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Tomato is one of the most widespread vegetable crops in Russia. Tomatoes are grown by almost all summer residents; they love these fruits for their excellent taste and a lot of useful vitamins.
The growing season of tomatoes is quite long (from 100 to 130 days), so the culture may not mature in any climatic conditions. Tomatoes need warmth for good growth and timely ripening.
The short summer of the temperate climatic zone is not very suitable for growing tomatoes; in Russia, this crop is planted by seedlings, covered in greenhouses, or varieties with early ripening are chosen.
The specifics of tomatoes for open ground
Open ground not considered the best way to grow thermophilic tomato... Still, it is more efficient to plant this crop in greenhouses or heated greenhouses. But there are many varieties and breeding hybrids bred specifically for garden beds and farm fields.
As a rule, early maturing tomatoes or plants with medium ripening times are planted in open ground.
In general, the requirements for varieties for open ground in central Russia and Siberia are as follows:
- high ripening rate;
- short growing season;
- resistance to viruses and other diseases;
- the ability to tolerate high humidity and low temperatures;
- resistance to late blight and rot;
- not too high bush height;
- good yield and decent taste.
Indeterminate (tall) Tomatoes are best grown in closed greenhouses. However, these varieties give very high yields without taking up a large area. Therefore, in the summer cottage, you can also plant tall bushes of tomatoes. But it is worth taking care of tying up the stems in advance, as well as choosing a “secluded” place, protected from strong winds.
However, among modern varieties of tomatoes, it is quite possible to find vegetables with excellent taste characteristics. In addition, tomatoes grow more aromatic in the open field than in a greenhouse.
How to grow tomatoes outdoors
The process of growing tomatoes in beds is not much different from the greenhouse method. To get a good harvest, tomatoes must be regularly looked after - this culture loves the sun, timely watering, and loose soil.
A summer resident or gardener needs to follow these steps:
- The ground for tomatoes should be prepared in the fall. The soil on the site is dug up and fertilizers are applied to it.
- In the spring, the soil must be disinfected by treating it with manganese or another antibacterial solution.
- Tomato seeds are pre-sown for seedlings. This is done in late February or early March.
- Fortified seedlings (about 30 cm high) can be planted on a watered garden bed. As a rule, this is done in mid-May, when the air temperature at night will not drop below zero. The Siberian climate is harsher, so tomatoes are planted here in late May or even early June.
- In the first week, it is better not to water the tomato seedlings, it needs to acclimatize and get stronger.
- For the entire growing season, tomatoes are fertilized 2-3 times.The main thing is not to overdo it with the introduction of mineral fertilizers, otherwise the tomatoes will grow instead of giving all their strength to the ovaries.
- Watering tomatoes should be timely and regular - the ground between the bushes should not be dry and cracked.
- The soil in the aisles must be puffed up - the roots need air.
- It is better to pick tomatoes when they are fully ripe. But if weather conditions do not allow, or the crop is intended for transportation, storage, green or brown tomatoes can also be harvested - they ripen well in a cool, dark place.
There are varieties of tomatoes that do not require pinching, since they practically do not give side shoots.
The best varieties of tomatoes for open ground
Among all varieties, each gardener singles out the best for himself in some specific quality. For some, this is the ripening period, for some, the yield is most important, and some are engaged in the cultivation of exotic or very large fruits.
Reviews of experienced summer residents and gardeners helped to compile a list of the best varieties of tomatoes for open ground, which are most often grown in the beds of Russia (including in Siberia and the Urals).
"Sanka"
This variety is loved for its stability and simplicity. Tomatoes "Sanka" will bring equally good harvest in any area, even with little care. These tomatoes practically do not get sick, they grow up to a maximum of 60 cm in height, so they do not need tying and pinching.
To get about three kilograms from each plant, you just need to water the tomatoes in a timely manner. Even a sudden cold snap or short-term frost will not significantly harm tomatoes. Rounded red fruits will cover the entire small bush.
The taste of tomato is high, which allows it to be consumed fresh, canned or pickled. The small size of the fruit also contributes to the same - the average weight of a tomato is about 100 grams.
Another advantage of the Sanka variety is its high ripening rate. Already on the 90th day after sowing the seeds on the bushes, the first fruits will ripen.
"Ranetochka"
The same early maturing and very productive variety. Ranetochka tomatoes do not need complex care and processing, they are protected from most diseases. Late blight is also not terrible for these tomatoes, since they ripen in more than 90 days, so they do not have time to catch the time of the August cold snaps and morning dew.
The plant is a standard type, the bushes are very compact, their height does not exceed 0.5 meters. But on each small bush about 100 small red tomatoes ripen at the same time.
"Superman"
An unpretentious outdoor tomato variety that is great for Siberia... This tomato tolerates prolonged rains and cool temperatures in summer.
The fruits ripen quickly, the whole process takes no more than 95 days. Bushes are small, not very branched, the height of each rarely exceeds 45 cm. They give consistently high yields of small rounded fruits.
"Gull"
A variety of tomatoes with amazing, perfectly round fruits. The growing season of tomatoes is 90 to 100 days (depending on the region of cultivation). Tomato bushes are compact, standard, rarely reaching a height of more than 0.5 meters.
Ripe tomatoes are colored red, have excellent taste and pronounced aroma. The size of the tomato is medium - the mass ranges from 70 to 90 grams. The fruits are not susceptible to cracking and overripening, so the variety is great for summer cottages, which the owner visits only on weekends.
Large-fruited tomatoes
Tomato yield or persistence is not important for everyone. Although, as a rule, large-fruited or unusual tomatoes are grown in protected greenhouses, in the beds, you can also grow non-standard sized tomatoes.
"Pudovik"
The variety is considered the largest-fruited of those intended for cultivation in Russia. The mass of one tomato can reach a maximum of 1000 grams. At the same time, about ten tomatoes are formed on the bush at the same time. The yield of the variety reaches 5-6 kg from each plant.
It is clear that the bushes of the Pudovik tomato themselves cannot be small - the plant is indeterminate, reaching a height of 150 cm. The tomato needs good feeding, this not only stimulates the growth of the plant and the development of ovaries, but also increases its immunity, which is important for the fight against viruses and bacteria.
The technical maturity of tomatoes occurs on the 115th day after planting in the soil (medium early tomato), so they can be grown in any region, even in Siberia.
"Tolstoy"
The variety has been grown in Russia for more than a quarter of a century, and has not lost its popularity. The hybrid is considered a high-yielding hybrid, since about 12 kg of tomatoes can be removed from each square meter.
The average fruit weight is 250 grams, tomatoes have good taste and rich aroma. The height of the bushes reaches 150 cm, the plants are spreading, but they do not need pinching. Tomato "Tolstoy" is not afraid of most "tomato" diseases, such as powdery mildew or fusarium, for example.
"Bull heart"
No less famous tomato, which at least once, but every gardener planted on his site. The bushes reach a height of 130 cm, have powerful stems and side shoots.
A feature of the variety is that the fruits from the first flowers are the largest, their weight can range from 350 to 900 grams. And the next tomatoes will be much smaller - about 150 grams.
The shape of the tomato is unusual, it looks like a heart. The shade of the fruit is pinkish. The taste is excellent - the tomato is fleshy, juicy and very sweet. Such fruits are mainly used for fresh consumption, preparation of salads.
Review of tomato "Bull heart"
High-yielding tomato varieties
The best varieties of tomatoes for open ground can also be high-yielding... This quality of vegetable crops is probably the main one. After all every gardener wants to get the most out of it - to collect as many beautiful, mouth-watering tomatoes as possible.
Basically, the fruits of high-yield varieties are not large in size - tomatoes are of average weight. But there are a lot of them, which allows you to collect up to 20 kg of tomatoes from each square meter of land.
"Diabolic"
A good variety acclimatized for Russia. This tomato outperforms the famous Dutch hybrids in several ways.
The height of the bushes is 120 cm, the lateral shoots are poorly developed, the plant does not need to be pinched and pinched. The fruits are medium in size, weighing about 120 grams. The shape is correct, rounded, the color is red. A distinctive feature of the tomato is its light weight. The fruits tolerate transportation and long-term storage well.
The advantage of the variety is its increased resistance to various diseases. With selective cultivation, it is possible to achieve yields of up to 700 centners per hectare of land. Under normal conditions, tomatoes need enhanced fertilizing with mineral fertilizers.
"Bobcat F1"
A fairly yielding hybrid tomato that is often grown in farm fields and used for sale.
The bushes have a height of 120 cm, they must be pinned - this will increase the yield by more than 20%. The average weight of a tomato is 140 grams. The fruits can be stored and transported - they do not lose their attractiveness for a long time.
The dignity of the variety is its increased durability. Plants are almost never infected with anthractosis and fusarium.
"Solokha"
The height of the bush of this tomato does not exceed 90 cm, it is slightly spreading. The mass of tomatoes is quite large - from 150 to 250 grams. Especially often large fruits appear when no more than 20 tomatoes are tied on one bush.
With regular watering and good feeding, farmers get about 400 quintals of tomatoes from each hectare of land. They are great for commercial purposes, can be stored and transported. Also often "Solokha" is grown in summer cottages and vegetable gardens.
Cold and virus resistant tomatoes
In temperate climates, where summer is often rainy and cool, spring is quite late, and autumn, on the contrary, is early, the durability of tomatoes is very important. Domestic gardeners prefer hardened varieties to pampered "exotics". Such tomatoes can be grown not only in the south of the country, but also in the Urals or Siberia.
Usually, varietal tomatoes of domestic selection are "stronger" than foreign hybrids. In addition, such tomatoes contain much more nutrients and vitamins, and are distinguished by a stronger pronounced taste. Therefore, for many, these are the best varieties of tomatoes for open ground.
"Marmande"
Seedlings of this tomato can be transferred to the beds already in early May, which is two weeks earlier than usual. This allows you to get very early harvests, as well as avoid tomato fruiting in too wet and cool August.
Fruit weight reaches 250 grams, which is rare for a representative of this group.
Tomato "Marmande" resists not only fungal and viral diseases, it does not attract pests and insects.
"Stellate sturgeon"
Tomato, bred in Holland, but acclimatized to the weather conditions in Russia. The fruits are very large - sometimes more than 450 grams. The tomato peel is firm and the flesh is tender. The fruits are well stored and can be transported well.
Although the height of the bush reaches 140 cm, the powerful stem does not need to be tied up. Also, the plant does not need pinching.
"Roma"
This variety can be attributed to two groups at once: it gives high yields and is considered the most resistant against fungal pathogens. The growing season is 120 days, while in the last two weeks of this period, the plant can withstand significant drops in temperature, up to frost.
120 cm bushes need pinching. The fruits grow on them of medium size - about 140 grams in weight.
Review of tomato "Roma"
Outcomes
Everyone chooses their best tomato variety. But it is for open ground that we can recommend fruitful, early maturing, unpretentious and resistant varieties, acclimatized to the temperature characteristics of the region.
