It is surprising that at present no everyday or festive table is complete without tomatoes. Mistresses use this fresh vegetable, make sauces, add to meat and fish dishes, and prepare for the winter. There are many different varieties of tomatoes. Some are sweeter, others are well kept, and others look beautiful in the cut. In this article, we consider one of the popular varieties - tomato "Mikado". It has proven itself in our conditions and is appreciated by many for its large and fleshy fruits, as well as its sweet taste.
Grade description
The Mikado tomato variety is tall and has a medium-late ripening period. The growing season lasts 135-150 days. The fruits ripen 95 days after planting. The height of an adult bush reaches 1.5-2.5 meters in height. The leaves are wide, dark green, in appearance resemble potato.
Fruits are flat-round, juicy and fleshy, with dense skin.
The mass of tomatoes is quite high, 400-600 grams. On one bush can be up to 8 tomatoes. The fruits have good preservation both at home and during canning. Mikado tomato can be red, pink, yellow and even black. But all of them are similar in taste and technological properties.
The variety is resistant to many diseases, including late blight.
Growing conditions
The best temperature for the growth and development of tomatoes, as well as for the formation of a high yield, is 20-25 degrees. If the thermometer column falls below the +16 degrees mark, then flowering stops, fruit setting stops, and if the temperature drops even lower, plant growth will stop. High temperature also affects negatively, as pollination does not occur.
Mikado tomato is very picky about light, it is necessary to plant it only in well-lit, sunny places, because with strong darkening, yield decreases significantly.
Tomatoes also react sharply to the physical composition and soil fertility. A high yield and good plant growth is possible on loose loamy or sandy loamy soils with regular application of organic fertilizers. However, it is worth remembering that potash and phosphorus fertilizers accelerate the growth and ripening of fruits, and excessive feeding with nitrogen delays ripening.
Transplanting
The best time to plant tomato seedlings is evening or a gloomy cloudy day. This provides better plant survival. Since Mikado tomato belongs to tall varieties, holes for seedlings do more than for other varieties of tomatoes, about 50x50 centimeters. A pole with a height of at least 4 meters must be inserted into each well to tie the plant as it grows. Before planting, fertilizers are applied: humus or compost, a little ash and phosphorus. Particular attention should be paid to the distance between the tomatoes, as with frequent planting the bushes can obscure each other.
Tomato Care
A couple of days after planting, the area where the tomatoes grow is loosened, and the plants are spudded. In the future, three times during the season, it is necessary to loosen the soil, remove weeds, hill and, if necessary, tie up the plant.
Watering is carried out as necessary, as the soil dries. Rare but plentiful watering is more acceptable. Mikado tomato is sensitive to weeds, therefore their constant weeding is required.
Opinions about Tomatoes
In various sources you can find a lot of reviews on Mikado tomatoes. Reviews are mostly positive. Gardeners note a high yield, excellent taste, good germination of seeds. Of the shortcomings, the fact is sometimes called that tomatoes can change their taste during salting, because their flesh is very tender. That is why it is best to use "Mikado" fresh. Red tomatoes are good for making borscht and tomato paste, and pink ones for fresh salads.
Pink Mikado
In addition to red tomatoes, there are other Mikado tomatoes. Pink, for example, is very early ripe. About 90-94 days pass from the moment of emergence of seedlings to the fruiting period. This variety is great for film and glazed greenhouses, is indeterminate, that is, has unlimited growth. Mikado tomatoes (pink variety) are distinguished by rounded, slightly flat fruits, one-sized and uniform in shape. The mass of tomatoes reaches 400-500 grams. The pulp is juicy, sweet, contains a lot of lycopene, carotene and selenium. The fruits are great for preparing salads, and for canning for the winter.
The variety is resistant to major diseases. Sowing seedlings is carried out in late winter - early spring, at the same time, additional highlighting is recommended. After planting the plants in the greenhouse (at the end of April), tomatoes should be tied up.
To form a plant in one stem is necessary by removing all the lower leaves and stepsons, as well as pinching the growth point.
So, in the article were considered "Mikado" tomatoes. The photos show that the fruits of these tomatoes are large, and the reviews of gardeners indicate their incredible taste and juicy elastic flesh. However, you should know that the best taste qualities are those tomatoes that are removed at the end of full maturity. They are also ideal for making juice, canned goods, tomato paste. For pickling and pickling, you can use green or blanche fruits if they do not have time to fully ripen before the onset of the first frost.