Sanka: a popular variety of early tomatoes. Secrets of high yields

Tomato Sanka is an early variety characterized by stable yields and simple agricultural technology. It appeared on the market in 2003 and quickly became popular among farmers. Suitable for both beginner gardeners and experienced gardeners. Depending on the place of cultivation, planting in open beds or in film shelters is permissible. The variety was developed for the Central Black Earth region, but has now spread to many parts of the country, and is especially in demand in the north.

How did the variety appear?

The Sanka tomato variety is the brainchild of breeder Yuri Ivanovich Pantchev. In 2003 it was included in the State Register of the Russian Federation. Experts recommend growing it in the regions of the Central Black Earth region. The tomato bears fruit well in the beds of the Voronezh, Tambov, Lipetsk, Oryol, Kursk and Belgorod regions.

However, gardeners in other regions grow it on their plots, including in greenhouses and greenhouses, and receive an excellent harvest. And in areas with a warm climate, the crop is harvested 2 times per season.

How to grow Sanka tomatoes

The bush is formed by pinching. To do this, it is necessary to remove all the lateral branches growing under the 1st raceme of the ovary, and leave those above for fruiting. But you don’t have to carry out these manipulations, then the plant becomes spreading and needs to be tied up so that the tomatoes don’t touch the ground. This prevents them from rotting.

Planting and care in open ground and in greenhouses

The best predecessors of tomatoes are the pumpkin and legume families, the worst are all types of nightshades. To obtain seedlings, seeds are embedded in a soil mixture (you can buy it at a specialty store). Sowing time differs in different regions of the country:

• in the southern part of Russia the best period is from the end of February to the 1st half of March;
• for the middle zone - 2-3rd decade of March;
• in colder areas, sowing is carried out in the 1st half of April.

You can prepare the soil yourself - mix an equal amount of compost and leaf humus, add 2 times less amount of coarse sand.

To disinfect the soil, it is necessary to fry it or pour boiling water over it and pour it with a solution of potassium permanganate. One of the main conditions for obtaining high-quality seedlings is that there must be at least 12 hours of daylight. If necessary, backlighting is done with phytolamps, but LED or fluorescent lamps can also be used.

After approximately 14 days, the seedlings are planted one at a time into special peat or paper cups. The seedlings are moved to the beds 50-60 days after germination, when 6-8 leaves appear, having previously carried out the hardening procedure. To do this, it is taken outside for several days, first for a short time, gradually increasing it, and then left in the open air.

Sanka tomatoes on a branch

The bushes are planted at a distance of 40-50 cm, and the row spacing should be at least 60 cm long. A little ash and humus are placed at the bottom of the holes 10-12 cm deep, the plant is placed, then sprinkled with earth to the first lower leaves, and watered. After 12-15 days, they hill up to form a branched root system. Taking care of Sanka is not difficult. To maintain soil moisture, moderate watering is necessary, using warm water. 2-3 times per season, fertilizing with a solution of any organic matter is necessary. It is also necessary to periodically loosen the rows and remove weeds.

To prevent blackleg disease, you need to add a weak solution of potassium permanganate to the bushes. In arid regions, it is recommended to mulch the soil under the plants with straw, hay or grass clippings. When growing in a greenhouse method in the fall, it is necessary to replace the top layer of soil with fresh soil and disinfect it with a strong solution of potassium permanganate or boiling water. In the spring, 10 days before planting tomatoes, the soil must be treated with Fitosporin-M to prevent diseases.

Seedlings are planted in late April or early May; the plants should have 8-12 developed leaves and at least one flower raceme. It is better to place them in a checkerboard pattern at a distance of 20 cm with row spacing of 50 cm. With this planting, you get 10 bushes per 1 square meter. m.

There is no need to take Sanka's stepson; all the fruits have time to fully ripen. Greenhouse tomatoes produce a more abundant harvest because the shelter protects them from sudden temperature changes, frosts, and heavy rains.

Tomatoes Sanka: photo in the garden

In order for plants to develop normally, it is necessary to ensure ventilation of the room, as well as equip drip irrigation.

Pros and cons of the variety

Sanka varietal tomatoes have many advantages. Advantages of the variety:

• early ripening, consistently good yield, smooth ripening of fruits, long fruiting period;
• determinacy (short), ease of care;
• adaptability to different weather conditions, good immunity to diseases;
• suitable for salads, canning, pickling;
• Tomatoes removed from the bush are stored for a long time and do not deteriorate during transportation;;
• You can collect seeds for sowing for the next season.

Some gardeners find only one drawback - a sour taste and weak aroma.

Botanical description

This tomato belongs to the determinate species, that is, it is a representative of low-growing tomatoes. The height of the bush varies from 40 to 60 cm.

The stem is strong, so the plant does not need additional support. The leaves are medium sized and green in color. The first inflorescence is laid above the 7th leaf, the subsequent ones - after 1-2 leaves. This intermediate arrangement of inflorescences allows you to avoid pinching, but you shouldn’t let the development of the plant take its course either. Sometimes it may still be necessary to remove excess shoots. The brush is simple.

The fruits are formed early, but the timing of ripening is influenced by climatic conditions and the growing region. The first harvest is harvested on average after 80 days.

The tomatoes are round, slightly ribbed. The weight depends on the place of cultivation. In closed ground, the weight of one tomato can reach up to 100 g; in open ground, the weight is much more modest, and on average does not exceed 80 g. The ripe fruit has a rich red color, while the unripe fruit is green. The flesh is fleshy and dense.

Pros and cons of the variety

high level of cold resistance;

early ripeness;

unpretentiousness;

fruit formation under difficult weather conditions;

resistance to nightshade diseases;

average yield.

Interesting ideas for greenhouses for seedlings: what you can do with your own hands and what ready-made options are available

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Characteristics

The table below shows the main characteristics of the tomato:

Description and characteristics of the variety

The bush is small, just under 70 cm, determinate, moderately covered with medium-sized green foliage. Stem growth stops after the formation of 5 fruit clusters.

Productivity is average; if the required breeding conditions are provided, 2.5 kg of tomatoes per plant or up to 10 kg per square meter are harvested. The harvest is stable, even in unfavorable weather we get at least 2 kg of vegetables per bush.

Characteristics and description of the Sanka tomato includes information about the fruit. The shape is round, when ripe the tomatoes are bright red (see photo).

The fruit weighs 85 - 100 grams, the pulp is dense, fleshy, contains 3 seed chambers. The taste is typical tomato, but not rich, you can feel the sourness. Due to the thick skin, it does not suffer during transportation and is suitable for long-term storage.

Sanka tomatoes go well with fresh vegetables and are used in canning, preparing tomato juice, paste, and sauces.

If the crop requires transportation, slightly unripe fruits are harvested.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

Why did gardeners like this variety so much? Vegetable growers who grow Sanka have the following advantages:

• its early ripeness;
• cold resistance;
• undemanding to light - fruits ripen with a small amount of light;
• it can be grown both in open and closed ground;
• high immunity to diseases and pests;
• good fruit set under unfavorable weather conditions;
• friendly harvest formation;
• seed material can be collected independently.

However, it also has its downside - the average yield.

See the Sanka tomato review below:

Diseases and pests

Tomato Sanka is resistant to pathogens of fungal and viral diseases. An adult plant practically does not get sick. The disease can only be detected on seedlings. The most common disease is blackleg. Reduce watering of seedlings and treat it with a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate.

Black leg

To prevent adult plants from fusarium and late blight, add potassium permanganate solution to the soil every ten days. Treat the bushes with insecticides according to their instructions for whiteheads, caterpillars and other pests. Tomatoes can be damaged by aphids, cicadas or the Colorado potato beetle, so treat plants with chemicals before flowering and with biological products two weeks before harvest.

Growing seedlings

When to sow seeds for seedlings depends on where the tomato will grow in a permanent place. Thus, seedlings are planted in open ground in the Central Black Earth region in early April, and they are transplanted into a greenhouse earlier - in the middle or end of March. The optimal age of bushes for transplanting to a permanent place is 60 days.

Thus, the seeds are sown in containers at the end of January-February. In areas with cooler climates, seed sowing dates are delayed by several weeks.

Seeds collected independently must be prepared before planting. First, they are soaked in a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection. All floating specimens are drained because they will not germinate. Then they are washed in running water and soaked - filled halfway with warm water. The water is changed 3 times a day. The hatched seeds are sown in the soil.

If purchased seeds are used, they are sown dry, since the manufacturer usually processes all seed material before packaging.

The soil for growing seedlings can be purchased ready-made or prepared independently from the following components, taken in equal parts:

• turf;
• sand;
• peat

The seeds are laid out in rows, the distance between them is kept 1 cm. They are buried into the soil to a maximum of 2 cm. For germination, it is necessary to maintain a temperature of +25°C, and the box is well covered with plastic film to create high humidity. As soon as the first shoots appear, the film is removed.

Caring for seedlings is no different from other crops. Plants need light (at least 8 hours) and watering - the soil should not dry out, but excess water is contraindicated. In the phase of two true leaves, they are picked into separate containers. Seedlings are planted in a permanent location when the bush has 6-7 leaves and at least one flower cluster.

Video

You can also watch a video where an experienced gardener will tell you how the Sanka variety grew in open ground.

Sanka tomatoes, reviews of which are always very positive, have optimal resistance to damage by a significant number of diseases and pests. The plant is very powerful and quickly adapts to growing conditions. In addition, an interesting feature of this variety is the possibility of collecting fruits for dosing, since the taste of technically ripe tomatoes does not differ from fresh ripe fruits from the bush.

Landing in the ground

Tomatoes are planted in open ground when the frost season has passed, and the daytime temperature does not fall below 14-15°C, and the soil has warmed up to 10-12°C.

Soil selection and preparation

The beds for tomatoes are prepared in advance. The earth is dug up with rotted manure or humus, and fertilizers are applied. However, it should be remembered that the potassium rate should be 2-2.5 times the amount of nitrogen.

With a large dose of nitrogen fertilizers, the plant grows strongly - it stretches out, and many stepsons are formed. Although this promotes more abundant flowering, fruit formation is poor.

Step by step landing

The seedlings are placed on a flat surface, planted in 2-3 rows at a distance of 50-70 cm, and in open ground a 30×40 planting pattern is used; 40×40 or 50×30 cm.

Follow the following sequence of actions:

1. The plant is placed on loosened beds;
2. The roots are covered with earth up to the cotyledon leaves;
3. Strongly elongated seedlings are planted at an angle and the stem is covered 1/4 of the height;
4. After planting, the soil near the roots is well compacted, but a mound is not left near the stem;
5. The plant is watered and mulched with peat or sand.

You will find more information about growing tomatoes in open ground here.

Photo

For a more thorough study of the Sanka variety, you can see the photographs below.

Features of caring for “Sanka”

To get a good harvest, tomatoes are provided with the necessary care:

• Watering. Water the plant with warm water until the soil is evenly moist. Drops of water should not fall on leaves and fruits. Under no circumstances should the soil dry out, but excess moisture does not benefit the plant.
• Loosening and weeding. After watering, the soil must be loosened and mulched. This helps not only slow down the evaporation of moisture, but also provide oxygen access to the root system. Weeds are removed promptly.
• Stepping and bush formation . Tomatoes of the "Sanka" variety do not require pinching. A garter may only be needed in a greenhouse, where the plants grow up to 110 cm in height. Or, when under the weight of the fruit, the shoots end up on the ground.
• Pest and disease control. Having high immunity, these tomatoes rarely get sick, and early ripening of the fruit helps them avoid late blight. But unfavorable weather conditions, coupled with agricultural errors, can provoke the development of fungal diseases. Therefore, preventive measures should not be discounted. Treating the plant with Bordeaux mixture or potassium permanganate reduces the risk of rot development. If the plant is sick, then use suitable fungicides. They are used based on the recommendations of the manufacturers.

Growing and care

Further care for tomatoes consists of systematic watering and removal of weeds, protecting plants from pests and diseases.

Watering, loosening the soil, removing weeds

Tomatoes require especially a lot of moisture at the time of planting flower clusters and during fruit filling. Insufficient humidity during these periods can cause flowers and ovaries to fall off. The soil crust that forms after watering must be loosened. A too dense surface layer can cause oxygen starvation of the roots. As a result, the growth and development of plants deteriorates, and the yield is significantly reduced.

Don't forget to periodically remove weeds. To reduce labor costs, weeding can be combined with loosening. Pulled weeds must be destroyed immediately. On most weeds, the seeds ripen even after the plant is removed from the soil. This leads to re-seeding and the development of a new wave of weeds.

Feeding

It is advisable to fertilize tomatoes 3 times:

1. 2 weeks after planting, tomatoes are fed with a solution of fermented mullein or nitrogen fertilizers.
2. The next fertilizing is applied at the time of flower cluster formation, when the plants consume a large amount of phosphorus and potassium. Fertilizers of the phosphorus-potassium group are applied.
3. The last time tomatoes are fed is after the ovaries have formed. Use universal feeding mixtures or formulations with a high potassium content.

Bush formation

You can grow Sanka tomatoes without staking or pinching. For this variety, the spread method is better suited. It involves mulching the surface of the soil under the plants with straw. Bushes that fall under the weight of fruits end up on litter, which protects them from contact with the soil.

Tomatoes are harvested as they ripen. If transportation is planned, the harvest is carried out in a slightly unripe state. Well-ripened, fully plumped tomatoes are best suited for direct consumption.

Collecting seeds

Sanka does not have the F1 designation, that is, it is not a hybrid, so large, well-ripened fruits can be left for seeds. Selected tomatoes are placed in a warm, dry place. When the tomatoes become completely soft, the seeds will be easily separated from the seed chambers. They are collected together with the juice in a small container.

After this, the collected seed material is placed in a strainer and thoroughly washed with plenty of running water. After cleaning, the seeds are laid out in a warm, well-ventilated place to dry.

Attention! Self-collected seeds are planted only after a year.

Harvesting and using tomatoes

The harvest ripens together. If for some reason the fruits are not ripe on the bush, then the green tomatoes are cut off, leaving a small tail of the stem, and laid out in a warm, bright place until technically ripened.

Tomatoes are good both fresh and in culinary delights. They are used for making salads, pizza, soups, tomato paste and juice; they are suitable for pickles and savory snacks.