Content
Growing tomatoes in the climatic zone of Russia is, to some extent, a risk. After all, there is no stable weather here in the warm season: summer can be too cold or, conversely, abnormally hot, droughts often occur here, and there may be rain with hail and strong winds. Another obstacle to obtaining a stable tomato harvest is late spring and too early autumn: frosts first prevent the tomatoes from being planted on time, and then prevent the fruit from fully ripening.
What are ultra-early ripening varieties of tomatoes and how they help Russian summer residents - we will look at this in this article.
Distinctive features of early tomato varieties
As you know, tomato varieties are divided depending on the speed of fruit ripening. Tomatoes are considered early ripening if their entire growing season is no more than one hundred days. That is, from the day of planting seeds in containers for seedlings to the first ripe tomato on the bushes, no more than three and a half months should pass.
As a rule, early maturing varieties are recommended for growing in particularly cold regions. In such conditions, only these tomatoes will have time to fully ripen and produce their fruits.
Another area where early varieties are a priority is the commercial cultivation of vegetables. After all, when tomatoes are planted for sale, the speed of fruit ripening is also very important.
The faster the greenhouse tomato ripens, the sooner (and therefore more expensive) the owner of the plot will be able to sell the crop.
Typically, tomatoes for sale are grown in greenhouses, so their ripening speed increases even more.
Gardeners from the northern part of Russia cannot do without ultra-early tomatoes. The soil here warms up only towards the end of May - beginning of June, so vegetables often do not have time to fully ripen before the onset of autumn cold weather.
It is believed that early vegetables are not as tasty as mid- and late-ripening tomatoes.
However, with proper cultivation, sufficient sunlight, fertilization of the soil and frequent watering, even ultra-early hybrids have a good taste and rich aroma.
"Mystery"
Hybrid ultra Precocious variety of tomatoes. These tomatoes are familiar to many gardeners as a productive and unpretentious variety. Plants reach 45 cm in height, have powerful stems and shoots, so they do not need staking.
The fruits ripen 75 days after the first shoots appear.The shape of the tomato is round, the size is medium - the weight of the tomatoes is about 150 grams. A characteristic feature of the variety is its excellent taste and strong aroma.
"Riddle" tomatoes are often grown commercially and are suitable for indoor cultivation. The fruits tolerate transportation well and can be stored without loss of taste and marketability.
If you do not regularly prun the bushes, the tomatoes will grow small. Therefore, it is important to promptly remove side shoots. By the way, you can dig them in and get additional tomato bushes; they will also ripen full-fledged fruits, but this will happen two weeks later than the main bush.
"Crimson Giant"
The only large-fruited hybrid among early ripening tomatoes. The average weight of Raspberry Giant tomatoes is about 700 grams.
Tomatoes from one bush can have different shapes: from round to flattened on the sides or bottom. The color of the fruit is bright crimson. The tomatoes are very tasty, meaty, aromatic.
Up to six fruits are formed on each cluster. The yield of the hybrid with proper care reaches 15 kg per bush. The plant resists most “tomato” diseases.
"Anastasia"
An extremely early hybrid tomato belonging to the determinate subspecies. The plant needs to be pinched; it is most effective to grow this variety in one or two stems.
7-9 tomatoes are formed in each brush; the brushes are placed after every second leaf. This determines the high yield of tomatoes - up to 12 kg of fruit can be harvested from one plant.
Ripe tomatoes are colored red, have a slightly elongated shape with a characteristic “pimple” at the bottom. The pulp has a pleasant sweetish taste and strong aroma.The average weight of one tomato is 200 grams.
"Betta"
Tomatoes of this early ripening variety ripen 2.5 months after planting the seeds. The plants are small, their height is only 50 cm.
The size of the fruit is also small - the weight of each Betta tomato is only 50 grams. Tomatoes taste sweet and their flesh is dense. The fruits are excellent for pickling and canning as a whole.
With proper care, up to two kilograms of tomatoes can be harvested from one standard bush of this variety.
"Sanka"
An ultra-early ripening hybrid, ripening by 75-80 days after planting the seeds. The plants are determinate, reach a maximum height of 50 cm, and have medium foliage. The bush itself is very compact, which allows you to plant seedlings close to each other.
Tomatoes in a ripe state are colored red, have an even round shape and a smooth surface. Inside, the fruit is divided into four chambers containing seeds. The taste of tomatoes is good and rich.
These small tomatoes are great for canning whole fruits, pickling and pickling.
"Valentina"
Determinate plant, growing up to a maximum of 70 cm. The bushes are spreading, powerful, strewn with fruits. A feature of the culture is considered to be extreme resistance to disease, the ability to normally tolerate drought and irregular watering.
There is no need to plant tomatoes of the “Valentina” variety. The fruits are not prone to cracking, have the shape of cream, and are colored red. The density of tomatoes is good; they can be cut into salads, processed into juice or canned as a whole. The average weight of each tomato is 120 grams.
"Amur standard"
Hybrid tomato of determinate type.The fruits ripen within 90 days, so they can be classified as ultra-early ripening varieties. The bushes reach a small height - only 50 cm.
Ripe tomatoes weigh about 80 grams. The shape of the fruits is round, they are painted bright red. The taste of tomatoes is good, they can be used for preparing salads and other dishes.
The value of the variety lies in its unpretentiousness. In any weather, even in cool or too hot summers, the Amur Stamb tomato will please the owner with a consistently high yield.
"Golden Brush"
Refers to early ripening indeterminate tomatoes. The height of the bushes is about one and a half meters, the plant is quite spreading, so it needs not only vertical tying, but also tying.
Tomatoes do not require complex care; they only need regular watering and a little fertilizer. With this approach, you can get a good harvest, because the bushes are literally strewn with small golden fruits.
Tomatoes are pear-shaped and have a pleasant taste. The fruits weigh about 30 grams. These tomatoes are used to decorate various dishes, marinate as a whole and eat fresh.
"Sweet Bunch"
Tomatoes of this variety are considered one of the most unpretentious - they can be grown on almost any soil, in difficult climatic conditions, with irregular care and watering.
The variety is classified as indeterminate; the bushes grow up to 150 cm and begin to bear fruit very quickly. Tomatoes are small in size and have a pleasant taste.
"Tangerine"
This variety of tomatoes is valued for its high yield, unpretentiousness and unusual appearance of the fruit.
Tomatoes ripen in clusters, each of which contains about ten fruits. The color of the tomatoes is unusual - bright yellow, tangerine.The fruits are quite large, so a tall plant must be tied up and side shoots removed, otherwise the stem will not stand and will break.
The strength of the variety is its durability - tomatoes will produce a good harvest even in bad weather conditions. Tomatoes are protected from most diseases.
"Miracle of the Earth"
An indeterminate early ripening tomato, which is one of the breeding innovations of recent years. Plants reach a height of two meters and require pinching and tying.
Tomatoes delight the owner with the large size of the fruits - the weight of each can be about 0.5 kg. Despite the size of the bushes and fruits, the variety tolerates climatic disasters well and is not afraid of untimely watering and prolonged drought.
An undoubted advantage is also the good transportability of tomatoes; they do not crack during storage and transportation, and retain an excellent presentation.
"Appetizing"
Another of the new varieties of early-ripening tomatoes, suitable for growing in open ground. The yield of the variety exceeds five kilograms from each bush.
Lovers of fresh vegetables will appreciate the large, beautiful cherry-colored fruits, which are distinguished by their excellent taste and pleasant aroma.
The Appetizing tomato can also be grown commercially and is suitable for planting in heated and unheated greenhouses.
"Balcony Miracle"
An early ripening tomato, specially bred for growing on window sills or balconies. The bushes grow very compact and low. We can say that this is an ornamental plant that will decorate a room or loggia.
However, this variety is not only beautiful, it also bears fruit. Small tomatoes are round in shape and colored red.With good feeding and daily watering, you can get a good harvest from each tomato bush.
"Danko"
An ultra-early tomato, the distinctive feature of which is the heart-shaped shape of the fruit. It is considered one of the best varieties both for growing in a greenhouse and for garden beds.
Farmers love the Danko tomato for its harmonious combination of characteristics such as unpretentiousness, productivity, and taste of tomatoes. After all, this variety is considered one of the most delicious!
The tomatoes are quite large, colored deep red. There are not many seeds inside, the flesh is fleshy and juicy. The weight of each tomato ranges from 300 to 500 grams.
These fruits are great for fresh consumption, they can also be processed, for example, tomato juice from Danko is very tasty. With sufficient care and regular watering, you can remove about seven kilograms of large tomatoes from each bush.
"Currency"
An excellent variety for those who grow vegetables for sale. The fruits are very beautiful, have a regular, even shape and a glossy surface. The peel color is bright red. The pulp is tasty, has a sweetish taste and pronounced aroma.
The weight of each tomato is approximately 200-300 grams. From one bush you can remove about 4.5 kg of tomatoes.
The variety is stable - the yields will be the same every year, they do not depend much on external factors and weather. Tomatoes tolerate transportation well because they have thick skin. For the same reason, tomatoes are great for canning as a whole.
"Apples in the Snow"
An early ripening variety that allows you to get the first tomatoes on the 85-100th day after planting the seeds for seedlings.The bushes are compact, about 50 cm high.
The tomatoes themselves are medium in size, weighing about 100 grams. When ripe, tomatoes are bright red. They have a round shape and a smooth surface.
The variety is suitable for planting both in greenhouses and open beds. The fruits are canned and added to salads and other dishes.
Rules for caring for early ripening tomato varieties
To prevent ultra-early tomatoes from being “plastic” fruits, without a characteristic aroma and taste, they need a sufficient amount of fertilizer. In addition, this will increase plant productivity, promote normal growth and rapid ripening of tomatoes.
The soil is fertilized in several stages:
- Starting in the fall, the soil on the site needs to be dug up to about 30 cm, but the soil should not be turned over so that the nutrient layer does not end up on top.
- Fertilizers are added to the dug soil: superphosphate or nitrogen, previously dissolved in water.
- In the last days of March or early April, the soil needs to be dug up again. Then apply potassium fertilizer.
- When the soil on the site warms up to 10 degrees, you can plant tomato seedlings. Usually this happens no earlier than mid-May; by this time the seedlings should be at least 30-45 days old.
- Ten days after transplantation, the seedlings should be fed with a nitrophoska solution.
- The same procedure is performed again when flowers appear on the bushes. This will contribute to the formation of full-fledged ovaries in place of the inflorescences.
- When the tomatoes begin to bear fruit, they need to be fertilized one last time. Potash fertilizers or magnesium sulfate are most suitable for this.
An important component of caring for tomatoes is protecting them from diseases.
Tomatoes are a very painful plant; maintaining a constant temperature and humidity level is extremely important for them. All this cannot be achieved in open ground conditions.
The most dangerous “enemy” of tomatoes is late blight. This fungal disease progresses when nighttime temperatures drop, causing diurnal fluctuations and excessive moisture in tomato stems and leaves.
An undeniable advantage of growing ultra-early ripening tomatoes is the fact that the fruits have time to ripen before the onset of cold weather at night. That is, these varieties may not be afraid of late blight, since they will no longer be at the height of this disease (the period from mid-August).
Early ripening tomatoes should be watered in the same way as usual - as the soil dries. Tomatoes do not like drought; the soil between the bushes should always be moist.
The soil must be loosened between rows, carefully avoiding the stems and roots of plants.
Growing ultra-early tomatoes is available to every gardener in the country. These varieties are suitable for greenhouses and open ground. Early ripening ensures consistently high yields with fairly simple care.
The resulting fruits are suitable for any purpose: fresh consumption, preparing salads and any dishes, processing and canning.
