The birthplace of tomatoes is South America. This berry vegetable was introduced to Europe in the 16th century. After some time, they began to breed him in Russia. Since the plant is heat-loving, it was originally grown only in the southern regions. Later, plant breeders have bred varieties of this plant that give excellent yields, including in cold climates. One of the most popular today is Moskvich tomato. This wonderful variety will be discussed later.
general description
Tomato Moskvich, reviews of which are positive for most gardeners, was bred at the Vavilov Institute of Genetics in 1976. This variety belongs to early ripening, and tolerates very low temperatures very well. The bushes grow low (30-45 cm), compact, medium-leafy. Ripe tomatoes have the correct rounded shape, bright red color, smooth dense skin, are meaty, juicy and have great taste. In the brush, there are usually 5-6 fruits. They are not too large in size (about 80 g), and therefore very well suited not only for fresh consumption, but also for pickling.
The main features of growing
The advantages of such a garden plant as Moskvich tomato, the description of which is given above, can also be attributed to the fact that it does not require pinching. This makes caring for him as simple as possible. Resistance to such common nightshade diseases as late blight, fusariosis, alternariosis, and verticillosis wilt is also considered an advantage of this variety .
This variety was developed for outdoor cultivation. From the emergence of seedlings to harvest usually takes about 90-110 days (when grown by seedling). The first tomatoes ripen in July. Fruiting ends in late August.
Tomato Moskvich: reviews
The opinion of the owners of suburban areas about this wonderful variety over the decades of its existence has developed quite good. The positive aspects of growing Moskvich tomatoes include not only resistance to low temperatures, diseases, but also the ability to produce very good crops even under the most adverse growing conditions. A plus of this variety is its compactness. Very often, these tomatoes are grown on loggias and window sills by those who do not have their own suburban area. This variety can be almost ideal for owners of small gardens.
Many experienced gardeners advise beginners to gain experience in growing such a rather capricious crop like tomatoes, starting with the Moskvich variety. After all, these tomatoes are very undemanding, and the lack of need for pinching allows you to save time and effort. Even in the case of a small error with the time of transporting seedlings to the open ground with plants, absolutely nothing will happen. Resistance to disease will also allow beginners to successfully grow Moskvich tomato. Reviews of this variety, thus, allow us to judge it as one of the best domestic to date.
Planting seedlings
Moskvich tomatoes are usually sown in crates in late March - early April. Tanks with seedlings are installed on window sills or kept in greenhouses. The soil mixture is prepared from turf soil and humus in a volume ratio of 2x1. On such soil very good seedlings grow. You can also use a mixture of peat, dung humus and sod land in it in equal quantities.
Before sowing, the resulting soil is poured into boxes, carefully leveled and moistened. On its surface with a pencil or any other tool, grooves are made with a depth of about 1 cm with an interval of 3-5 cm. Seeds are planted in them (at a distance of 1 cm). Tomato Moskvich (the description of the variety in all details is given above) is unpretentious, but it is still not worth sowing planting material. Otherwise, the seedlings will overwhelm each other.
Until the shoots appear, the boxes are kept in a dark place covered with a film. After the tomatoes sprout, they are transferred to the windowsills. The film is removed. As soon as one leaf appears on the plants, a little earth should be added to the boxes.
Pick
How to make it so that you get very strong seedlings of such a variety as Moskvich tomato? Growing (reviews about these tomatoes is simply excellent, and especially afraid to do something wrong is not worth it) of these tomatoes in boxes - the procedure is simple. However, the best seedlings can be obtained only if the pick is done. This procedure prevents the stretching of plants and strengthens their root system.
They pickle Moskvich tomatoes in the phase of two real leaves. Strong plants are transferred to more bulky containers, and weak ones are simply removed. After a dive, there should be at least 10 cm in diameter around each tomato. The easiest way is to transfer the tomatoes into plastic or paper cups filled with soil of the same composition as in the boxes.
So that young tender roots of plants are not damaged, the soil is carefully spilled before carrying. Tomatoes are hand-picked a few pieces together with the soil, then gently separated and planted in glasses, buried to cotyledon leaves. Plants need to be placed in new soil so that the roots do not break or bend. After a dive, the glasses are put on the brightest place in the apartment. In the future, it will be necessary to carefully monitor that the soil in them does not dry out.
Seedling Care
The Moskvich tomato variety, reviews of which are really wonderful, like any other cultivated plant, requires periodic watering. Moisturize the soil under young tomatoes sparingly in the morning or evening hours. Before emergence, watering is done from the spray gun. After the roots are a little stronger, you can start using a regular mug or bottle. Some time after watering, slightly dried soil is loosened. Too often watering tomatoes is not recommended. Otherwise, the seedlings will grow thin and pampered.
If the plants develop well and have a natural dark green color of leaves and stems, it is not necessary to feed them. When stunted, ammonium nitrate is used (12-15 g per 10 liters of water).
Choosing a place in the garden
They grow tomato Moskvich, reviews of which allow us to judge it as one of the most unpretentious to date, in the open. For greenhouses, this variety is not suitable, since it does not apply to self-pollinating. The most suitable for beds for tomatoes Moskvich will be well-lit by the sun, a place closed from the wind. The best predecessors for these tomatoes are crops such as onions, cucumbers and carrots. Many experienced gardeners advise planting tomatoes in the immediate vicinity of strawberries. Both crops benefit from this - yield increases significantly, and the fruits themselves become larger.
Preparation of beds
So, a place for tomatoes is chosen. How to properly prepare beds for them? It’s best to start doing this since the fall. The selected area is dug to a depth of about 30 cm and fertilizer is applied to the soil. It can be humus, compost or mineral fertilizing (superphosphate, potassium salt).
In the spring, the beds for tomatoes are again dug up, adding 55 g of superphosphate, 15 g of potassium chloride and 20 g of ammonium nitrate per square meter. Experienced gardeners are not advised to use cow dung as a top dressing for tomatoes. When used in plants, green mass begins to actively develop to the detriment of flowering and fruiting.
How to transfer seedlings to open ground
Now let's look at how Moskvich tomato is planted on a garden bed. The characteristic of this variety is that it can be grown, including in thickened plantings. However, to get a very good crop, it is better to place young bushes less often. Tomatoes grown in crates are usually planted in rows. The distance between the bushes should be about 40 cm. Between the rows leave a gap of 70 cm.
Of course, a few hours before planting, seedlings should be shed well. Humidify the soil under the plants and should immediately after they are carried. Only in this case all the bushes of such a plant as Moskvich tomato will be accepted. Reviews (photos of these tomatoes are presented on the page) about the survival rate of seedlings of this variety, by the way, are also good.
Tomatoes are buried in the ground so that the stem remains outside completely. Seedlings are not taken out of paper cups, buried in the ground with them.
Young Moskvich tomatoes are planted on beds in central Russia usually at the end of May. At this time, the danger of night frosts still remains. Therefore, it is desirable to shelter the transferred plants. To do this, they set arcs covered with a transparent film over them.
Summer tomato care
Next, we will deal with what kind of care during the growing season requires tomato Moskvich. Reviews (the timing of its planting in the ground is mid or end of May) regarding resistance to low temperatures about it are excellent. So, you probably will not have to hold the film over the bed for too long. They take it off on May 20-30.
Adult tomatoes Moskvich like watering plentiful, but not too frequent. In hot weather, the soil beneath them is usually moistened every other day, preventing it from completely drying out. In rainy - the frequency of watering can be reduced.
For the first time, tomatoes are fed immediately after planting. In this case, you can use a solution of mullein (1x10) or chicken droppings (1x20). All subsequent feeding, which must be carried out with a frequency of approximately 10 days, is done using only mineral fertilizers. This can be, for example, a solution of nitrophoska (60 g per 10 l).
Disease prevention
Although the Moskvich variety is quite resistant to various infections, it is still worth spraying it several times during the summer. For the prevention of diseases, you can use any solution suitable for this purpose. A very good option for preventing disease can be, for example, ordinary Bordeaux liquid or garlic tincture.
Thus, we have found out what Moskvich tomato is (description, reviews are given above). This plant is actually very unpretentious. Having planted such tomatoes in your garden, you can get a good crop with minimal time and effort.