Tomato Kolkhoz Queen

Large-fruited, early maturity and excellent taste properties of the Kolkhoz Queen are the main qualities that attract the attention of many gardeners and consumers. That is why this indeterminant is intensively grown on open soils in the southern regions of Russia. A little further north, the variety is already cultivated in greenhouses and hotbeds.

As a representative of indeterminate species, it grows up to 2 m tall, not very sprawling, compact and powerful bush with abundant foliage. A garter is needed. The leaf blades are ordinary, large, divided into lobes, covered with small villi.

The initial flower cluster is formed after the 9th leaf, which determines the relatively long period of fruit ripening.

As with other indeterminate plants, shrub shaping is required. Usually 1-2 shoots are left, eliminating all other lateral processes. This helps to increase the yield of the variety.

The culture behaves steadily during temperature extremes, is little susceptible to diseases typical of tomatoes. A number of positive characteristics have made the culture very popular with gardeners. With excessive watering, the fruits do not crack, and producers collect seeds for planting on their plots. Of the minuses, we note the low degree of keeping quality of the fruits - they cannot be transported.

The fruits have an excellent presentation and look delicious. By weight - 200-500 g. However, it is not quite easy to obtain fruits weighing 500 g, since the agricultural care system contains a number of nuances that should be adhered to. In configuration, the fruits are flat-round, slightly flattened, have up to 6 seed chambers with a small number of seeds. In a state of technical ripening, they are greenish, and when ripe, they are crimson shades. The consistency is fleshy, juicy, with a typical tomato flavor.

Tomatoes are used fresh and for salads, and smaller ones are used for canning.

The fruits are sweet, with a refreshing sourness, aromatic. The taste is quite consistent with the appetizing presentation.

The process of maturation of the culture is mid-early, the harvest of fruits starts 110-115 days after the emergence of seedlings. A significant proportion of the crop ripens by mid-August. Harvesting begins when the fruits reach suitable weight parameters, but they ripen quite successfully during storage. Regular harvest of the fruit during fruiting promotes the ripening of the remaining tomatoes. During the onset of cold weather, all tomatoes are removed from the bushes, since in case of hypothermia they ripen worse. Only seed specimens are left.

The crop holds the record for yield among indeterminants. Despite the unfavorable weather whims, the variety gives 12-14 kg per 1 m2 outdoors. In greenhouse conditions, up to 5-6.5 kg are obtained from 1 bush.

The culture is grown by the seedling method, taking into account the specifics of the climate at the place of planting. For greenhouses, seedlings are sown in early March. After about 1.5-2 weeks, in the phase of appearance of 2 leaves, a pick is performed. After 50-55 days, the bushes will be ready for transplanting.Before planting in the soil, the bushes should have one 1 flower cluster.

When forming into one stem, place three bushes per 1 m². If two main shoots are left, then 2 plants are planted per 1 m2.

Before planting, the seed fund must be processed in potassium permanganate (with a pinkish solution), you can soak the seeds in growth stimulants. The seeds of the culture are germinated in moist material (this issue is decided by the gardener himself). When planted with dry seeds, the bushes sprout about a week later.

The sowing process is carried out in containers. Recommended temperature for germination is + 23º- + 25º, and for seedlings - + 23ºC.

Top dressing is carried out with complex fertilizers after picking. Irrigation is carried out infrequently, but abundantly, with control of the condition of seedlings and soil moisture. Ventilation of the premises for plant growth is mandatory. A hardening process before planting is necessary. For this purpose, containers are placed on the street, verandas or balconies.

Seedlings before planting should have 1 undeformed, correct configuration of the flower cluster. After planting the seedlings in the holes for about 8-9 days, the bushes are not irrigated, and in order to protect them from possible cold snaps and for effective adaptation even in greenhouses, they are covered with non-woven materials.

The roots of the culture develop at a shallow depth, and therefore the loosening process is carried out carefully so as not to damage the roots.

Watering is carried out with warm (+ 22ºC) and settled water. It is not necessary to irrigate the bushes themselves, watering is carried out basal. Waterlogging of both the air and the soil in greenhouses can lead to the appearance of harmful infectious consequences (cladosporiosis, late blight, gray rot, and others). It should be understood that excessive moisture also affects the pollination process - the pollen becomes heavier, and the process of fruit set slows down. Often, at high humidity, the bushes shed flowers. The way out of the situation is regular ventilation and loosening.

It is recommended to remove old yellowed leaves in the lower part of the stems in order to completely release the lower stems on the 1st cluster by the time of fruit formation. This simple technique is useful for preventing diseases, improving air exchange in greenhouses, and increasing the number of ovaries.

The temperature regime in greenhouses should be stable - + 23ºC- + 24ºC during the day, + 18ºC at night. Any fluctuations in temperature are undesirable. It is also useful here to mulch the soil, which provides both the necessary condition of the soil in terms of moisture, and the protection of the root system of plants from drying out and excessive waterlogging, as well as saving them from the influence of weeds.

The first feeding is carried out no earlier than 10-18 days after planting the bushes in the greenhouse, then after 10-12 days. During the season, the crop is fed at least 4 times, alternating spraying and adding fertilizers. During flowering, nitrogen dominates, then potash and phosphorus compounds become priority. Ready-made formulations are preferable.

Used folk remedies:

• infusions of herbs (from dandelions, comfrey, nettle) and wood ash;

• baker's yeast;

• spraying with compositions of boric acid, iodine, milk whey.

Attention should be paid to the shaping of the bushes, which has a positive effect on the yield of tomatoes and their normal ripening.

Foliar dressing options simultaneously protect the crop from harmful attacks, viral diseases and fungi.

Recommended cultivation areas are the northwestern territories of Russia, the Urals and Siberia (in greenhouses), in warm and temperate latitudes - in open ground.

In practice, the crop is productively grown on the open soils of Stavropol, Crimea and Kuban, but in temperate latitudes it requires greenhouse conditions for development. In the zones of risky agriculture (Ural, Siberia), it shows a high degree of productivity in closed conditions.