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Despite the fact that tomatoes are thermophilic, many gardeners in Russia grow them in the open soil... For this, special varieties and hybrids of tomatoes are chosen, which are distinguished by a short ripening period of fruits and can successfully bear fruit even in rainy and cool summer weather. Growing tomatoes in the open field also requires adherence to a certain technology, which will maximize crop yields and prevent the development of various diseases. A detailed description of all the nuances growing tomatoes in the open field, as well as current photos and videos are given below in the article. Having studied the proposed material, even a novice gardener will be able to grow many tasty and healthy vegetables without using shelters.
Spring chores
The success of growing tomatoes in the open field largely depends on how carefully the soil and tomato seedlings were prepared in the spring. With the arrival of warmth, the farmer needs to sow seeds and take proper care of young plants to obtain high-quality planting material. Preparing the soil for tomatoes is also important to reduce post-plant stress and speed up the rooting process.
Variety selection
In the open field, you can grow both low-growing tomatoes and medium-sized, tall varieties. The technology for growing tomatoes of these types will be slightly different, however, in general, the cultivation rules are the same and apply to all varieties of tomatoes.
Early and mid-season hybrids and varieties are excellent for open ground. Among them, a number of the best tomatoes can be distinguished, depending on the height of the plant:
- good tall tomatoes for open ground are "President", "Mikado pink", "Tolstoy f1", "De barao tsarskiy";
- among medium-sized tomatoes, the sales leaders are Izobilny f1, Atlasny, Krona, Kievsky 139;
- choosing low-growing tomatoes, you need to pay attention to the varieties "Lakomka", "Moment", "Amur shtamb".
An overview of other varieties of tomato for open ground is shown in the video:
Seedlings of tomatoes for open ground
In the open ground in Russia, it is customary to grow tomatoes only in seedlings. This technology allows plants with a long growing season to grow in a short period of warm summer. Given the climate of central Russia, it should be said that it is possible to plant tomato seedlings in open ground only in early June, when there is no probability of frost. Based on this, the gardener must draw up a schedule for growing seedlings, calculated taking into account the ripening dates of the fruits of a particular variety. For example, the widely known and beloved by many indeterminate tomato variety "President" begins to bear fruit only after 70-80 days from the day the seedlings appear. This means that it is necessary to sow tomato seeds of this variety for seedlings in mid-April and plant already grown tomatoes in the ground at the age of 40-50 days.
Before sowing tomato seeds for seedlings, it will be useful to harden them, warm them up and treat them with antiseptic substances:
- Heating the tomatoes makes them drought-resistant.To carry out the procedure, tomato seeds are suspended from a heating battery in a fabric bag for 1-1.5 months in advance of all other treatments.
- Hardening of tomatoes is carried out by the method of variable temperatures, placing the seeds in a damp piece of cloth in the refrigerator for 12 hours. After cooling, the seeds are warmed at a temperature of + 20- + 220C for several hours, after which the seeds are again placed in a refrigerator. You need to continue hardening for 5-7 days. This measure will make tomatoes resistant to low summer temperatures and possible frost.
- Outdoor conditions suggest possible infection of plants with various viruses, fungi and bacteria. Harmful microflora can be found on the surface of tomato seeds. To destroy it, before sowing, tomato seeds are treated with 1% manganese solution for 30-40 minutes.
Healthy seedlings are the key to a good harvest in unprotected conditions. For its cultivation, young tomatoes need to be regularly watered and fed, provide the necessary light regime for them by highlighting.
At an early stage of growing tomato seedlings, it is necessary to use fertilizers with a significant nitrogen content. Before picking (2-3 weeks after seed germination) and planting seedlings in unprotected soil, it is necessary to use substances with a large amount of phosphorus and potassium. This will allow the tomatoes to take root quickly in the new environment.
Outdoor conditions are characterized by unstable atmospheric temperatures and sunlight activity that can damage the leaves of young plants. Before planting tomatoes in open ground, the seedlings must be adapted to such conditions by hardening. The event is being carried out gradually.
First, in a room where seedlings grow, you need to open a window or window for a while to ventilate the room and slightly lower the temperature in it. The next step in hardening is to take the seedlings outside. The period of stay of plants in the open air should be gradually increased from 10-15 minutes to full daylight hours. In this mode, tomato leaves will be able to get used to the scorching rays of the sun and fluctuating temperatures. Once planted outdoors, hardened tomatoes will not slow down or get burned.
Planting seedlings is an important point
You can prepare the soil in the garden for growing tomatoes in the fall or just before planting tomatoes in the spring. To do this, rotted manure, humus or compost are introduced into the soil in an amount of 4-6 kg for each 1 m2... The amount of fertilization can be changed depending on the original soil fertility. Organic fertilizer will bring the required amount of nitrogen into the soil, which will stimulate the growth of tomatoes. It is necessary to supplement this trace element with other equally important minerals: phosphorus and potassium. To do this, superphosphate and potassium sulfate are introduced into the ground in the spring.
It is advisable to plant the grown seedlings in open ground in the place where legumes, radishes, cabbage, cucumbers or eggplants used to grow. The plot of land should be well lit by the sun and protected from drafts and north winds.
The scheme for planting seedlings in open ground may be different. Distances between tomatoes depend on the height of the bushes. So, most often two schemes are used for planting tomatoes in open ground:
- The tape-nesting chess scheme involves dividing the site into ridges. The distance between two adjacent furrows should be about 130-140 cm. Tomatoes are planted on the resulting ridge in two rows (ribbons) at a distance of 75-80 cm in a checkerboard pattern.The holes on one tape are placed at least 60 cm apart. In each hole or the so-called nest, two tomato bushes are planted at once, which makes it easier to tie the plants.
- The tape-nesting parallel scheme also involves the creation of ridges and furrows between them. The difference between this scheme is the placement of tomatoes on ribbons parallel to each other. In this case, the distance between the holes can be reduced to 30 cm. 1 tomato is planted in each hole, thereby obtaining squares.
You can see a clear example of placing tomatoes in the open field according to the described schemes below.
It is better to plant tomato seedlings on open land in the evening after sunset. The day before planting, the seedlings need to be watered with warm water, the soil on the ridges is watered after the planting holes are created. Subject to the rules of soil preparation after planting, the tomato seedlings will feel vigorous, will not wither and will not significantly stop their growth. In this case, for two weeks after planting, tomatoes in the open field do not need special care. They only need watering.
Basic rules for growing tomatoes in the open field
The technology of growing tomatoes in the open field involves the implementation of a whole range of different activities. Tomatoes need not only to be watered and fed, but also to form tomato bushes, tie them up, and regularly inspect them for pests and diseases. Let's talk about the rules of caring for tomatoes in detail.
Watering plants
Water the tomatoes in the open field with warm water as needed. So, in the absence of rain, watering the tomatoes must be ensured every 2-3 days. Water the tomatoes at the root in large quantities. The ingress of moisture droplets on the plant trunk and leaves is undesirable, since it can provoke the development of fungal diseases.
It is not at all desirable to grow tomatoes in an area with high groundwater, in swampy areas of the soil, since this can lead to the development of a fungal disease - black leg. This disease of tomatoes can also develop in the case when artificial watering of plants is carried out very often, "flooding" the roots of tomatoes.
Fertilizing tomatoes with minerals and organics
Delicious tomatoes in large quantities cannot be grown without fertilization. Agrarians actively use organic fertilizing and minerals. Organic matter, represented by manure or compost, is saturated with nitrogen. It can only be used to build up the green mass of tomatoes until flowering.
In the process of flower formation and fruit ripening, tomatoes require potassium and phosphorus. These minerals can be applied using universal compound fertilizers or simple minerals, wood ash. A sufficient amount of potassium in the soil makes the taste of tomatoes rich, increases the amount of sugar and dry matter in vegetables. Also, trace elements accelerate the process of fruit formation and ripening. An approximate schedule of mineral fertilization is shown below.
When growing tomatoes in open ground, it is necessary to apply mineral and organic fertilizers at least 3 times per season. In addition to the usual organic matter (mullein, slurry, chicken droppings) and minerals, gardeners often use organic fertilizers and improvised means, such as yeast. Many growers claim that the secrets to growing tomatoes are to choose the right fertilizer for each specific stage of the growing season.
This type of feeding is recommended to use when observing a deficiency of trace elements.
Formation of bushes
The process of forming tomatoes in the open field directly depends on the tallness of the bushes. For low-growing tomatoes, the usual removal of the lower leaves is sufficient.The measure allows you to make the plantings less thickened and improve the natural circulation of air flows, preventing the development of fungal and viral diseases. Remove the lower leaves of the tomatoes to the nearest fruit cluster. The removal procedure is carried out every 10-14 days, while 1-3 leaves are removed from the bushes at once.
A feature of low-growing standard tomatoes is the limited growth of the bush and the tight timing of fruiting on one shoot. You can extend the fruiting process of such tomatoes by forming bushes of 1-3 stems, leaving an appropriate number of stepchildren.
Growing tall tomatoes in the open field should provide for the correct formation of the bushes. It consists in removing the stepsons and the lower leaves of the tomato bush. Closer to autumn, approximately a month before the onset of frost, the top of the main stem must be pinched, which will allow the existing tomatoes to ripen quickly. Growing tall tomatoes in the open field, in addition to careful shaping, requires some additional nuances, which you can learn from the video:
The garter of tall tomatoes in the open field is hampered by the fact that the main shoot of an indeterminate variety can grow above 3 m.In this case, the shoot is tied to a high trellis and as soon as the tomato becomes higher than the support, it is pinched, leaving the stepson located in the middle of the bush as the main stem ...
Due to the difficulties with garter and shaping, many gardeners refuse to grow tall tomatoes in the open field, since indeterminate varieties with an unlimited fruiting period do not have time to give the crop in full in a short warm period. In this case, the greenhouse is able to maintain favorable conditions for such tomatoes for much longer, increasing their productivity.
Disease protection
Growing tomatoes and caring for them in the open field is complicated by the fact that the plants are not protected from the vagaries of the weather. With the onset of low temperatures and high air humidity, it is worthwhile to be wary of contamination of tomatoes with various fungal and viral diseases. They can damage plants and fruits, reducing crop yields or completely destroying them.
The most common fungal disease outdoors is late blight. Its fungi are carried by wind and water droplets. Getting on the tomato wounds, the fungus causes blackening and drying of leaves, trunks, the appearance of black, dense spots on the surface of the fruit. You can fight late blight and other diseases with the help of preventive measures. For example, spraying the bushes with a solution of whey every 10 days will reliably protect tomatoes from fungus and will not damage the quality of ripening tomatoes. Among chemical preparations, Fitosporin and Famoksadon are highly effective against the phytophthora fungus.
In addition to phytophthora, other diseases can develop in open areas of the soil, the main prevention of which is compliance with the rules for forming a bush, watering and feeding. When tomatoes are infected with various diseases, it is necessary to take measures to treat them, if necessary, remove the plants from the ridges. In the new year, before planting other crops in this place, it will be necessary to disinfect the soil by heating it over an open fire or sprinkling with boiling water, manganese solution.
The main secret of growing tomatoes is to carefully and regularly inspect the plants. Only in this case it is possible to detect early signs of any disease and pest exposure. Monitoring the health of tomatoes also allows early detection of nutrient deficiencies and the need for feeding.
Conclusion
Thus, growing tomatoes in the open field requires a lot of care and attention from the gardener.Only by taking proper care of the plants can you get a decent harvest of vegetables. Regular feeding, proper watering of tomatoes and the formation of bushes allows plants to develop harmoniously, direct their energies to the formation and ripening of tomatoes. In turn, tomatoes with strong immunity are able to independently resist some pests and diseases. In the open field, a video of growing tomatoes can also be seen here:
