All about tomatoes

Who does not like tomatoes - they are eaten fresh, they are used to make tomato juice, ketchup, pasta and delicious preparations for the winter. Perhaps all summer residents are engaged in growing tomatoes. In our review article, we will give a description of this fruit crop and talk about the rules for growing it.

Tomatoes were first discovered in the tropical regions of southern Africa, and they grow in the wild there today. After the discovery of America by Columbus, along with many other overseas plants, tomatoes were brought to the countries of the Old World. For a long time, people treated this culture with great suspicion, for almost 200 years they were grown as exotic plants in gardens and greenhouses. Only at the beginning of the 19th century, the fruits of tomatoes began to be eaten - from that moment they began to be cultivated as a cultivated plant.

Today, this crop is grown everywhere, its popularity is due to the exceptional taste of the fruit, high yields and a variety of options for use.

The tomato belongs to the nightshade family. It is a herbaceous annual plant, although its life expectancy is higher in the places of origin.

The root system is pivotal, the lateral roots are numerous, well-branched, powerful. Each root is covered with an abundant amount of root hairs. In the open field, the length of the rhizome reaches 150 cm, most of them branch at a depth of 60-80 cm.

Stems can be erect or recumbent. In the initial stages of the growing season, they are quite fragile, but during the period of fruit ripening they harden. The leaf arrangement is next. The structure of the leaf plates is uneven, pinnately dissected. The surface of the sheets can be corrugated or smooth.

The flowers are bisexual, collected in a "brush" inflorescence, self-pollinating. From the appearance of the first shoots to the beginning of flowering, depending on the grade, it takes 50-60 days, from the beginning of flowering to full ripeness - 45-60 days. Propagated by dicotyledonous seeds.

The fruits of the tomato are polyspermous, they look like berries with fleshy pulp of different mass, shape and color. Depending on the weight, they can be small (less than 50 g), medium (from 50 to 100 g) and large (more than 120 g), some varieties are capable of producing fruits weighing 500-800 g. The shape is pear-shaped, round, oval, elongated, cylindrical, currant or plum. Unripe fruits are light to dark green in color, ripe fruits can be yellow, pink, scarlet, dark red and even purple-brown.

Tomatoes are presented in a large species and varietal variety.

Depending on the characteristics of growth, tomatoes can be indeterminate and determinant.

• Indeterminate - the tallest of all varieties of tomatoes. The main stem reaches a length of 2 m, and under favorable conditions it grows up to 3 m.

This is both a plus and a minus at once. On the one hand, the large size of the bush suggests that the plant develops slowly, you can wait for the harvest only a month later.It makes no sense to cultivate such varieties in central Russia, since they simply do not have time to ripen before the arrival of cold weather. On the other hand, such varieties are distinguished by high productivity, new buds are constantly forming on the shoots, in total, from 45 to 50 fruit brushes appear on each bush.

• Determinant - the growth of such tomatoes is limited to 5–6 clusters. Such plants belong to the group of mid-ripening tomatoes, their fruiting duration and the volume of fruits harvested are also kept at an average level. It was they who became ubiquitous in the central part of our country.

• Stamp - there is a separate class of tomatoes, which are called "tomatoes for the lazy." Standard crops have a shortened and thickened stem, such plants do not need shaping and pinching.

Tomatoes, like many fruit and vegetable crops, depending on the variety, may have different ripening times. The distribution of varieties by regions of cultivation, the features of agricultural technology in open areas and in greenhouse conditions, largely depend on this parameter.

• Ultra-ripe - the harvest of such tomatoes can be expected within 80–85 days after the sprouts appear. Sometimes there are even hybrids that bear fruit after 75–79 days. These are determinant tomatoes. The fruits are small in size, contain little sugar - this is due to the fact that ripening occurs in low light conditions during the period of shortened daylight hours. Whether or not to grow such varieties, given their low yield and not the highest taste characteristics, is a purely personal question. However, this is the optimal solution for areas with short daylight hours.
• Early ripe - the fruits of early ripening varieties can be harvested 90–100 days after the first shoots appear, that is, a week later than the ultra-ripe ones. This category includes medium-sized determinant varieties and medium-sized crops. Such tomatoes will be the best solution for areas with a cold climate and short daylight hours.
• Medium early - fruiting begins 100–105 days after the first sprouts hatch. These tomatoes are planted in the open field of the central part of Russia, although it will be more effective to use a film shelter or a greenhouse. It is advisable to plant beds with such tomatoes on the southern or southeastern side of the site.
• Mid-season - the fruits of such tomatoes ripen 100-115 days after the first shoots appear. These plants need more light than everyone else. Most of the varieties in this category are suitable for growing both outdoors and in greenhouses.
• Late ripening - the ripening of tomatoes in this category takes from 120 to 130 days, so you can't hesitate with planting them. It is risky to cultivate these varieties in central Russia, since the first early frosts can completely deprive you of hope for a good harvest. In this climatic zone, the greenhouse is the only cultivation method for late-ripening tomatoes.

Varieties of tomatoes for a summer cottage are chosen not only taking into account the weather characteristics of the growing area. Also take into account the plans for the use of the crop.

• For fresh consumption - this group includes sweet, fleshy and juicy tomatoes with thin skin. They are distinguished by good taste and rather dense flesh. Such vegetables go straight from the garden to vitamin salads.
• For processing - used for making sauces, lecho, as well as tomato paste or juice. These are fleshy fruits, the number of seeds in them is minimal.Taking into account that tomatoes are to be processed along with garlic, onions, peppers and other spices, the taste of the fruit is unimportant.
• For canning - small fruits of the correct shape are suitable for this process. They should be strong and the skin should be thick and resistant to cracking.
• Universal purpose - if you have not decided on the purpose of tomatoes or do not have the opportunity to allocate a separate bed for each direction, it is better to give preference to universal varieties. Such fruits can be consumed both fresh and processed. In the process of canning, they do not lose their shape.

Tomatoes intended for outdoor cultivation must meet the following criteria:

• high resistance to any changing cultivation conditions: temperature drops, aridity or rain;
• dense and strong stem, able to withstand mechanical handling and wind load;
• resistance to fungal infections and garden pests.

Taking into account the given requirements, the most productive types of tomatoes are distinguished.

• Kibits is a relatively young variety. It was registered in 2006, although it appeared on summer cottages much later. This is a high-yielding ultra-early tomato variety. Resistant to late blight, does not need pinching. The cream-shaped fruit weighing 60–80 g has an exceptional taste and good transportability. Often grown commercially.

• "Bella" F1 is an early maturing, tall hybrid. Fruits are hemispherical, large, weighing up to 200 g. The pulp is dense, with excellent taste characteristics. It tolerates transportation well, has a long shelf life. The variety is resistant to temperature fluctuations, easily tolerates shade, withstands wilting and viral mosaics.

• "Bobkat" F1 is a highly productive determinant hybrid. Ripening is medium early. The fruits are bright red, round, with a pronounced glossy sheen. The weight of each berry is 250-300 g, the taste is ideal. The pulp is juicy, aromatic, structured. The fruits are characterized by high transportability and good keeping quality.

• "Pink Flamingo" - early maturing variety, requires a trellis or any other support. Fruits are pink and large, oval in shape, with a noticeable spout. The weight of the berries varies: the fruits of the very first ovary grow up to 300 g, all subsequent ones - from 150 to 200 g. The fruits are pink, the taste characteristics are good.

If you have a greenhouse, you can get a harvest of juicy ripe berries all year round. Greenhouse tomato varieties are usually used for conservation. Most often, the following varieties are grown in this way:

• Fairy's Gift;
• "Fatalist';
• "Scarlet Caravel";
• "Andromeda";
• Amana Orange;
• "Geisha";
• "Pink Angel";
• "Eagle's Beak";
• "Pink Pearl".

Tomatoes are very demanding on the substrate. They prefer cultivated soils of different mechanical structure. The best crops can be harvested on fertile soils.

For planting tomatoes, well-heated areas with light soils rich in organic matter are selected. Light loams, sandy loam soils and chernozems are suitable for them. If there is a choice, it is best to grow tomato bushes on gentle southern slopes - there is a lower risk of return frosts and higher heat supply.

Potatoes and other members of the nightshade family will be unwanted predecessors, but pumpkin, cabbage, or beans are ideal.

Most summer residents plant seedlings on the site. All work is carried out at the beginning of June, after the threat of return frosts has completely passed and stable warm weather has been established.

The distance between the individual holes should be 30–40 cm, in the row spacing - 40–50 cm. Before planting tomatoes, planting holes should be formed and thoroughly rinsed with water at the rate of 1 liter per hole. It is advisable to plant seedlings immediately after purchasing it, since a wilted one will take root poorly, it is sick for a long time and lags behind significantly in development. Gardeners who grow seedlings on their own do not face such problems - they plant on the garden right after the fence from the greenhouse.

The plants are planted deeply. Experienced gardeners recommend plucking a few lower leaves and deepening the plants as much as possible, even up to the middle of the stem. The disembarkation is made with a slight slope to the northwest. The roots are carefully leveled and squeezed with earth.

After planting the seedlings, you should shed the hole well. In order for the land to retain moisture longer - the land near the seedling needs to be mulched, it is best to use peat or manure. A good effect is given by growing tomatoes in fallow areas, that is, under a film cover.

Temperature conditions are important for growing tomatoes. Best of all, this plant grows and develops at a temperature of 20-25 degrees during the day and 18 degrees at night. If the temperature drops below 15 degrees, flowering stops, at 10 degrees the ovaries wither and fall off. In the case of recurrent frosts, when the temperature drops below zero, the plant dies.

Tomatoes do not tolerate excessive heat. Growth stops at 30 degrees. If the temperature continues to rise, photosynthesis is disrupted, pollen loses its viability, as a result of pollination, it does not occur, the plant does not bear fruit.

For the tomato crop, light is very important as light is a key requirement for photosynthesis. The intensity of illumination affects the development of plants. If the bushes are deficient in light, the leaves become pale, the buds that have appeared fall off, and the stems are strongly stretched and thinned.

Tomatoes do not tolerate high air humidity, but they require abundant watering for the growth and ripening of fruits. The fact is that the root system is located in the upper layers of the soil: they are warmer and drier. In the absence of regular watering and natural rains, the land dries up, and the plants experience a moisture deficit. It is desirable to maintain a uniform moisture level throughout the growing season. Long breaks in watering are harmful for plants, since fluctuations in the moisture supply of the earth lead to cracking of the fruits. However, excess moisture is also harmful - it can lead to root rot. As a result, the buds fall off.

It is best to water the tomatoes infrequently, but abundantly, so that the ground is soaked by 15–20 cm. For this, 800-900 ml of moisture is poured under one bush. At the stage of flowering, watering is reduced, and during the formation of ovaries and the filling of berries, on the contrary, it is slightly increased. Watering should be done early in the morning or after sunset; in the daytime, irrigation is allowed only in cloudy weather.

To achieve a high yield of tomatoes, they need nutritious feeding. Fertilizers provide them with the necessary macro- and microelements. During spring digging, the site is enriched with organic matter; it is best to use manure or compost.

From the very beginning of the picking of seedlings and before the formation of flowers, tomatoes require ready-made mineral fertilizers containing nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. After the appearance of the first buds and the completion of fruiting, the accents shift towards potash compositions.

An important step in caring for a tomato crop is loosening. It must be produced every 10-14 days. If tomatoes are grown on heavy soils, loosening is carried out every week.

After 9-11 days after planting the seedlings, it is necessary to spud the tomatoes. This will speed up the formation of new branches on the stem. After 15–20 days, re-hilling is carried out.

Tomato care should include bush formation. It consists in pinching the top and timely pinching. Experienced gardeners say that if you form a bush into one stem, leaving a couple of brushes, you can achieve the highest yield of juicy ripe fruits in the open field.

The most common tomato diseases:

• top rot;
• macrosporiosis;
• septoria;
• stolbur;
• streak;
• late blight.

At the first sign of damage, the damaged fragments must be destroyed. Healthy tissues are treated with Fitosporin or Bordeaux fluid solution.

Of the pests, the greatest damage to tomatoes is caused by:

• whitefly;
• rootworm nematode;
• bear;
• scoops;
• wireworms.

Fungicide solutions help to save the crop. However, at the stage of fruit ripening, their use is undesirable.

Micronutrient deficiencies in tomato bushes can be determined as follows:

• with a nitrogen deficiency, the color of the stem, leaf plates, as well as the berries themselves, changes, the leaves become smaller, the veins acquire a red-bluish appearance, the fruits become harder and smaller;
• with a lack of phosphorus, the leaf plates of the plant are bent inward;
• if the tomatoes lack potassium, its leaves become more curly;
• the absence of calcium leads to the fact that young leaves are abundantly covered with yellowish specks, and the old ones change their shade to dark green;
• with a lack of sulfur, the leaves first become light green, after which they rapidly turn yellow, and sometimes turn red, sulfur starvation primarily manifests itself on young leaves, while the stems become very fragile and brittle;
• boron deficiency causes blackening of the growth point of the stem part, and the fruits are covered with brown spots;
• if there is little molybdenum in the soil, the leaves of the tomatoes turn yellow, curl upward, over time, the entire plate is affected by chlorosis;
• in the case of a lack of iron, tomatoes completely stop growing, their young leaves are affected by chlorosis.