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There is no comrade according to taste - so says the Russian proverb. And yet... Every year, passionate enthusiasts who love to grow and, of course, eat tomatoes, publish on forums a list of the ten most delicious varieties, in their opinion. Plant resistance to diseases and yield are taken into account. The Japanese tomato is often found on this list. She may not take first place, but she is confidently among the leaders.
Reviews from those who planted Japanese tomato varieties are simply enthusiastic. What kind of miracle is this? Let us compile a detailed description and description of the Japanese tomato variety for those who are still unfamiliar with it. But first, let's present the photo.
Description and characteristics
Tomato seeds of the Japanese variety are found only in amateur collections. Seed companies do not propagate them yet. This circumstance has its pros and cons.
Minuses:
- Not all collectors can buy them;
- The seeds are not cheap; for 5 seeds you will have to pay from 40 to 50 rubles.
Pros:
- the quality of the seeds is high, they have already passed preliminary selection and have high germination;
- caring about their reputation, sellers who are truly passionate about their business do not allow mis-grading, you can be sure that what you bought will grow;
- plants obtained from such seeds are strong and resistant to many tomato diseases, since their parents were grown in compliance with all the rules of agricultural technology.
Now directly about the variety and its features:
- Japanese tomato belongs to indeterminate varieties, plant height is up to 2 meters;
- requires pinching, needs high-quality garter, like all varieties with large fruits; with a heavy load of harvest, it would be useful to tie up each bunch of tomatoes;
- Japanese tomato plants are formed into 1 or 2 stems, depending on the growing region;
- The Japanese variety is intended for cultivation in a greenhouse; in the southern regions it will feel good in open ground when tied to stakes;
- in terms of ripening time, the Japanese tomato is a mid-season variety; some collectors consider it mid-early; when sowing at the end of February and planting in a greenhouse at the beginning of May, ripe fruits can be harvested already at the beginning of July;
- the bush is slender, not spreading, with a medium-sized leaf of the usual type;
- the brush is simple, it can contain up to 5 tomatoes;
- tomatoes of the Japanese variety are very beautiful, heart-shaped with a sharp nose, their average weight is about 300 g, but some record holders weigh even half a kilo;
- when fully ripe, fleshy tomatoes have a beautiful raspberry-red color and an amazing sweet taste, the sugar content is high;
- The skin of the fruit is thin, so they are very tasty in salads, you can use them to prepare tomato paste, sauces, juices, and various preparations, but you won’t be able to marinate this yummy - the Japanese tomato fruits simply won’t fit into a jar.
Giving a full description and characteristics of the Japanese tomato variety, one cannot help but mention its high yield and ability to bear fruit until the coldest weather.Nothing definite can be said about the origin of the tomato; according to one version, it is a local, ancient family variety that was grown in the city of Bogorodsk, Nizhny Novgorod region. History is silent about the origin of the unusual name.
How to grow
The Japanese tomato requires growing seedlings. At the time of disembarkation, she should be 2 months old. Those who have already planted this tomato recommend sowing it at the end of February. If we take into account the time required to wait for germination, March and April will remain for the development of Japanese tomato seedlings. In the greenhouse the soil warms up faster than outside; by the beginning of May it will already be warm enough for the tomatoes to successfully take root.
Growing seedlings
If tomato seeds were bought from collectors, then you will have to sow all the seeds - after all, there are very few of them. As a rule, they have already been selected for size and quality, so you can hope for 100% germination. To help Japanese tomato seeds wake up, we will additionally treat them with a growth stimulator. Usually, collectors' tomatoes do not get sick. The huge number of varieties does not allow planting many plants of the same variety, so each specimen is valuable. The gardener is obliged to take care of the health of the tomatoes and carries out all preventive treatments against diseases.
There are many different ways to do this. For tomatoes, the best option is soaking in aloe juice. In addition to possessing pronounced bactericidal properties, this miraculous plant is a powerful biostimulant for both people and plants.
In order for the juice to maximize its beneficial properties, aloe must be properly prepared.To obtain juice, leaves of a flower older than three years that have not been watered for 2 weeks are suitable.
To prepare the juice, the lower, completely healthy leaves are cut off. They are wrapped in dark cloth and kept for a week or two on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. Then the leaves are ground in any convenient way and the resulting pulp is filtered and, if possible, squeezed out.
Soaking is carried out for 18 hours, completely immersing the seeds in the juice. It is better to do this in a bag of gauze or thin cotton fabric. After soaking, the seeds are not washed, but are sown immediately or germinated on damp cotton napkins, covered with a plastic bag.
Further actions:
- we sow tomatoes in loose, slightly moistened soil to a depth of 2 cm, you can sow them in one container, but it is better to place each seed in a separate small pot;
- We lay a 2 cm thick layer of snow on top; usually there is still a lot of it in February. Melted snow will saturate the soil with melt water, which stimulates rapid seed germination and will have a beneficial effect on future plants.
- All that remains is to put plastic bags on the containers with Japanese tomato seeds and put them in a warm place;
- shoots will appear quickly - on the 4th or 5th day, they really need the maximum amount of light, otherwise the thin shoots will stretch before our eyes, they do not need a lot of heat at this stage of development, it is enough to maintain a temperature of about 16 degrees during the daytime and 14 degrees at night ;
- in about a week, the Japanese tomato seedlings will get stronger, grow roots and need a different temperature regime: 22-23 degrees during the day and 18 at night;
- water the tomatoes, soaking all the soil in the pots, but only when it dries. Excessive humidity harms tomatoes - it provokes blackleg disease, in which case it will be difficult to save the seedlings.
- Tomatoes of the Japanese variety, planted in separate pots, do not need picking; they will need to be transplanted into pots or glasses with a volume of at least 700 ml, and preferably 1 liter, preserving the earthen ball with roots; do this when the Japanese tomatoes have 4 or 5 true leaves;
- In order for Japanese tomato seedlings to grow in quality, they need sufficient nutrition: 2 or 3 feedings with a weak solution of mineral complex fertilizer every 2 weeks; Plants need to be fed starting from the formation of the first true leaf, at which time the nutrients contained in the seed run out and Japanese tomato plants require external feeding;
- an important event - hardening of seedlings; Of course, in the greenhouse the conditions for plants are more comfortable than outside, but they are different from those in the room, so that the plants do not experience stress when they suddenly change, we accustom them to them gradually, this will take 2 weeks.
Planting in a greenhouse and further care
For Japanese tomato, the planting rate per sq. meter – 4 plants. In this case, they receive sufficient feeding area to form a significant harvest. The soil in the greenhouse is prepared in the fall, not forgetting to fertilize it and disinfect the soil and the greenhouse itself from pathogens of fungal diseases. Caring for planted plants includes the following components:
- mulching the soil;
- weekly watering with warm water, and more often in hot weather and during the fruiting phase;
- daily ventilation of the greenhouse, the optimal temperature for the development of tomatoes is no higher than 25 degrees during the day and 18 at night;
- fertilizing once every 10-14 days with complete mineral fertilizer with a predominance of nitrogen in the first phase of growth and potassium during the formation and filling of fruits. In order for the Japanese tomato to not have green shoulders on the stalk, the potassium content in the soil must be sufficient. You can feed them with ash extract or use a solution of potassium sulfate.
- regular removal of stepsons and formation of a plant into 1 or 2 trunks;
- removing leaves as fruits form on each cluster;
- pinching the tops at the end of July in the middle zone and in August in the south.
You can watch the video on how to care for tomatoes in a greenhouse:
The Japanese tomato is an amazing variety. Its fruits will not only be a decoration on any table, their excellent taste will please even the most fastidious gourmet, and its universal use will delight any housewife.
