There are hardly many gardeners who like to plant tomatoes. This is a rather tedious task that requires a lot of time. And beginners, in general, approach this work with caution, fearing due to inexperience they will remove something they need.
Fortunately, breeders do not stand still and are trying to please those who love growing tomatoes with new varieties and hybrids. This is how varieties of non-grown tomatoes appeared, which greatly facilitate the work of gardeners.
Why do tomatoes grow?
Tomatoes are usually planted to increase yield. If you do not do this, you will end up with a powerful, branched bush, and you will harvest very few fruits, since the plant will devote all its energy to maintaining the green mass. When the stepsons are removed in a timely manner, the opposite happens: all the nutrients go to the main inflorescences, and then to the fruits.
A side branch is called a stepson, which is formed in the axil between the leaf and the trunk. It is very similar to the leaf itself. This is exactly what beginners are afraid of: if I remove it, what if it’s a tomato leaf that is important for the bush?
Important! The stepson is formed after the formation of a full-fledged leaf. A small but fast-growing shoot appears in the corner between the stem and the adult leaf. This is what needs to be removed.
In addition to increasing the yield, timely removal of stepsons promotes faster ripening of fruits. Red tomatoes appear one and a half to two weeks earlier.
How to do stepsoning
The most suitable time for pinching and breaking out leaves is the first half of a sunny, warm day. By evening, the wound will have dried out, which will reduce the possibility of infection.
Before you start pinching, you need to complete the formation of the bush, it doesn’t matter whether they are ordinary tomatoes or tomato varieties that do not require pinching. Indeterminate (tall) bushes usually have 1 stem, and in determinate (low) bushes 2-3 stems. It is enough to do this work just once after the first ovary appears. You will have to plant the stepson all the time while the plant is growing.
Attention! According to the advice of experienced gardeners, it is more convenient not to trim the stepchildren using tools, but to break them off with your hands.
In order to prevent the stepson from appearing again, have time to remove it at the right time, that is, when it grows to 5-7 cm. But most importantly, do not remove it completely, but leave a stump of about 2 cm. It simply will not allow a new stepson to form, since the place is already taken.
Features of variety selection
If a summer resident plans to grow tomatoes in Siberian conditions, then he must take into account the fact that summer in this region is quite short, and the average temperature is much lower. That is why it is necessary to give preference to zoned crops.
If you plant any other tomato, there is a high chance of getting unripe, tasteless tomatoes or not even picking a single fruit from the bush. The main properties that should be taken into account when choosing a variety are:
- Early ripening - late tomatoes will not have time to ripen in short summer conditions.
- Resistance to late blight also plays an important role. In harsh climatic conditions, plants are planted in greenhouses, where air humidity is always higher than in open ground. This can trigger outbreaks of late blight.
- The height of the bush - the taller it is, the more problematic it is to grow it in a greenhouse. If the dimensions allow you to plant indeterminate plants, then you can safely do so. However, you will have to build special supports for them and tie the shoots to them in a timely manner. Untied branches may break under the weight of the fruit.
- Resistance to low temperatures. In the conditions of the Siberian summer, significant cold snaps are possible and ordinary tomatoes will not be able to cope with them.
It is also worth considering the purpose of the variety. There are tomatoes for canning, salad, and also those that can easily withstand long-term storage and transportation. Based on your needs, you need to choose one thing, although breeders have already been able to develop plants for universal use.
How to properly form a tomato bush
First of all, we will talk about indeterminate varieties. Most often, such tomatoes are grown in greenhouses, where it is more convenient to tie up tall bushes. Such varieties are especially demanding when it comes to shoots, because thanks to their gigantic growth, many fruiting branches are formed on the bush (after about 6-8 leaves), and shoots appear on almost every leaf. If everything is left to chance, unnecessary shoots will fill all the empty space, suck all the juices from the mother bush, and there will be zero harvest.
The formation of an indeterminate bush involves the removal of all stepsons. By the end of July, up to 6 tomato tassels will form on the remaining main trunk, the first of which will be after the 10th leaf, the rest every 3-4.
The first, that is, the lowest, ovary is a guideline: feel free to remove all the leaves and stepsons before it. But keep in mind that such a seemingly simple operation can cause harm to the bush. Break out the leaves with a sideways motion, as breaking down with a downward motion can result in removing a large piece of skin from the trunk.
Tomatoes love feeding from their own cut leaves. Therefore, fold everything that is cut and torn from the bushes in a thick layer around the trunks; the rotted green stuff will give a lot of nutrients to growing tomatoes and become an obstacle to weeds.
The release of carbon dioxide by rotting green leaves has a beneficial effect on the ripening of fruits - they begin to fill up by leaps and bounds, and after two weeks they reach full maturity.
Advice! Collect ripened fruits more often, then the rest will ripen much faster.
When the second cluster has formed, it is time to remove the leaves and stepsons located under it. This should be done until 4 brushes appear. Then pinch the top of the bush to stop growth. If you do everything correctly, then you can remove about ten kilograms of tomatoes from this bush. If you want more, don’t pinch the top, let it grow.
Tomato variety White filling
My oldest favorite is White filling. The variety is zoned for the Altai region. Cold resistant. The bushes are low-growing and do not require pinching or staking, which can significantly save time on care.
Early ripening (83-110 days) variety for open ground. The inflorescence is simple, the first one is formed above 6-7 leaves, the subsequent ones - after 1-2 leaves. The fruits are round, rounded-flat, slightly ribbed, red, weighing 80-132 g. The variety is resistant to low temperatures and fruit cracking.
The fruits are smooth, neat, beautiful. It’s not that some tomatoes are large and others are small. In my garden they are the first to start singing.
Tomatoes White filling
The harvest is always good, regardless of weather conditions. Even in the cold damp summer I collect 3-4 kg from a bush. The taste of the fruit is ordinary, tomato, slightly sour.
Unforgiving tomatoes
Nowadays, to the delight of gardeners, tomato varieties have appeared that do not require pinching. Some doubts may arise: is the bush really growing without a single extra shoot? No, of course there are stepsons on it, but there are many fewer of them than on stepchildren tomatoes. And most importantly, they simply do not have time to develop, because tomato varieties without pinching are usually early or even ultra-early. Ripe fruits can be harvested after 75-95 days.
Brief characteristics of tomato varieties without pinching.
- low-growing bush, determinate 0.7-1 m in height, super-determinant 0.5-0.6 m, which means that a support garter is not needed;
- the bush stops growing after the inflorescences appear;
- there are 5-7 fruits on one hand, each weighing 0.1–0.3 kg;
- always give a good harvest;
- excellent immunity to tomato diseases.
Of course, you can remove those few stepsons that manage to appear, but the good thing about non-sapling tomatoes is that they bear fruit very well with minimal labor costs. Pay attention to the number of fruits on the branches: under the weight of ripening tomatoes, the branch may break. To prevent this from happening, carefully tie it to a support.
The lowest stepsons can be removed from non-stepchildren tomatoes. They thicken the plant too much, and tomatoes love drafts. If you leave all the stepsons, there will be more fruits, but they will be smaller and will begin to ripen later.
Variety Striped chocolate
I have been growing these tomatoes for only two years. This year I will plant for the third time. I won't say it's love at first sight. In the first year of cultivation I was disappointed in this variety. The summer was rainy, they began to rot, and few whole fruits were collected. Honestly, the taste did not impress me; they seemed too fibrous.
Striped chocolate - beautiful and sweet tomatoes
I decided to give them one more chance to prove themselves. Last year I planted it again. The summer was hot and dry. The variety showed itself in all its glory.
The bushes are tall and formed into four stems. The fruits are large, flat-round, sweet, with an original color. The yield was approximately five kilos per bush.
This year I will grow them again.
Non-growing tomatoes for greenhouses
Typically, tall varieties of tomatoes are grown in a greenhouse. But they have to be taken down. To free yourself from this “duty,” select varieties of tomatoes that do not require pinching for greenhouses at a garden store. These tomatoes are unpretentious, low-growing, always productive, and tolerate temperature changes and unstable humidity.
Due to the early ripeness of non-sapling varieties and the fact that they are grown in a greenhouse, you can get a very early harvest of ripe tomatoes. By mid-July you can please yourself with a salad made from your own grown tomatoes. Moreover, these varieties are distinguished by smooth ripening and even fruits. The usual weight of fruits of tomato varieties without pinching for greenhouses is from 80 to 100 g.
Despite the fact that these tomatoes ripen quite early, they should be grown through seedlings, this is especially true in areas close to the north of Russia, in its central part, in the Urals, and in Siberia. By the way, there are varieties of tomatoes without pinching especially for Siberia.
Varieties of non-growing tomatoes for Siberia.
Demidov
Refers to standard varieties with a medium-early ripening period. The weight of one tomato is 0.1 kg, the shape is round, the color is pink.
Oak
Bush, weakly branched, non-grafting, determinate, height 0.4-0.6 m, ultra-early ripening period 85-95 days. The fruits are round, weighing from 50 to 110 g, the pulp is dense and fleshy.
Siberian pirouette
The variety is not herbaceous. The fruit weighs from 50 to 100 g, the color is red, the shape is elongated, it is very good for pickling and canning, and can be stored in the refrigerator for about a month.
Countryman
High-yielding up to 19 kg/m², non-sapling, with an early ripening period of 94-97 days. The main feature: you can do without growing seedlings, and plant the seeds directly in the greenhouse soil (the name “Countryman” speaks for itself).
There are many varieties similar to Zemlyak, which cannot but please tomato growers. After all, the seedless method of growing tomatoes greatly simplifies their life. The only thing you still have to do after sowing the seeds in the ground is to cover the bed with covering material, even if it is in a greenhouse. This will guarantee the preservation of seedlings, after all, you never know, Siberia is Siberia! Sow the seeds in the last ten days of April, and already on July 10-15, you will have your own tomatoes on your table, not store-bought ones.
Siberian Pirouette
My favorite tomato varieties are the ones that don't require any care. One of these is Siberian Pirouette, agro selection. The variety was bred for areas with risky agriculture, with short, cool summers.
Tomatoes Siberian pirouette
Incredibly productive, incredibly long-lasting. And very tasty!
The fruits are small, dense, with thick walls, oblong. Ideal for whole fruit canning. I also dry them because they have little liquid.
Non-grown tomatoes for open ground
Many gardeners are interested in whether there are varieties of tomatoes that do not need to be planted and for open ground? Or can such tomatoes only be grown in a greenhouse? There are a lot of varieties of tomatoes without pinching for open ground! With the help of selection, varieties have been developed that grow well in an open garden bed, under the open sky, and do not even need a little shelter. Their consistently high yield is not affected by either weather conditions or the short summer season; they endure a lack of water and practically do not get sick. And if you add to the above that they don’t have to be pinched or tied to a support! This is just some kind of miracle!
Varieties of non-growing tomatoes for open ground.
Nevsky
The variety is not herbaceous, with a super early ripening period of 60-65 days. He will never get sick with late blight, since it simply does not have time to appear due to such early ripening. The fruits are red, weighing up to 60 g, ripen on the bush. It can be grown through seeds sown directly into the soil, using film as a cover.
Far North
Determinate species, belongs to the standard varieties, non-prunable. The height of the bush is 0.5 - 0.6 m. The average early ripening period is 85-90 days. The fruits are red, the weight of one fruit is 75-80 g. Good immunity to diseases, tolerates drought and weather changes well.
Amber
Determinate species, belongs to the standard varieties, non-prunable. The bush is medium branched, 0.25-0.35 m high. Productivity 5-7 kg/m2. Ripens at 85-95 days. The fruit is yellow or golden in color, round, weighing up to 50 g. It has good resistance to diseases and changes in weather.
Nasko 245 sl F
Hybrid of early ripening period 90-100 days, non-sapling. Determinate type, compact bush with dense foliage. Tolerates stressful conditions well. Excellent fruit set, smooth ripening and yield (approximately 75% yield in the first two harvests). The fruit is smooth, dense, fleshy, elongated, weighing about 100 g. Highly productive. Tolerates transportation well. Can be grown without seedlings.
Red banana
An invincible variety. The average early ripening period is 85-90 days. An erect bush, up to 70 cm high, may have 2-3 stems. Fruits weighing up to 100 g can grow up to 12 cm. The yield of 1 bush is 3-3.5 kg. Main differences: good taste and keeping quality.
Parodist
Determinate species, non-sapling bush, medium-branched, up to 50 cm high. Ripening period - early 75-80 days. The fruit is flat-round, weighing 140-160 g, red. Frost-resistant, high-yielding, tolerates weather changes well.
This is only a small part of the many existing varieties, but they can be called the best productive varieties of tomatoes without pinching. In addition, the “bank” of such varieties is constantly replenished with newly bred varieties and hybrids. Maintenance is simple and not burdensome. This is watering if there is no rain. Loosening and low hilling. Non-grown varieties do not require special care, so growing this type of tomato does not take much time, and in the end brings pleasure. Non-graftable varieties of low-growing tomatoes are a godsend for gardeners, especially for beginners!
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Description and characteristics of the variety
The cultivar was included in the register in 2008 and is recommended for all regions. Suitable for growing outdoors and under film in private farms. Despite its short stature (plant height no more than 60 cm), it needs staking and shaping.
The fruits are dense, shiny, red. Average weight is 70 g. The shape is cylindrical with a spout at the end and tapering towards the top.
The nests contain a few seeds. There are few seed chambers - 2-3. The taste is excellent.
