One of the varieties of vegetables that contains a huge amount of nutrients is tomatoes. Before you start growing tomatoes in the open field, it is important to study the agronomic rules. If you follow all the recommendations, then a real, albeit very small plantation with bright, ripe, and most importantly, healthy and tasty tomatoes will unfold in the garden.
How to choose a grade for open ground?
The first question that arises for a beginner gardener is what good and stable tomato variety for open ground should I choose for planting. After all, if it is wrong to pick up seeds, then all the labors will end up empty, and the crops will not bear fruit. Therefore, when choosing seeds, factors such as climatic conditions, features of the location of the plot, and soil quality must be taken into account. Also, depending on the choice, you need to decide whether the bushes need a garter. Next, consider the best varieties and cultivation of tomatoes in the open ground.
Grade Division
All tomatoes are divided into three main varieties - indeterminate, determinant and superdeterminant.
The growth of indeterminate tomatoes occurs in the summer-autumn period of time. In the warm time of the city, their flowering begins, and closer to the fall, fruits begin to set. They are not limited in height and may well reach about 2 meters in height. In the southern part of the country indeterminate varieties are common, but in the North they cause a lot of trouble because they do not have time to ripen.
Superdeterminant culture requires a minimum amount of care. This species includes undersized varieties of tomatoes for open ground. They have about 3 inflorescences.
The determinant variety differs from its "counterpart" in much lower height - from 40 to 80 cm. This culture is suitable for any climatic conditions. At low temperatures, you can safely grow them in a greenhouse. Fruits appear on the bushes very early and quickly sings. True, they are very small in size. But there are later varieties, then a variety of shapes and colors of fruits opens in front of the gardener - elongated, round, yellow, pink, and even close to black.
Planting tomatoes in open ground has some features, without which it is difficult to get a good harvest. First of all, you need to choose the right variety of this culture. After all, each of them differs in certain characteristics.
The best varieties of tomatoes for open ground
Today there are many good varieties of tomatoes.
Here is a list of the most fruitful tomatoes for open ground by maturity:
- With early fruits: Northern Miracle, Moscow Region and New Transnistria. They relate to a determinant form.
- Mid-season: Bull Heart, Monomakh Hat, Appetizing and Pioneer. They also relate to determinant varieties.
- The best varieties of tomatoes for open ground late ripening: De Barao, St. Andrew's surprise. These are indeterminate cultures.
The best large-fruited tomatoes for Siberia for open ground - Pride of Siberia, Eagle's beak, Favorite holiday, Pink honey, Siberian troika.
All large-fruited varieties have a great taste and huge size.
It is worth noting that when choosing hybrid varieties of tomatoes, you will have to constantly look after the crops, as they are very demanding. But the quality of the fruits is significantly different from the usual ones. They have a taste advantage and reach large sizes.
There is also a division for varietal characteristics:
- Non-standard tomatoes. This is the most common type. It has a thin stalk and increased branching. She can’t hold on without support.
- Standard tomatoes are distinguished by a dense stem and small stature. The root system of this species is small. Such varieties are resistant to poor lighting. Most often refer to early tomatoes for open ground.
- Potato Tomatoes. Got this name because of the leaf form.
To determine the variety, it is necessary to focus on the growing area. Since if you give preference to a non-zoned culture, then the best properties are lost due to climatic conditions.
Using seedlings for planting tomatoes
This method is a priority for the northern regions and allows you to get a crop in a short time. Further we will consider how to plant tomatoes in the open ground.
Seed growing process
To plant tomato seeds for open ground, plastic containers will be required in which special soil is placed. They should have a diameter of about 10 centimeters. Here you can use bought seedling pots, as well as ordinary plastic glasses.
Procedure:
- In warm water it is necessary to stir the vegetable fertilizer, the ratio of 1 tbsp. l to 10 liters of water. The resulting mixture needs to be watered.
- In the center of the container, filled with soil, a pair of holes for seeds are made.
- One seed is placed in each hole.
- After this, it remains only to sprinkle holes.
February is suitable for the start of planting seedlings in the southern regions, and in March the whole March is suitable for this.
What to do after germination?
For convenience, glasses or slides with crops are usually placed in boxes that are located before germination in a warm room, the temperature of which should not be lower than 22 ° . Approximately about a week takes the appearance of the first sprouts. After that, you can rearrange the boxes in a lighter place, for example, on the windowsill. But, in no case from the northern part. What should I do if two seeds immediately sprouted in the pot? In this case, priority is always given to a larger and more even germ. The second is simply deleted. So that the seedling growth does not stop at the initial stage, it is necessary to maintain the temperature not higher than 16 ° . And at night, the average can fluctuate around 14 ° C. For the formation of leaves, a temperature of about 20 ° C is quite suitable.
Seedling Care
It is necessary to water tomato seedlings for open ground regularly, as well as to feed vegetable fertilizers three times in a 50-60-day period. For the first feeding, it is necessary to use a whole complex, for example, nitrophos. The second top dressing is already carried out with a mixture of mineral fertilizer and organic. And for the third time you will need superphosphate, or rather, its solution, proportion - 2 tbsp. tablespoons to 10 liters of water. A week after all the events, you can start transplanting tomatoes into the open ground.
Lower temperatures can ruin the entire crop. At a minimum, the culture will cease to grow in height and will be in a sluggish state. To avoid this, it is necessary to harden the sprouts before landing on an open surface. The hardening period is most often in April. This is done quite simply - the box with pots is transferred to the balcony or the window simply opens. The main thing is to keep track of time and not to allow seedlings to be in cold air for too long, and the temperature should remain at least 12 0 C. Due to this, plants are gradually getting used to bright direct light and outdoor climate. The soil in the pots should always be in average condition - not dry, but not too wet.
Selection and purchase of ready-made seedlings
If there is no time and money for independent cultivation of seedlings, then the best option is to buy ready-made seedlings. But there are pros and cons. So, for example, one cannot be responsible for quality. There is never an exact certainty that a purchased crop will yield a good harvest. It's like a lottery game. But to grow a large number of seedlings at home is very inconvenient, so in some cases, the choice of ready-made seedlings will be the right decision.
There are a number of rules, guided by which, there are more chances to stumble on a productive seedling:
- It is better not to apply for purchase to private traders in the market. These people also grew seeds at home, so most likely the fruits will be small in size and not so bright and juicy. And there’s also a big risk of stumbling into an infected culture.
- Seedlings are recommended to be purchased already in special containers with soil. The height of one sprout should not be more than 30 cm, but not less than 25. If you select already flowering sprouts, the fruits will be ahead of schedule. The stems of healthy seedlings should be as dark and thick as possible, and the roots should not be damaged.
- You also need to inspect the culture for diseases. Shoots, deformation of leaves and their spotty appearance will speak of poor health. After planting, even pesticides cannot cope with infection.
How to prepare the soil for planting?
Planting tomatoes in open ground is as follows. First of all, it is necessary to determine the place where the transplant will be carried out. This must be a well-lit area. It is desirable that it is not blown - the wind negatively affects the growth of culture. Advice from experienced gardeners: for tomato, the soil on which eggplants or potatoes were previously grown is not suitable. The place after legumes is much better perceived.
To prepare the site requires:
- Dig the ground.
- Align it with a rake, for example.
- The ground can be fertilized with peat, humus or wood ash.
- During planting, for a good harvest, it is recommended to add a small amount of humus to each well.
Disembarkation
As for the period, which is ideal for transplanting, this is the second half of May. The main thing is that daily frosts receded. It is advisable to engage in landing on a cloudy day, or to transfer everything to the evening.
The plant should be placed vertically in the hole. If the seedlings are high, then it is better to plant at a slight angle. The peat pot is completely placed in the hole and filled up. The ramming ground can be pressed lightly with your palm. It remains only to water and add humus to the soil.
Outdoor Care
The roots take about 7-10 days to take root in the new soil. If frost still cannot be avoided, use a film. You can make shelter even from improvised materials - cut plastic containers. The main stages of caring for tomatoes in open ground: watering, fertilizing, cultivating and removing weeds.
Water for irrigation must be defended, and water the tomatoes during the heat once every three days. If the weather is cloudy or it rains, the interval between watering increases. It is recommended to do this in the evening, in order to avoid the appearance of a crust on the soil. And if there is such an opportunity, then in the early morning. It is early morning that is considered the best time for watering. Then the fungal diseases of the culture will not be scary.
It is necessary to feed seedlings starting from the twentieth day after planting. Liquid fertilizers and granules are perfect for this. The next top dressing is carried out only after the appearance of flowers on the bushes. The composition is used the same as for the first time.
Why is hilling necessary?
When the tomato growth process has already begun, it is necessary to actively support it. First of all, you should do the hilling of the beds. This increases and strengthens the root system of the bush, which affects the quality and size of the fruit. Water in the earth is longer and saturated with a large number of minerals. In particularly hot periods, hilling can not be dispensed with.
Garter
Consider how to tie tomatoes in the open ground. The need for this procedure depends on the variety of tomato. In order for the fruit to grow well and develop correctly, the bush must be in an upright position. And the damage will be noticeably less. The amount of light that enters the plant also increases significantly. Before tying tomatoes in open ground, you need to prepare special trellises or any improvised materials in the form of a support. For garter, twine or synthetic thick threads are used. Pegs take wooden or metal.
Some undersized tomato varieties for open ground need not just support, but a net.
Watering
Growing tomatoes in open ground requires mandatory timely watering. This should be done carefully: you can shoot down bushes with a powerful jet. The flow of water should be directed between the rows. It is necessary to ensure that the soil does not erode, and the roots remain closed. Fruits and leaves should remain dry. Watering is recommended in the morning.
Additional pollination
Tomato belongs to a self-pollinating culture, and so abundantly that pollen is enough for neighboring plants. To help with this, you can attract more insects - bees and bumblebees. This is done very simply - fragrant crops - basil, mustard, etc. are planted between rows in the garden. By the way, this also positively affects the taste of the fruits themselves. At the same time, they will attract a large number of insects for pollination.
But still, sometimes due to external conditions, self-pollination problems may appear. What factors influence this:
- The temperature dropped sharply at night (less than 14 ° C). The boot is immediately deformed.
- The temperature jumped sharply during the day (from 30 ° C). Then the flowers just fall off.
- In some varieties, the pestle is very peculiarly arranged, which is why the function of self-pollination completely disappears in the culture.
If such difficulties arise, it is quite possible to cope with this without insects. The pestle buds lean down and shake. It is recommended to do this in the time interval from 10 a.m. to two in the afternoon. The air should not be humid. Repeat this procedure after 4 days. After artificial pollination, the plants are watered, and the flowers also need to be wetted.
The main problems in growing tomatoes
When growing a crop such as tomato on the open ground, a number of difficulties may arise.
- Low temperatures. Tomato is a thermophilic culture; therefore, low temperatures and frosts are fatal for it. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the temperature of the environment and do not forget to cover the plants.
- Lack or excess of water. Even a beginner gardener knows that if you do not water the planting, then there will be no fruits. The first sign of lack of moisture is yellow and dry leaves. But with heavy rains or frequent watering, the roots begin to rot, and the fruits crack.
- Overfeeding. If you overdo it with fertilizers, then the fruits will form poorly.
- The scorching sun is one of the enemies of tomatoes. The plant very quickly gets burns from direct scorching sunlight. Damages such as white spots appear.
Pests and diseases
Even if the growth of the crop is successful, when growing tomatoes in the open ground, unforeseen problems may appear - pests. Tomato diseases are divided into three categories:
- Fungal. To overcome this infection, you must resort to the help of Bordeaux fluid. Also fungicides are great for this. They can be used a couple of times per season.
- They fight bacterial infection with the help of Fitosporin and Bactofit solutions. For humans, they practically do not pose a threat, so you can spray infected plants right up to the ripening of the fruits.
- Viral The fight against them is carried out all the same solution as in the second case. But in order to avoid such problems, experienced gardeners prefer hybrids. And to disinfect plants even at the seed level will allow potassium permanganate.
In addition to diseases, pests also hunt for tomatoes, such as a bear, a Colorado potato beetle and other insects. Every season they encroach on the health of the fruit. You need to deal with them in common ways that apply to all nightshade cultures.
Collection and storage
Culture rewards the gardener with a crop, starting in July and ending in September. At this time, the tomatoes are already reaching their maturity and are completely ready for consumption or preservation. If low temperatures came to the region during ripening, it is recommended to separate all green fruits and place them in a warm, dry place until fully ripened. The more light falls on a tomato, the faster it ripens.
For storage, flat boxes are suitable, in which the fruits fit in two layers. The stems are immediately removed, but this must be done very carefully so as not to damage the flesh. Next to green and unripe tomatoes, several ripened ones are always placed. This helps speed up the process. Storage should take place in a cool room, but in no case in the refrigerator.