Tomato is the most popular crop among vegetable growers. However, not in all Russian regions this vegetable crop can be grown in garden beds due to difficult climatic conditions. But even in regions with problematic climatic conditions, not all private farms have greenhouses.
Therefore, in recent decades, Russian breeders have developed a large number of varieties and hybrids of tomatoes with improved characteristics, in particular, with resistance to changes in temperature and stress situations, which can be grown in the middle zone, in the Urals and Siberia, not only in greenhouses, but and in garden beds.
One of these tomato varieties of Siberian selection is Snow Fairytale , which will be discussed below.
History of variety development
This tomato was created by the famous Novosibirsk breeder V.N. Dederko . This specialist has developed dozens of tomato varieties with improved characteristics that can easily satisfy the demand of vegetable growers from all Russian regions.
Tomato seeds Snow Tale
When breeding the Snow Tale tomato, the breeder tried to create such qualities in it that the tomato could be grown in garden beds in the Western Siberian region.
This region is the northernmost in our country for growing vegetable crops in general and tomatoes in particular. You might like Tomato Tsarsky Podar
The variety was bred at the beginning of this century, passed variety testing and was included in the Russian State Register of Agricultural Achievements in 2006. After variety testing, the Snow Fairy tomato was officially introduced for cultivation in Western Siberia.
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The originator of this variety is , which primarily sells “Snowy Fairy Tale” tomato seeds.
Description of tomato
This standard tomato belongs to the super-determinate type, because its bushes reach a height of 0.45-0.5 m. The central shoot of these tomatoes is tree-like, and the roots are compact.
Tomato Snow Tale is superdeterminate
It is interesting that there are discrepancies regarding the speed of fruit ripening in different sources; some claim that the Snow Fairy Tale tomato is ultra-early ripening, while others classify this variety as mid-ripening. And the originator of the variety talks about the average period of ripening of the rafts of the Snow Fairy Tale tomato, and gives the following figures: from the moment of germination of the seed material to the harvesting of ripe tomatoes, 3.5 months pass.
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Short shoots are well leafed, and the foliage is located close to each other. As a result, the yield of this variety is approximately the same as that of other determinate tomato varieties.
The foliage of the Snowy Tale tomato is typically tomato, narrow and long with sharp tips, velvety, dark emerald.
This standard variety practically does not form stepsons, so there is no need to remove them. Forming bushes and tying up shoots is also not tedious. As a result, caring for the Snow Tale tomato becomes much easier.
What are standard tomatoes
Snow fairy tale tomatoes in a greenhouse
The flowers are collected in racemose inflorescences, and sometimes there are too many of them - up to 10 pieces, so to obtain large enough fruits it is better to remove some of the flowers.
The inflorescences of this tomato are simple, the first is usually formed under the 7th leaf, and the rest - through one leaf.
Since the fruits of this variety ripen unevenly, during their ripening the bushes of this tomato variety look very decorative: tomatoes of different colors hang on them at the same time - white, orange and red, which look very impressive against the background of velvety leaves.
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Ripe tomatoes are small, round, similar to New Year's balls. At the stage of technical maturity, the fruits are painted in a beautiful milky color, and as they ripen they become bright red.
The weight of ripe fruits is usually about 70 g, but if you reduce the number of flowers in the inflorescences and provide the bushes with good care, you can collect large fruits weighing up to 200 g from the bushes.
Snow fairy tomato
The skin of the fruit is dense and smooth; inside there is juicy pulp with 4-5 seed chambers and a small amount of seed material. The taste of ripe tomatoes is moderately sweet with a slight sourness.
It should be noted that the harvested crop does not tolerate transportation well even over a short distance - the fruits can burst and leak. And collected tomatoes are also not subject to long-term storage.
Outdoor care
Although the Snow Tale is distinguished by its unpretentiousness, it still needs basic care.
To do this, you need to regularly perform the following steps:
- water;
- fertilize;
- loosen and weed;
- protect from pests and diseases.
Watering
Tomatoes love moderation in everything, including watering. They cannot tolerate either excess moisture or lack of it. Therefore, the best watering schedule is as needed, when the soil dries out. In dry times, abundant moisture may be needed once a week, and at other times - even less often.
Important! Tomato bushes should be watered so that water does not get on the leaves and stems. Otherwise they will get blossom-end rot.
It is very important that the bushes receive enough water when the fruits begin to set until they ripen. Lack of moisture will lead to shedding of the ovaries and shredding of the remaining tomatoes.
Acceptable watering methods:
- pour water into the furrows dug between the rows;
- Water each bush at the root, but carefully so as not to expose the root system;
- drip irrigation (the best).
Feeding
Snow fairy tale should not be overfed, especially with nitrogen. But you can’t leave plants without feeding them the necessary elements.
Familiarize yourself with the features of applying fertilizers for tomatoes.
Feeding frequency:
- the desired maximum is every 2 weeks;
- the required minimum is 3 times (at the beginning of flowering, during fruit set and during their ripening).
What can you fertilize with:
- mineral fertilizer consisting of superphosphate (50–60 g), potassium chloride (30–40 g) and ammonium nitrate (15 g) dissolved in a bucket of water;
- An organic fertilizer can be a solution of bird droppings or mullein.
Forming and tying bushes
Snow Fairy Tale bushes grow low and form a compact and neat crown. Therefore, they do not need pinching, shaping or tying.
But in some cases, gardeners may find the following actions necessary:
- in case of very abundant flowering, remove 1-2 buds from each cluster so that the remaining ovaries have time to ripen, especially in short summer conditions;
- if the bushes bear a lot of fruit, tie the branches to vertical trellises or individual supports so that they do not lie on the ground.
But if you mulch the ground with straw, you can do without a garter and allow the fruits to ripen while lying on the mulch.
Soil care
Monitoring the condition of the soil in the area with tomatoes is important for their health and abundant fruiting.
Mandatory measures include:
- loosening is carried out the next day after watering or rain, makes the soil water- and breathable;
- weeding helps fight weeds, which can be breeding grounds for bacteria and pests; it is advisable to combine them with loosening;
- Mulching retains moisture in the ground and prevents weeds from growing.
Productivity
This tomato variety has good yield - up to 30 tomatoes of varying degrees of maturity hang on the bush at the same time. In total, up to 9-12 kg of ripe fruits are collected from one square area.
Tomato Snow Tale: cultivation, reviews, photos
When growing this tomato variety on an industrial scale, up to 280 centners of ripe products can be collected from each hectare.
Diseases and pests
This tomato variety is characterized by average resistance to the main diseases characteristic of tomatoes. Therefore, it is recommended to carry out preventive measures by treating the soil and tomato bushes with appropriate preparations to prevent the appearance of pathogenic microorganisms.
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Tomato Snow Tale: cultivation, reviews, photos
What is the variety
To understand the features of the species, you need to study the description. It gives detailed information about tomatoes.
Plant:
- Height: 50 cm.
- Bush: standard, super-determinate.
- Stem: powerful, thick.
- Inflorescence: simple.
- Rhizome: weak.
- Ripening time: 105-115 days. From the moment the seeds sprouted.
Fruit:
- Shape: rounded-flattened.
- Color: red.
- Size: 5-7 cm.
- Weight: 85-100 gr.
- Skin: thin but dense.
- Pulp: juicy.
- Taste: delicate with a little sourness.
- Number of cameras: 3-4 pcs.
- Shelf life: not long.
- Transportability: poor.
Advantages
The main advantages of the Snowy Tale tomato variety over other tomatoes are as follows:
- There is excellent growth and ripening of fruits in bushes of this variety both in garden beds and in greenhouse conditions;
- the variety develops well in rainy, cold weather;
- the originators of the variety guarantee good fruiting in any climatic conditions;
- the yield of the variety is quite high for a determinate variety;
- the bushes of this tomato do not require special care, so they are suitable for growing for those who do not have much time for the garden;
- the fruits have a beautiful shape, equal size and good taste;
- seed material collected from fruits grown in the garden has almost 100% germination.
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Among the disadvantages, it should be noted that the harvested crop practically does not tolerate transportation and is stored for only a couple of days in any conditions.
Advantages and disadvantages
The arrival of a variety capable of bearing fruit in the northern regions, including the Tyumen region, is now a huge advantage. In addition to this, the following are noted:
- high productivity;
- breather;
- stable formation of the ovary;
- approximately the same size of fruits;
- friendly vision;
- good taste;
- ease of care;
- average disease resistance;
- endurance to sudden changes in weather, including heavy rains and frosts.
In addition, the undoubted advantages include the ability to create your own seed base. Snowy Tale is a full-fledged variety with no signs of a hybrid, so the seeds for the next badnyak do not lose the leading properties of the plant.
Relative disadvantages are the poor shelf life of the crop; it is undesirable to transport tomatoes over long distances.
Landing
Although this tomato variety is recommended only for cultivation in Western Siberia, many gardeners grow it in the middle zone and in other regions with similar climatic conditions and a short, cool summer period.
Tomato seedlings Snow Tale
Typically, this tomato variety is grown in seedlings. To do this, seed material is planted in containers with purchased nutrient substrate throughout March.
After the plants have their first true leaves, they should be pruned (if the seedlings are planted too densely). About a couple of weeks after this procedure, you need to feed the seedlings with urea or other fertilizer containing a sufficient amount of nitrogen.
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Usually, if all care rules are followed, seedlings grow strong and healthy. Seedlings are usually transplanted into garden beds or greenhouse conditions at the age of 2 months, when the plants have at least 7 permanent leaves and at least one inflorescence.
During transplantation, the air temperature should constantly remain around +14+15 degrees Celsius, and the soil warms up to +15 degrees Celsius.
Planting seedlings in the ground
Before transplanting, it is recommended to harden the tomato seedlings by taking them out into the fresh air for a short time at first, but gradually increasing the time in the air for these plants.
How to grow seedlings
Preparing seedlings is an important stage that should be carried out according to all the rules. The quality and quantity of the future harvest largely depends on the seedlings.
Seed preparation
Experienced gardeners advise disinfecting the material before planting.
This is done using hydrogen peroxide or a solution of potassium permanganate. These simple steps will help you avoid diseases, get rid of larvae, and disinfect the material. You should also think about hardening the seeds, especially if planting is planned in a region with difficult climatic conditions. To do this, place the seeds in the freezer overnight, then leave them at room temperature for the day.
Next, you need to repeat these steps several times. With the help of this mechanism, the seed material develops immunity to frost and sudden climate changes.
The last stage of seed preparation is soaking the material. This is necessary to prevent disease. The seeds are wrapped in gauze and placed in a plate with a small amount of water. They need to be stored in this form for about a month before planting in the ground, maintaining optimal air temperature and avoiding hypothermia.
However, some gardeners are skeptical about soaking seeds. There is an opinion that a larger amount of harvest is obtained only from dry seed material.
Container and soil
You can prepare the soil yourself. To do this you will need dry and clean soil, peat, ash and sawdust. For 4 parts of the earth there is one part of the other elements. All ingredients must be mixed, sand or humus added. Most importantly, do not forget to disinfect the composition you prepared yourself. The same solution of potassium permanganate will help with this.
If you don’t have the time or desire to prepare the soil yourself, ready-made mixtures will come to the rescue. For example, soil “Krepysh”. Such products already contain the necessary supply of vitamins and minerals. The soil is sold at any gardening store.
As for containers, any clean containers are suitable for seedlings. These can be flower pots, wooden boxes, plastic jars. If you don’t have any free containers on hand, buy special containers for seedlings at a gardening store.
Sowing
It is recommended to plant Snow Queen seeds at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other. Make small holes in the soil, place the seed there and cover with soil. Afterwards you need to water them with warm water. Already in the early stages, growth stimulants can be used. So the first shoots will appear much earlier.
Growing and care
Store containers with seedlings in a bright and dry place. If the room is in the shade, provide the plant with additional lighting using lamps. Carefully monitor watering and do not allow excess moisture in the containers.
Reference. Gardeners recommend using pipettes for watering. With this simple tool, water will get under the base of the stem and not onto the leaves.
After 3-4 weeks from the moment of planting, it is recommended to apply the first fertilizing. These can be both professional preparations and folk recipes. For example, an ash-based solution would be an excellent addition.
If you observe that the leaves have become yellow with red veins, it means that the plant does not have enough nitrogen. Use nitrogen-containing fertilizers. An excellent option would be to spray the leaves with mullein solution.
Further care
After planting the tomatoes in a permanent place, they are covered with non-woven material to protect them from low air temperatures.
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Formation of bushes and garters
The main thing is that when caring for this tomato, you do not need to form bushes and remove stepsons. And these bushes need a garter only in case of overload with the harvest - when too many fruits ripen on the plants at the same time, the shoots can break under their weight.
Formation of tomato bushes in a greenhouse
Disease Prevention
To prevent the bushes of this tomato from being affected by various diseases, it is recommended to carry out preventive plant treatments during the summer season.
To do this, prepare solutions of drugs such as Fitosporin, Glyocladin, or use other similar fungicides. In total, at least two such treatments should be carried out during the season with an interval of 20-30 days.
Also, Snow Fairy Tale tomato bushes require regular watering, as well as fertilizing several times a season. Moreover, the need for nutrients of Snow Fairy tomato bushes increases during the period of flowering and fruit ripening.
Features of cultivation
Despite the fact that the Snezhnaya Skazka tomato variety is intended for cultivation in open ground, it requires a preliminary seedling period.
Sowing of seeds is carried out in March. To do this, use a shallow general container, which is filled with soil. The substrate can be purchased ready-made for tomatoes, but experienced gardeners prefer to make their own soil mixture. One part of turf soil is mixed with two parts of peat and 0.5 part of humus. Fertilizers (urea, superphosphate, potassium salt) and baking powder are also added to the mixture.
Important! The container and soil mixture must be disinfected using a manganese solution (the substrate can be calcined in the oven).
After sowing the seeds, water and cover the container with polyethylene or glass. Be sure to ventilate once a day, and after the first shoots appear, the shelter is completely removed.
When 2-3 true leaves are formed, seedlings are picked into separate containers. Watering is carried out as needed, infrequently, but abundantly. Seedlings also need feeding; for this purpose, mineral fertilizers are used, which are applied several times during the seedling period.
Within 1-2 weeks before planting in open ground, seedlings are hardened by taking them out into fresh air with a gradual increase in time (from 30 minutes to 5-8 hours).
Transplantation into open ground is carried out when the seedlings have reached the age of 53-57 days. The seedlings are planted at a distance of 60 cm from each other. At first, it is recommended to cover the plants with non-woven material at night to protect them from possible frost.
The plant does not require pinching and shaping, but gartering is carried out as necessary if the weight and number of fruits can cause a fracture of the main trunk.
Preventive treatments of bushes against diseases and pests are mandatory. They are carried out several times a season. Timely feeding is also required, especially during the budding period.
Watering is carried out regularly, as the top layer of soil dries.
The minimum number of feedings is three: at the beginning of flowering, during budding and during fruit ripening
