Tomatoes were grown in ancient times; already in the eighth century, our ancestors feasted on these fruits of the sun. And every year interest in tomatoes does not disappear, but only grows. To confirm my words, I will say the following: every year breeders develop more and more new varieties and hybrids, and they spread all over the globe. Moreover, many of the varieties are considered truly exotic and very interesting. For example, the Stick tomato, which is considered to be native to the United States. Despite the fact that it was developed in the last century, it is still very popular to this day. But Russians know little about the Palka tomato variety, so we would like to tell you more about it.
Tomato Stick: variety description and characteristics
Tomato Stick: photo of variety
Many gardeners want to surprise their neighbors and friends with unusual varieties of vegetable crops; if you consider yourself to be in this category of people, then the Palka tomato is ideal for you. This is a very amazing crop that will truly amaze you with its strange bush structure. The very name of this variety shocks many people, but when you see the plant in person, you will be truly surprised. Imagine the following picture: a thin stick with red tomatoes on it, and no leaves or shoots. Were you amazed? Surely yes. And rest assured, your neighbors and friends will be no less surprised.
If we talk about the structure of the bush, then the main vertical stick, namely the stem, has the shape of a column. Moreover, there are no more than 3 such shoots. The tomato variety Stick is considered semi-determinate, its height is more than 1 meter. Tomatoes have no side shoots, which is why the variety got its name. There are, say, not absolutely no leaves, but their number is very small, usually they are collected in bunches, very small, so they are practically invisible, tomato inflorescences form simple ones, up to 6 fruits are formed in each of them. Each branch grows up to 5 tassels. If you follow the rules of agricultural technology and take good care of the plants, then from one bush you will collect more than a kilogram of ripe and aromatic Palka tomatoes. The tomatoes are usually round in shape, quite elastic, and the flesh is dense and fleshy. Tomatoes taste sweet, with a slight sourness. When the fruits ripen, they turn bright red. Tomatoes of the Palka variety are small in weight; such a stick will not support fruits that are too large. But the tomatoes do not crack or fall off even when they are overripe. Very often, excellent salads are prepared from such tomatoes, but they are simply ideal for canning. Palka tomatoes fit perfectly through the narrow neck of any jar.
Reviews
Among gardeners, the variety has extremely positive reviews. The Palka variety tomato, the photo of which is presented below, due to the absence of leaves and shoots, creates ease of care. The variety can be grown in ordinary beds.
Tomato connoisseurs note the taste of the tomato. Stick tomatoes, reviews and photos of which indicate stable yields, regardless of the place of cultivation, confirm the declared characteristics.
The tomato is characterized by stable fruiting. This quality is confirmed by numerous reviews from vegetable growers.
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Advantages and disadvantages of the Palka tomato variety
Tomato Stick: photo of variety
Any variety has its pros and cons, which we will tell you about. The advantages of the Stick tomato are:
- The plant is striking in its unpretentiousness; this variety is very easy to care for due to the absence of side shoots. It is grown both in open ground and in greenhouses.
- The variety is mid-season, the fruits begin to ripen approximately three and a half months from the moment the seeds are planted.
- The yield of Stick tomatoes is consistently high. In addition, plants can be planted very closely to each other, because, as we have already noted, tomatoes do not have side shoots. Up to 30 kg of ripe tomatoes are harvested from one square meter.
- Palka tomatoes are quite tasty, sweet and aromatic. They store well, so they can be transported over long distances.
- Plants are resistant to many diseases and pests, so they cause virtually no inconvenience to their owners.
- It should also be noted that this Palka tomato variety is non-hybrid, so you can collect the seeds yourself and not buy them in the store every time.
However, in addition to numerous advantages, this variety also has its disadvantages. Gardeners who have been growing this crop for more than one year note that the stem of the plant is fragile, so it is simply necessary to tie the plant up, otherwise it will simply break. As you understand, this is the only drawback of the Palka tomato variety. Remember that tomatoes contain a lot of serotonin, the hormone of happiness, so they must be included in your diet.
Harvesting
Tomatoes begin to bear fruit 3.5–4 months after sowing. They can be stored for a long time in a cool, dark place. Tomatoes are consumed fresh and very often used for preservation. The fruits also tolerate transportation well due to their elastic skin.
As you can see, “Stick” tomatoes are quite easy to grow. Therefore, it is worth trying to grow this variety in the garden: if you follow the recommendations described above, you will definitely be satisfied with the results of your work.
How to prepare Palka tomato seeds
Stick tomatoes: photo of variety
As you remember, the Palka tomato variety is non-hybrid, so you can easily prepare seeds for the next season yourself. This is also considered an important advantage of the variety, since good Palka tomato seeds in stores are not cheap, and their quality does not always correspond to what is declared, so it is much easier to take care of planting material in advance by preparing seeds from your plot in a timely manner. Don’t be alarmed, this variety will not lose its characteristics, and Palka’s own tomato seeds will not lose their viability over the next five years. In order to select seed material, you first need to pick the ripest fruits, which will best match the shape and description of the variety.
It is best to pick Palka tomatoes from the second bunch, since these are female tomatoes, they will have a depression at the bottom. After this, the fruits should be washed well with warm water with the addition of potassium permanganate. This is done in order to immediately get rid of possible pathogens of various diseases. Then the ripe fruits should be left for 5 days in a warm and dark room so that they ripen even better. When the skin of the tomato becomes softer, you should cut the vegetable and squeeze out the pulp along with the seeds into any clean container, then cover it with a cotton cloth and leave it in a dark place. You cannot add water there, as the seeds may die. After about 2 days, the pulp will begin to ferment, which means the seeds can be washed. Pour warm water into the glass and rinse it, repeat the procedure until the water is completely clear. Then the seeds can be placed on a cloth to remove excess moisture.
When the Palka tomato seeds are dry, they can be spread out on white paper to allow them to dry completely. After this, leave them for a week, when the seeds begin to fall, you can put them in paper bags, and do not forget to label these same bags, otherwise you may simply confuse the varieties. Until next spring, store planting material in a dark and dry place.
Subsequent care for tomatoes
Plants need to be irrigated every two days. The procedure is carried out in the evenings and water is poured under the root so as not to get on the foliage. Simultaneously with irrigation, it is recommended to loosen the soil in the bite sector to improve the access of moisture and air to the root system. At the same time, weeds are removed.
During the growing season, tomatoes of the Palka variety are fed twice. Before fruiting begins, prepare an aqueous solution from the following ingredients:
- 25 g superphosphate;
- 10 g ammonium nitrate;
- 15 g potassium chloride;
- 10 liters of water.
When fruiting begins, the following components are dissolved in 10 liters of water to feed tomatoes:
- 20 g each of potassium chloride and superphosphate;
- 15 g ammonium nitrate.
The plant cannot be planted, but it requires garters to support it. Without them, the stem risks breaking. To retain moisture in the bush sector and reduce the number of weeds, it is recommended to sprinkle the soil near the Palka bushes with mulch, which is used as leaf litter, peat or humus.
Watering
“Stick” tomatoes love moisture. They need to be watered generously every 2 days in dry weather. If it rains outside, water the plants less often (every 3-4 days).
Feeding
You can feed tomatoes at your discretion. It is good to use mineral fertilizers. For example, you can fertilize the soil immediately before planting seedlings. To do this, for 1 sq. m, 4 g of potassium, sodium and phosphorus are added to the ground.
You can use peat-compost mixture - you will need 4 kg per 1 sq. m. You can enhance the effect of fertilizing with the help of potassium and phosphorus (50 g each).
It is useful to water tomatoes 2 times a season with mineral fertilizers diluted in water. To do this, use 10 g of ammonium nitrate, 25 g of superphosphate and 15 g of potassium chloride per 10 liters of water.
Ash is considered a good fertilizer. It can also be sprinkled on the surface of the soil before planting seedlings.
Choose the fertilizing method depending on your own preferences.
Tying up a bush
Since the stems of these tomatoes are very fragile, they need to be tied up to prevent them from breaking. Tie the tomatoes with a thin and strong cord to a wooden or metal support buried in the ground near the bush. If necessary, you can tie it 2-3 times as the tomatoes grow.
How to grow and care for Stick tomatoes
Tomatoes Stick: photo of variety
If you follow the rules of agricultural technology, you can get rich yields of the Palka tomato. As you remember, this unusual tomato variety is mid-season, so it needs to be grown only through seedlings. Seeds are usually planted approximately 60 days before the planned date of planting in open ground; if you plant seedlings later, the fruits may not have time to ripen. If you grow healthy and strong seedlings, the harvest will be rich. It is best to plant seedlings in early March; this is the optimal time, however, based on the climatic characteristics of a particular region, the planting date may change.
Tomatoes of the Palka variety are planted both in individual containers and in common containers. The soil for this is prepared either independently or bought in a store.
Moreover, it is important to note that in the store you can find a ready-made mixture specifically for tomatoes, which is enriched with the necessary nutrients and microelements.
If you prepare the soil yourself, be sure to calcine the soil in the oven before use; it is advisable to add humus and sand to the soil in equal parts so that the soil becomes more loose and nutritious. It is best to also disinfect the sowing boxes with a solution of potassium permanganate. The seeds are planted shallowly in the soil, about 2 centimeters; before sowing, they are also treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or boric acid, previously diluted in water.
There should be at least one centimeter between the seeds, both between the rows and between the plants themselves.
It is best to water the seedlings using a spray bottle so as not to damage the sprouts. Before sprouting, the boxes are covered with film or glass and placed in a warm place so that sprouts appear faster. After the shoots appear, the film must be removed. When two leaves are formed on the plant, the seedlings will need to be pricked. This is done so that the root system of the seedlings develops more intensively.
If you grow Stick tomatoes on a windowsill, then do not forget to turn the pot towards the sun in different blocks. Seedlings are planted in open ground at the end of May, when the frosts have finally subsided and the ground has warmed up well.
Stick tomatoes: photo of variety
It is best to choose a well-lit place for Palka tomatoes; the soil must be fertilized and loose. If you do not want to add mineral fertilizers to the soil, then before planting it is advisable to add a little wood ash, humus or compost to the soil. These plants can be planted very close to each other, which is why summer residents love them.
If you grow Stick tomatoes in one stem, you can plant the tomatoes at a distance of 15 centimeters from each other. If you plan to leave two or three stems, then the distance should be increased to 30 cm. By maintaining this distance, all plants will be well lit and air will circulate well throughout the area. So, on one square meter you can plant about 30 plants.
There is no need to deepen the root system of Palka tomatoes into the holes, because this leads to the formation of additional roots.
So the time for fruit ripening may take up to 2 weeks. It is best to plant seedlings in open ground in the evening, so that the plants adapt well to new conditions overnight. Caring for these tomatoes is, in principle, no different from the traditional rules of agricultural technology. The bushes will need to be watered abundantly, the beds will need to be cleared of weeds, the plants will need to be fed and treated against diseases and pests, and the soil will need to be loosened. The most important thing is not to forget that the stems must be tied up, since even a Stick tomato can break under the weight of the fruit.
Prevention of diseases and pests
When laying out beds, you should adhere to the main rule of crop rotation: do not plant tomatoes in the place of other nightshades. Potatoes will be a bad “neighbor” for them: they often cause late blight.
Basic preventive measures largely coincide with proper care: beds need to be loosened, weeded, mulched, and greenhouses need to be ventilated. Spraying with Bordeaux mixture, copper sulfate, and calcium nitrate helps to avoid diseases.
To disinfect the beds, water them with a solution of ash or potassium permanganate. To avoid overlooking insect infestations, bushes should be inspected frequently. Slugs and larvae must be collected from the leaves in time, and aphids must be washed off with soapy water. Special preparations are used against spider mites - acaricides, and against other pests - insecticides.
Tomato Stick: reviews from gardeners who planted
Ekaterina, 51 years old, Sverdlovsk region: “The Stick tomato is rightfully considered incredibly exotic and outlandish. I planted it both in open space and in a greenhouse. The bushes are incredibly compact in relation to each other, which is why I love it. The yield of the Palka tomato is high, and the fruits are incredibly tasty and aromatic. Stick tomatoes are excellent for canning. Every year I’m delighted with these tomatoes, I grow them myself, and I’ve recommended them to my neighbors.”
Egor, 69 years old, Chelyabinsk region: “What surprised me in the first year of growing Palka tomatoes was that the plants form rather unusual leaves, but despite this, the inflorescences are always beautiful, and the fruits are even and smooth. My wife enjoys making salads from Palka tomatoes, as well as juices and sauces. If you consider yourself a lazy gardener, but still want to surprise your neighbors, then the Palka tomato variety is ideal for you!”
Stick tomatoes: video about the variety
Advantages and disadvantages
The main advantages of the variety: there are no side shoots at all, high yield, this variety does not require pinching, you can cook whatever your heart desires from these tomatoes.
IMPORTANT: The main disadvantage: the weak stem, which must be tied up, otherwise it may break.
In conclusion to this article, I would like to write that eating tomatoes is very beneficial for the body. Let growing your own tomatoes not only bring joy, but also benefit.
