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Not a single garden or summer cottage is complete without tomato bushes. Tomatoes are not only very tasty, but also an extremely healthy vegetable, they contain a lot of vitamins and microelements. Tomato has excellent taste characteristics, this juicy and fragrant fruit can be eaten both fresh and processed. Tomatoes are used to make juice, preserve whole fruits, add them to salads and to many different dishes.
What varieties and hybrids of tomatoes are best grown in the climatic conditions of the Moscow region? How to independently plant tomato seeds for seedlings, and how to care for these plants – everything in this article.
Selection rules
Tomatoes for the Moscow region, first of all, must correspond to the climatic features of this region. The Moscow region belongs to the temperate continental climate zone, this region has fairly mild winters, without severe frosts, and summers are rainy and cool.
These are the criteria that tomato varieties for the Moscow region should meet. Given this, it can be argued that it is best to purchase seeds of early and mid-season varieties, the fruits of which will have time to ripen in a short and cool summer. Mid-late and late-ripening tomato varieties and hybrids are at risk of not ripening due to low temperatures and high humidity. Such conditions are an ideal environment for the development of the main enemies of tomatoes – late blight and fungi.
So, When choosing tomato seeds for the Moscow region, you must consider:
- How to grow tomatoes. If there is a greenhouse or a heated greenhouse on the site, then you can not be limited at all in choosing a variety. In such conditions, absolutely any kind of tomato is grown. But for open ground, you need to select climate-oriented varieties, tomatoes selected for the south of the country, for example, are not suitable for growing in the Moscow region.
- Type of soil on the site. Tomatoes love light, loose soil. If the land at the summer cottage is too heavy and dense, before planting tomatoes in it, you will have to work on the composition of the soil. The earth can be loosened by adding rotted sawdust or peat to it. Do not forget about nourishing the “lean” soil – it must be fertilized with manure or humus.
- Watering frequency means a lot for the normal growth of tomatoes. So, if the site is a summer cottage, and the owner can visit it only on weekends, it is better to buy tomato seeds with small fruits – they need less water. Fleshy, large tomatoes need daily watering during the ripening period, especially if the weather is hot and dry.
- The purpose of the fruits. When you need tomatoes for fresh consumption, you can choose several interesting varieties with unusual taste or exotic appearance. It is more convenient to preserve medium and small-fruited tomatoes, they fit well in jars, they are better saturated with brine. Elastic tomatoes are chosen for salads, but thin-skinned juicy varieties are more suitable for making tomato juice.
How tomatoes are grown in the Moscow region
There are no fundamental differences in the scheme for planting tomatoes in the Moscow region. The only rule is that in accordance with the climatic features of the region, it is necessary to plant tomatoes in the ground in the Moscow region no earlier than mid-May.
This means that seeds for seedlings must be sown in March-April. Of course, you can buy ready-made tomato seedlings in the market or in a specialized store, but there is no guarantee that the money will be paid for the right variety.
To be sure which variety of tomato grows in a summer cottage, it is better to grow seedlings on your own.
An even more reliable way is to personally collect seed material from the previous tomato crop. You just need to remember that only varietal tomatoes are suitable for this, it makes no sense to collect seeds from hybrids.
How to grow tomato seedlings
First of all, you need to select the seed material for planting. To do this, all the seeds from the bag are poured onto the table and carefully examined. A good material should consist of seeds of approximately the same size, with the most even edges and a uniform color.
All ugly, uneven and damaged seeds must be thrown away – a fertile bush will not grow from them.
To disinfect tomato seeds, they are immersed in hot water. In this state, the seeds are left for 2-3 days. After that, the treatment is supplemented by soaking in a weak solution of potassium permanganate – the whole procedure will take about half an hour.
Soil for seedlings should consist of three parts:
- peat;
- humus;
- sod land.
In addition, you can use purchased soil intended for growing seedlings.
The soil is poured into individual cups or into a common wooden box. Make small indentations – up to 5 mm deep. If the seeds are sown in common boxes, the distance between the pits should be at least three centimeters.
A seed is placed in each recess and gently sprinkled with earth. Tomato seeds should be watered very carefully, it is better to use a spray bottle for this. After moistening the soil, the boxes are covered with plastic wrap and placed in a warm place for seed germination.
The higher the temperature in the room, the faster the tomato seeds will hatch. So, at a temperature of about 28 degrees, the first shoots will appear on the third or fourth day after planting. If the room is 20-23 degrees, the appearance of sprouts will have to wait about a week. At night the temperature can drop to 15 degrees.
Water the seedlings as the soil dries out, it is better to do this with the same spray gun so as not to damage the delicate stems and roots. Once every ten days, seedlings are fertilized with humus dissolved in water.
When the stems of plants reach a height of 35-40 cm, the seedlings are ready for planting in a permanent place.
How to care for tomatoes
Tomato seedlings are planted according to the 50×50 scheme, leaving at least 0,5 meters of space between the bushes. This is necessary for the normal ventilation of tomatoes and sufficient nutrition of the bushes.
After planting, seedlings do not need to be watered for about 1-1,5 weeks. If at this time the weather is hot and dry, you can carefully irrigate the bushes, trying not to get water on the leaves and stems of plants.
When the tomatoes begin to bloom, they need to be fed. Any fertilizer will do, you need to be more careful only with mullein – its excessive amount will lead to the growth of leaves and shoots, respectively – to a decrease in the number of fruits.
Diseased tomatoes should be inspected regularly for infested plants. After prolonged rains or during a sharp cold snap, tomatoes are treated with fungicidal solutions, as there is a high probability of their infection with a fungus.
Tomatoes are a crop that needs to be stepped on regularly. Shoots break off every eight days, when their length reaches 3-4 cm.
In August, when nighttime temperatures drop, you can pick unripe tomatoes and put them in a dark place with a temperature of 20-22 degrees. Under these conditions, the fruits will ripen without losing their taste. You can also cover the tomato bushes at night with a thick film or agrofiber.
Description of the best varieties of tomatoes for the Moscow region
In accordance with the listed factors, some of the most suitable tomato varieties for the Moscow region can be distinguished into a separate group. So, popular varieties:
De Barao
This hybrid belongs to indeterminate tomatoes (the height of the bush is more than two meters), so you need to grow it in greenhouses or greenhouses. Under such conditions, the first tomatoes ripen somewhere on the 117th day after germination, which makes it possible to classify the variety as mid-ripening.
The culture is characterized by high yield and excellent taste. The demand for the De Barao tomato variety is evidenced by the variety of species of this hybrid: there are red, yellow, black, pink fruits of this variety.
Tomatoes grow oval in shape, have a glossy surface and are medium in size. The weight of each fruit is approximately 50-70 grams. The De Barao tomato has an excellent set of sugars and vitamins, it can be eaten fresh and whole fruits can be preserved in jars. At least eight kilograms of tomatoes are obtained from one bush per season. You can see the fruits of this variety in the photo below.
Review of the tomato “De Barao”
Of course, you always want to try something exotic, but De Barao tomatoes must be in every garden – they will become a lifesaver both in a bad season and in a dry summer.
“Alenka”
Hybrid with early ripening – the first tomatoes can be enjoyed already on the 90th day after the emergence of seedlings. The bushes are powerful, reaching a height of one meter.
Ripe tomatoes are pink in color, have a spherical shape and a glossy peel. The mass of each tomato reaches 200-250 grams.
The taste qualities of Alenka tomatoes are at their best, the yield is also quite high – a gardener can get about 14 kg of tomatoes from each square meter.
The hybrid variety is protected from most “tomato” diseases, endures low and high temperatures, the fruits do not crack.
It is necessary to plant this variety for seedlings in early March – this is due to the early ripening of the tomato. Seedlings are planted in the ground when the threat of frost passes and the earth warms up. Due to the “hybridity”, these tomatoes can be grown in any soil – they are unpretentious and do not require complex care.
“Mongolian dwarf”
The bushes of this tomato are compact and low – their height rarely exceeds 0,5 meters. Clusters of tomatoes literally lie on the ground. At the same time, the mass of fruits is quite large – 250-300 grams.
The variety belongs to early ripening, tomatoes can be grown both in the greenhouse and in the open field. Tomatoes “Mongolian dwarf” are very unpretentious, they can be grown on the soil of any composition.
Even in severe drought, tomatoes can survive for some time without watering. Experienced gardeners consider the different quality and taste of fruits with different growing methods to be a disadvantage of a hybrid.
“Nectar”
Another early ripe variety, perfect for growing in the Moscow region. The first tomatoes can be enjoyed already 85 days after germination.
Bushes grow high – up to two meters. Tomatoes grow on them in clusters, each of which has six fruits. The shape of the tomato is elongated, oblong. Color – red.
The taste of these tomatoes is sweet and very fragrant. The mass of each of them is 90-100 grams. Fruits tolerate transportation well, can be stored for a long time.
The variety of tomatoes does not require special care, the only thing is that they must be tied to a trellis.
Which variety to choose
Summer residents of the Moscow region can choose any of the proposed varieties of tomatoes. In addition to the proposed tomatoes, any early ripe and unpretentious hybrids will do – reviews of tomato varieties for the Moscow region can help in choosing. In order for the crop to be stable, it is recommended to grow at least two or three different varieties of tomatoes in one area.
