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It is difficult to argue about the taste benefits of tomatoes - each consumer has his own preferences. However, Gina's tomato leaves no one indifferent.
Description of the variety
Gina's tomato is a determinate plant (it has limited growth and a certain number of ovaries), low-growing bushes grow on average 55-60 cm in height. The bush usually includes three or four stems, which do not require staking, pinching or shaping. 3-6 Gina tomatoes ripen on one cluster, with the first cluster usually planted above the eighth leaf, and the next ones - after one or a couple of leaves.
Gene's tomatoes have a round, slightly ribbed shape, slightly “pressed down” near the stem (as in the photo).
The fruits are rich red in color, weighing 200-300 g, and have a sweetish taste with notes of slight sourness. Ripe Gina tomatoes have thick, dense skin and are distinguished by meaty, juicy pulp. Thanks to their hard skin, tomatoes are well stored and easily transported.
The Gina tomato can be considered universal, since the fruits are very tasty both fresh and canned. You can visually evaluate the merits of Gina tomatoes in the photo.
The Gina TST variety is a hybrid and belongs to the mid-season varieties.The harvest appears 97-105 days after planting. Tomatoes weighing approximately 200 g are distinguished by their round shape and juicy, tasty pulp. Gina TST is planted in open ground or in a greenhouse. A bush 53-65 cm high is formed by two or three trunks growing immediately from the root.
The peculiarity of the Gina TST variety is that the bush grows branched, so they do not plant more than four tomatoes per square meter on a plot. Manufacturers insist that there is no need to tie up the plant. However, according to reviews from summer residents, it is advisable to fix the tomato near a support, otherwise the plant may fall apart. The tasty fruits ripen weighing 220-360 g, so tomatoes, due to their size, are used only fresh and not for winter preparations.
Planting and care
Gardeners consider the Gina tomato to be one of the best tomato varieties because it is easy to grow and does not require special conditions to obtain a good harvest.
Growing and planting seedlings
The tomato bears fruit well in open and closed ground.
In order not to make a mistake with the timing, when growing a Gina tomato, it is advisable to start from the location of the plot. In different climatic conditions, the ripening period of Gina varies between 85-120 days.
To grow Gina, you can use both non-seedling and seedling methods.
- With the seedless method, tomato seeds are sown directly into the ground. This method is best used in the southern regions. It is advisable to sow in a well-lit area of soil. On the eve of planting, the seeds are soaked for 8-10 hours to speed up the emergence of seedlings. Place 3-4 Gina tomato seeds in each hole.The distance in the row between the holes is 25-30 cm, and the row spacing is 65-70 cm. To speed up seed germination, sometimes the bed is covered with film. After the emergence of seedlings, it is recommended to thin out the tomatoes - the strongest seedling of the Gina tomato is left in the hole, and the rest are removed.
- In the seedling method, seedlings are first grown. To do this, tomato seeds are sown in a box at the end of March. Since the Gina variety is sensitive to low temperatures, seedlings can be planted in open ground after the threat of frost has passed. The best option is early June, when the soil warms up well. It is recommended to plant 3-4 tomatoes per square meter. Until the seedlings get stronger, you can tie them to a support.
In warm regions, it is not advisable to tie up Gina tomatoes. Bushes lying on the ground will prevent the soil from drying out and protect the roots of the plant.
Fertilizer application
When planting seedlings in open ground, it is recommended to sprinkle the bottom of the hole with wood ash, which will be a source of necessary microelements. This will also prevent the protection of Gin’s tomatoes from certain diseases.
With the seedless method, fertilizing is carried out after thinning the seedlings: 15 g of ammonium nitrate is diluted in 10 liters of water. There is a liter of solution per well. When planting tomato seedlings, fertilizer is applied after 10-14 days. For the following fertilizing, complex mineral fertilizers are used. If there are no inorganic compounds, you can use organic matter: a liter of manure is diluted in 10 liters of water and left for 9-12 days. After this, a liter of manure infusion is diluted in 10 liters of water. A liter of solution is poured under each Gina tomato bush.
To obtain a bountiful harvest of Gina tomatoes, it is recommended to alternately apply root and foliar fertilizers. As soon as the ovaries appear, fertilizers are applied exclusively at the roots.
Watering a tomato
Irrigation of Gina tomatoes has its own characteristics:
- increased hydration leads to a decrease in the sugar content of the fruit and the appearance of a watery structure. The risk of fungal diseases increases;
- Prolonged drought can cause tomato ovaries to fall off and plants to become infected with blossom end rot.
Therefore, infrequent but abundant watering can be considered the golden mean. The best option: once or twice a week. When choosing an irrigation regime, it is important to take into account the climatic characteristics of the region. Be careful not to get moisture on the stems, leaves and fruits. On hot sunny days, it is advisable to set aside evening time for watering the Gina tomato, but in cloudy weather, watering time is not particularly important.
General care for Gina is simple: weed the soil, loosen the soil after watering. When loosening the bushes, care must be taken not to damage the root system of the tomatoes. The tomato does not need a mandatory garter. This will most likely be the whim of the gardener. It is recommended to hill up the plant.
There is no need for pinching tomatoes. The bush is usually formed from 3-4 stems. Moreover, it is recommended to carefully tear off the lower leaves in order to increase plant ventilation. The leaves must be cut carefully so as not to damage the skin of the trunk.
The Gina tomato is a very productive variety. With proper care, each bush produces 3-4 kg of excellent, mouth-watering tomatoes.
Diseases and pests
The Gina variety is resistant to many diseases. The greatest damage to tomatoes is caused by pests - aphids, Colorado potato beetles, mole crickets:
- aphid - a harmful insect that feeds on plant sap, which leads to a stop in the growth and flowering of tomatoes, and new fruits do not set. A dangerous feature of aphids is that they transmit viral and fungal diseases. The external manifestation of the lesion is that the tomato leaves turn yellow and curl. For chemical treatment, the preparations “Biotlin”, “Askarin”, “Iskra” are used. Preventive measures include: burning plant residues, digging up the soil for the winter, and spring spraying the area for tomatoes with karbofos. Before spraying the bushes with chemicals, be sure to first pick all the tomatoes - ripe and starting to turn red.
- Colorado beetle. Insect larvae are capable of destroying an adult tomato bush in 18-20 days - they eat up the foliage. To combat pests, one-time measures are not enough. Control methods: collecting beetles, constantly loosening the soil, digging it up for the winter, regular use of chemicals (“Mospilan”, “Prestige”). Traditional methods - planting calendula, nasturtium, garlic along the beds and along the perimeter of the plot;
- mole cricket lives in the top layer of soil and destroys Gina's root system, which leads to disease or even death of the plant. It is not difficult to detect the presence of a pest - the bush withers, the foliage turns yellow and falls off. The optimal means of control is the use of the drugs Zemlin and Medvetox. The granules are placed in a furrow dug around the perimeter of the tomato plot. The poison is buried and watered abundantly.
To protect the Gina tomato as much as possible from pests, it is recommended to carry out comprehensive plant protection - use chemicals and folk remedies, dig up the soil in the fall, and burn the remains of tomato bushes.
The Gina tomato is an excellent variety. Even a novice summer resident will be able to harvest a good harvest of tomatoes if he follows the rules of caring for the plant.
