned over so that the nutrient layer is not on top.
- Fertilizers are applied to the dug up soil: superphosphate or nitrogen, previously dissolved in water.
- In the last days of March or at the beginning of April, the soil needs to be dug up again. Then apply potash fertilizer.
- When the ground in the area warms up to 10 degrees, you can plant tomato seedlings. Usually this happens no earlier than mid-May, seedlings by this time should be at least 30-45 days old.
- Ten days after transplanting, seedlings should be fed with a solution of nitrophoska.
- Once again, the same procedure is performed when flowers appear on the bushes. This will contribute to the formation of full-fledged ovaries in place of inflorescences.
- When the tomatoes begin to bear fruit, they need to be fertilized for the last time. For this, potash fertilizers or magnesium sulfate are most suitable.
An important component of caring for tomatoes is their protection from diseases.
Tomatoes are a very painful plant, it is extremely important for them to maintain a constant temperature and humidity level. All this cannot be achieved in open ground conditions.
The most dangerous “enemy” of tomatoes is late blight. This fungal disease progresses when nighttime temperatures drop, resulting in diurnal fluctuations and excessive moisture in tomato stems and leaves.
An indisputable advantage of growing ultra-early tomatoes is the fact that the fruits have time to ripen before the onset of night cold weather. That is, these varieties may not be afraid of late blight, since they will not catch the height of this disease (the period from mid-August).
Watering early ripe tomatoes should be the same as usual – as the soil dries. Tomatoes do not like drought, the ground between the bushes must always be wet.
The soil must be loosened between the rows, carefully bypassing the stems and roots of plants.
Growing ultra-early tomatoes is available to every gardener in the country. These varieties are suitable for greenhouses and open ground. Early ripening provides consistently high yields with fairly simple care.
The resulting fruits are suitable for any purpose: fresh consumption, preparation of salads and any dishes, processing and canning.
