Beautiful and tasty tomatoes “Lights of Moscow”: an early harvest for not too experienced gardeners

Tomato Lights of Moscow will delight you with ripe tomatoes already 3 months after germination. Tomatoes of this variety have an excellent taste and are easy to grow, so they are suitable even for completely inexperienced gardeners.

Tomato “Moscow Lights”: variety description

Lights of Moscow tomatoes belong to determinate tomato varieties, which are characterized by increased early ripening and limited growth.
The bushes of this variety are very compact and grow in height rather than width. This feature affects the fact that the number of stepsons in the bushes is quite limited. Hence it is believed that this variety does not require pinching at all, but this statement is not entirely true. The appearance of the first inflorescences at the top of the main stem significantly inhibits its subsequent growth, so you will still have to work a little with the bush itself. The bush is straight in appearance, very tall (can reach more than a meter in height), but does not have a standard shape.

This variety requires a lot of heat, so it is more suitable for planting in open ground in the southern regions. The fruits appear 90 - 105 days after the first shoots. The stems are medium branched, the leaves are large and dark green in color. Also, bushes of this variety have excellent keeping quality, so they are very convenient to transport.

Growing seedlings

Good care will ensure an excellent harvest

Healthy seedlings are an important and necessary condition for a good harvest, but growing them is not an easy task. If you make mistakes when sowing and cultivating them, they will manifest themselves, resulting in a decrease in the yield of an adult tomato bush. Everything must be carefully weighed, from choosing the timing of sowing to proper care of the sprouts.

Preparing the soil and planting seeds

Tomato seeds are sown 2 months before planting the sprouts in a permanent place.

In southern latitudes this is done at the end of February - the first ten days of March, in the northern regions - in the first half of April. Overgrown seedlings do not take root well, the growth of the bush is inhibited, which significantly reduces the yield. To accurately determine the timing of sowing seeds, you need to know exactly when the last spring frosts in the region end. 60 days are counted from this period - this is the date of optimal sowing. If seedlings are planted in a greenhouse or hotbeds, sowing is carried out 14-21 days earlier.

Preparation for sowing includes:

• disinfection of tomato seeds;
• soil preparation and disinfection.

Tomato seeds from well-known manufacturers, packaged in bags, are sold already disinfected and do not require special preparation for sowing. Seeds prepared independently or purchased on the market are disinfected. They are placed in solutions:

• one percent solution of potassium permanganate (1 g of substance per 100 ml of water); seeds wrapped in gauze are placed in the solution for 20 minutes, then washed with running water;
• 0.5% soda solution (0.5 g per 100 ml of water); the seeds are soaked in the solution for a day; such a solution promotes early fruit formation;
• 100% solution of aloe tree juice (100 ml juice, 100 ml water); the juice is sold in a pharmacy chain or prepared by yourself; the solution increases plant immunity and has a positive effect on the quality of fruits.

Seeds are placed in the recesses every 1-2 cm and sprinkled with soil. The box is covered with glass on top: the greenhouse effect will ensure constant temperature and high humidity. It is necessary to constantly monitor the humidity: the appearance of mold on the surface of the soil indicates waterlogging. The first shoot appears after a few days at an air temperature of 25-27°C. The lower the temperature, the longer it takes tomato seeds to germinate, sometimes taking about 2 weeks.

Sprout care

Only healthy seedlings produce strong plants

The optimal conditions for seedling growth are sufficient light, high humidity and warmth.

Boxes with seedlings are placed on windows facing south. If natural light is not enough, artificial fluorescent lighting is connected. Some vegetable growers (Tugarova T. Yu.) are of the opinion that round-the-clock illumination of seedlings during the first three days after emergence promotes better development of sprouts.

The seedlings are sprayed with warm water several times a day; watering must be done carefully: for this purpose, use a syringe without a needle. It is necessary to remove the film or glass from the box gradually, without allowing the soil to dry out:

• The room temperature should be from 18°C ​​to 25°C, at night it should be slightly lower - from 12°C to 15°C.
• In warm weather, seedlings are hardened off: windows or transoms are opened, on which boxes with plants stand.
• After 2-3 weeks, the seedlings are fed for the first time, then feeding is done every 7 days. Organic fertilizers are best.

Diving and planting seedlings

After the first true leaves appear on the seedlings, if they are sown too crowded, they are picked and transplanted into separate cups. Tomatoes tolerate transplantation well, but the sprouts are still very weak, so it is important not to damage them. Damage to the roots during picking inhibits plant growth for a whole week. The seedlings are lifted with a spatula and taken together with the soil. 0.5 liter cups are ideal for transplanting.

After 45-55 days, the first flower shoots are visible on the seedlings. This means that after 1-2 weeks it needs to be planted in a permanent place.

Gardeners do not recommend delaying this process, since seedlings that have not matured will be stunted in growth. Characteristics of good planting material: powerful stems forming a branched bush, large dark green leaves, long root. It is necessary to plant plants at a distance of 20-30 cm from each other, since Lights of Moscow is a small bush and does not require a large area. Cloudy, warm and windless weather is best for planting tomatoes. After planting, the plants are watered with warm water.

Characteristics

The fruits are smooth, fleshy, round in shape. Unripe fruits are pale green in color with a black-green spot at the base. Ripe fruits acquire a rich dark red color and weigh 100 - 110 grams .

You can compare the weight of the fruits of this variety with others in the table below:

Read more about tomato diseases in greenhouses and methods of combating them in our articles. We will also tell you about all the means of protection against late blight and diseases such as Alternaria, Fusarium and Verticillium.

From one square meter you usually get about 3 - 5 kg of an excellent commercial harvest.

Lights of Moscow tomatoes also have excellent taste, making them well suited for fresh consumption. However, housewives who prefer canning will not be offended either. The high dry matter content provides ideal conditions for canning and pickling.

You can find out about the yield of other varieties in the table below:

Description and characteristics of the variety

The high merits of the cultivar are evidenced by the fact that it is included in the State Register and recommended for all regions. The year of registration of the variety is 2000. Lights of Moscow can be grown in garden plots and small farms. It is adapted for growing in open ground.

The variety is early ripening, ripens on the 92nd day after the appearance of the first true leaves. The bushes have limited growth, have a moderate number of shoots, and are easy to clean. Stem height 45 cm. The inflorescence is formed through 1-2 plates.

The fruits are round in shape, with smooth skin and dense pulp. When ripe they are red in color. There are not many compartments in a tomato - 3-4, but the taste is excellent. The average weight of the fruit is 100 g. The tomatoes are suitable for fresh use, pickling and processing.

Photo

You can see the “Lights of Moscow” tomato in more detail in the photo:

Features of cultivation

If you are just thinking about planting these wonderful tomatoes, then planting using seedlings is the best option. To do this, you will need nutrient pots (about 10 sq. cm in volume), in which you will place your seedlings in early March. They will stay there for about two months until May 10-20, after which they should be planted in the soil of your garden according to a 50 x 50 cm pattern.

If you want to get an early harvest, then plant your bushes in early May and cover with transparent film until the weather warms up. Don’t forget that the landing site should be well lit by the sun and protected from cold winds. As for the choice of soil, loamy soil with the addition of useful fertilizers is best suited here.

Important ! As already written above, although bushes of this variety do not require pinching as such, they will still benefit from a little care. In order for new inflorescences to constantly appear on them, the stepsons located below the topmost inflorescences must be removed from time to time (about once a week). In this case, a small shoot should be left to continue growth.

Growing tomatoes

This variety can be grown both by seedlings and without seedlings. In the second case, the seeds are sown no earlier than the 3rd decade of May, when the ground warms up to 20*C. Particular attention should be paid to site selection. It should be well lit, ventilated, but protected from gusty winds. It is recommended to extend the beds along a north-south line.

How to prepare seeds?

Unlike hybrid varieties, the “Moscow Lights” tomato sprouts not only in the first, but also in subsequent generations. It is important to follow the rules for collecting seeds :

• It is not the largest or most fleshy fruits that are selected as seed fruits, but those that most correspond to the exterior of a given variety: small, round, dense. The bush on which they grew must be healthy;
• Seed fruits are picked at the stage of brown ripeness and left to ripen indoors;
• Ripe tomatoes are cut, the contents of the seed chambers are scraped into a glass glass, the glass is covered with gauze and placed in a dark, warm place. After the start of fermentation, when bubbles and a white film appear on the surface of the tomato liquid, the seeds are separated from the total mass, thoroughly washed and dried;
• Before sowing, seed material is stored in paper bags.

4 days before planting, place the bag with seeds in a warm place - on a radiator or stove rack. Warming up lasts 48-72 hours, then the seeds are removed from the bag, pickled with a solution of potassium permanganate and soaked in water at room temperature for another 12 hours. This treatment destroys surface bacteria that can cause diseases at an early stage of the growing season, and also strengthens the immune system and increases the growth rate of plants.

Sowing seed material

Sowing is carried out at the end of March - beginning of April 35-45 days before planting in a permanent place. The later sowing occurs, the faster the plants germinate due to greater solar activity. By the time of planting, seedlings planted in the first ten days of April catch up with seedlings planted in the last ten days of March. Therefore, there is no need to rush with sowing.

Protection from diseases and pests

Tomatoes Lights of Moscow - the variety is not predisposed to any diseases, but it is still recommended to take preventive safety measures:

• Never forget about the simplest thing - removing weeds around your plants; also, when planting seedlings in the ground, you need to make small spaces between the bushes to allow fresh air to flow in the future.
• Late blight is the most famous and terrible enemy of tomatoes. You should protect your plants from it from the very beginning. Therefore, immediately after planting the seedlings in the soil, treat your tomatoes with Quadris and Ridomil Gold. The interval between treatments is about two weeks.
• The biological product Actofit is perfect for protection against spider mites and other insects.

In conclusion, I would like to note that this variety of tomatoes has much more advantages than disadvantages. Lights of Moscow are also perfect for less experienced gardeners because there is no need to carry out complex procedures for caring for them. If you want to get early harvests of beautiful and tasty tomatoes, then Lights of Moscow will do an excellent job for this purpose.

Diseases and prevention

The variety is resistant to diseases, but it is recommended to take preventive measures: promptly remove weeds between plants, tear off the lower leaves to ensure access to fresh air. Treating bushes with Quadris and Ridomil Gold in the first days of planting in open ground will reliably protect them from late blight. The treatment is repeated every 2 weeks.

• Author: Maria Sukhorukikh
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