Characteristics
Refers to mid-season varieties, the first fruits can be tasted 105-120 days after emergence. The bushes are indeterminate, not limited in growth, and require pinching of the growing point. The approximate height of the plants is 180 centimeters, the leaves are ordinary.
The fruits are unusually shaped, rounded, heart-shaped, sometimes with a sharp tip. Their weight is usually from 200 to 400 grams, but with ideal care, some fruits can reach 800 grams. When ripe, tomatoes acquire a red-raspberry color. The skin is dense, the flesh is fleshy, has few seeds and has an excellent taste and pronounced aroma. Many gardeners are distinguished by the good yield indicators of this variety.
Tomatoes can be eaten fresh, as well as canned in the form of purees, sauces, and tomato juice. Due to their size, they will not fit into the neck of the jar, but they can be pickled in a barrel. The “Girl's Breast” variety is resistant to various diseases, which is a huge advantage. In central Russia, it is recommended to grow plants in greenhouses. Transportation is possible, the shelf life of the fruit is average.
short
It is better for inexperienced gardeners to begin their acquaintance with this crop by growing low-growing varieties, because they are much easier to care for and do not compromise on productivity. Such varieties grow in the form of a trunk, there is no need to tie them up, they are quite cold-resistant and are able to set ovaries even at low air temperatures. Let's look at the most popular varieties.
Find the best varieties of Siberian selection here
Snowdrop
An early-ripening, productive variety, it is distinguished by its unpretentiousness and stable yield in any summer. The bush can reach a height of about 1 meter, the ripe fruits are red, smooth and fleshy, weighing about 140 g. There are usually five of them in a cluster, and the upper ones are slightly smaller than the lower ones. From one plant you can harvest up to 2 kg of delicious tomatoes. Fruiting is abundant, this variety is quite drought and cold resistant.
Mystery
An early-ripening, low-growing variety (50 cm in height), it takes about 85 days from sowing to harvesting the fruits. The fruits are fleshy, red in color (weighing about 100 grams), the skin is resistant to cracking, pleasant to the taste, there are usually 6 fruits on one cluster. Suitable for eating fresh and as preserves. The variety is resistant to various diseases and tolerates lack of light without serious consequences.
Junior
An ultra-early ripening variety, a little more than 80 days pass from the emergence of seedlings to the ripening of the fruits; the first harvest can be enjoyed at the end of July. The plant does not exceed half a meter in height, the cluster contains 7 fruits weighing 70-100 grams, round, smooth, bright red with a green spot at the stalk, slightly ribbed. The expected yield from each plant is more than two kilograms of yield.
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Girlish blush
Determinate early ripening plant, bush height no more than 80 cm, fruits are raspberry-colored, round, tasty, weighing up to 200 grams each. Due to the high content of dry substances in the fruits, they are well stored fresh and are happily used in cooking. The variety is characterized by high yield, hardiness, disease resistance, and fruiting lasts about five months.
Lady fingers
An early-ripening, low-growing variety, in open ground it grows no more than 60 cm in height, in closed ground it reaches 1.2 meters. The period before ripening of the crop is up to 100 days. The fruits are cylindrical in shape, slightly elongated, smooth, ripe, red in color, formed into clusters of 5 pieces weighing 70-120 grams. If you take into account all the nuances of its growth, about 10 kg of tomatoes can be harvested from one bush.
Alpha
Ultra early is suitable for growing in open ground and greenhouses. A standard plant, not exceeding half a meter in height. It has juicy flat-round fruits up to 60-80 g each, sweetish in taste; unripe fruits are light green in color and turn red when ripe. Best consumed fresh; not recommended for preservation. The plant is resistant to late blight disease.
Visibly-invisibly
A determinate, productive variety, the bushes of which do not exceed 70 cm in height; the stem is strong and has a spreading shape. Tomatoes are pink in color, round in shape, dense in composition, and resistant to cracking. One fruit can weigh from 150 to 300 grams; up to 15 pieces are tied on the main stem. From each bush, subject to growing rules, about 5 kg of harvest is harvested.
Aphrodite
An ultra-early variety, it reaches mass fruiting already on the 75th day. The plant is not tall, about 70 cm, there are no more than 8 red fruits on the cluster, weighing up to 120 g, the taste is sour. Tomatoes are highly transportable; it is advisable to consume them fresh and not store them for a long time. This variety is particularly resistant to diseases such as late blight, stolbur and TMV.
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Dubrava
An ultra-early, low-growing, weakly branched plant intended for growing in open ground, not exceeding 50 cm in height. The first harvest ripens by 85 days after the seedlings emerge. It has fleshy, round-shaped fruits, weigh no more than 120 grams, and are easily transported. This variety can be canned, processed and consumed fresh.
White filling
A determinate early-ripening variety, in open ground fruit ripening occurs in 90-100 days, and in closed ground – 80-90 days. A very low-growing plant (30-40 cm), medium-sized fruits weighing up to 140 grams, quite dense, round, 6-8 pieces on the clusters, have a pleasant taste, intended for salad. They are characterized by stable yields in any summer. About eight kilograms of juicy tomatoes can be obtained from one square meter.
Highlight
This variety feels great in open and closed ground conditions. An ultra-early determinate plant; ripe fruits can be collected 80 days after the first seedlings have grown. The tomatoes are small, smooth, pink in color and heart-shaped, weighing 80-110 grams. The dry matter content is quite high. It is resistant to the common tomato disease Fusarium wilt.
Growing seedlings
Seeds, as a rule, are sown in boxes at the end of March, in greenhouses in early April. They are first prepared, disinfected and soaked in a growth stimulator. The soil for seedlings should be loose and nutritious; it should be moistened before sowing. Then they make grooves in it at a distance of 10 cm, into which the seeds are laid, keeping a distance of 1-2 centimeters between them. Afterwards, sprinkle with a small layer of earth, carefully water and cover with film until shoots appear. Boxes with seedlings are kept warm, protected from direct sunlight. When the sprouts have hatched, remove the film from the containers and move them to a bright place; it is very important not to miss the moment, otherwise the seedlings may stretch.
Important! To prevent blackleg, seedlings are sprayed with a solution of wood ash.
When 3-4 leaves appear on the seedlings, they are transplanted into separate containers. In order for the seedlings to grow strong, it is necessary to water them regularly and provide 16 hours of lighting; the room temperature should be 20-23 degrees; at night it can be reduced slightly.
Growing seedlings in a greenhouse
Seeds intended for the greenhouse are sown in the same way as in boxes. Then they water and cover with agrofibre and film; when the seedlings hatch, the film is removed; the agrofibre should be left, as it will protect the seedlings from the cold at night and the soil from drying out during the day.
Interesting! Greenhouse seedlings are much stronger and more beautiful than those grown at home.
Basically, low-growing varieties are grown in the greenhouse, and boxes are used for tall tomatoes, as they are more demanding in care.
Growing and care
Seedlings are planted in a permanent location at two months of age; by this time the soil should warm up to 16 degrees. It is important to follow the rules of crop rotation, this will protect the plant from many diseases that may be contained in the soil; the best predecessors for tomatoes are cucumbers, cabbage, herbs and onions. You should not plant tomatoes after eggplants, potatoes and peppers. 4 plants are placed on one square meter. Bushes of this variety need to be tied to a support; for tall varieties it is better to use a trellis. They are formed into two stems, then the stepsons are removed throughout the summer.
To prevent fungal diseases, the leaves under the lower cluster are torn off, and if tomatoes grow in a greenhouse, it must be ventilated daily and air humidity controlled. It is also recommended to treat the bushes with antifungal agents at least three times during the growth period. It is better to remove diseased tomatoes, otherwise the rest may become infected. When the late blight season begins, experienced gardeners advise unloading the bushes by picking not only fully ripe tomatoes, but also brown ones.
You need to water the plants at least once a week; for this you should choose cool or cloudy weather; for one bush you will need 0.7-0.9 liters of warm, settled water. It is better to loosen wet soil approximately once every two weeks. You can’t do without feeding; tomatoes respond equally well to mineral and organic fertilizers; they can also be alternated. You can fertilize for the first time 12-14 days after transplantation, using a mullein solution: 1 liter of mullein, 8-9 liters of water and 20 grams of superphosphate. This amount is enough for 10 bushes; after two weeks, it is better to use dry mineral fertilizers for the second and third feeding.
Tall
Tall tomato varieties attract vegetable growers with their productivity and long fruiting period. Today, these hybrids and varieties are gaining popularity, but they are quite demanding to care for. The most common varieties are:
Barmaley
An early ripening tall plant, reaching a height of about 150 cm, it requires a garter; from the first shoots to fruiting it takes up to 98 days. The fruits are pink in color, quite fleshy, round in shape, flattened on the sides, each can reach up to 300 grams of weight. From a square meter of planting of this variety, a harvest of up to 16 kg is harvested. The purpose is mainly salad.
Watermelon
It got such an interesting name because of its color, because it varies from dark brown to red. The variety is tall; when grown vertically, the area for fruit growth increases. The shape of the tomatoes is round, flattened on top, only the upper part is ribbed, the weight is about 150 grams. The harvest from one bush is about 5 kg. The plant bears fruit until frost.
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Pink Raffaello
A productive tall variety, reaching 1.2 meters in height, the period before mass harvesting of fruits lasts a little more than 100 days. Fruits abundantly, pink tomatoes have a round shape, weigh about 200 g, the tomato pulp is juicy and quite tender. It is mainly consumed fresh or for making purees and juices. The plant is resistant to such common diseases as tobacco mosaic and fusarium.
Buddy
This early-ripening variety is often grown in greenhouses, but it is perfectly adapted to open ground. The plant is considered tall, although it generally does not exceed 80 cm. Ripe tomatoes appear 100 days after germination. The fruits are shiny red, weigh 80-110 grams, good for canning. This variety tolerates temperature fluctuations painlessly.
Wonder of the earth
A tall indeterminate plant grows up to 2 meters in height, the crop ripening occurs already 90 days after the seedlings emerge. A garter to the trellis is required. It is popular among vegetable growers, and all thanks to the large fruits, which can sometimes weigh up to 1 kg, if you follow all the rules for growing this variety. Tomatoes are not prone to cracking, have a rich pink color, are shaped like a heart, and the flesh is dense and juicy. Purpose: salad.
Haiduk F1
An ultra-early semi-determinate hybrid, grows about 1.5 meters in open ground. Fruiting occurs within 80 days after the first shoots. The fruits have good density due to which they are easily transported, small (up to 150 g) and round in shape. This hybrid is resistant to many tomato diseases. With optimal agricultural technology, the yield of one bush is 10-12 kg.
