Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is a species of herbaceous annual and perennial plants belonging to the genus Solanum of the Solanaceae family. This plant is grown as a vegetable crop, and it is very popular in all countries. People call it “tomato fruit” – “pomo d’oro”, which is translated from Italian as “golden apple”. The name tomato comes from the Aztec “tomatl”, it was perfected by the French to its modern form. This culture comes from South America, and today it can also be found in natural conditions. The tomato was brought to European territory in the middle of the 15th century. He got with sailors to Spain and Portugal, and from there to France, Italy and other European countries that are more distant from sea routes.

Previously, the tomato was grown as an exotic plant, as its fruits were considered inedible for a long time. In 1692, in Naples, a recipe for an allegedly Spanish tomato dish was included in a cookbook for the first time. On the territory of Russia, this culture appeared in the 18th century, it was initially grown as a decorative exotic plant, since the fruits did not have time to ripen in harsh weather conditions. But the outstanding Russian writer, naturalist and philosopher A. T. Bolotov came up with the idea of ​​growing tomatoes through seedlings, and also using the method of seeding, which made it possible to achieve full ripening of the fruits.

A brief overview of planting and care

  1. Landing . Seeds for seedlings should be sown in the second half of March. Planting of seedlings in open ground, depending on the variety, is carried out 45-60 days after the emergence of seedlings.
  2. Illumination . Needs a lot of bright sunlight.
  3. Soil . It should be warm, loose, saturated with organic matter, moderately moist and slightly acidic or neutral.
  4. Predecessors . Bad – representatives of the Solanaceae family, for example: tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplants, etc. Good – carrots, onions, cabbage, cucumbers, zucchini, legumes.
  5. How to water . Watering should be done systematically by drip method. 1 liter of water is taken for 1 bush.
  6. Flipping . The first time you need to turn up 8-12 days after transplanting into open ground, when the tomatoes will be watered. This procedure should be repeated 17-20 days after the first lifting.
  7. Adoption . 20 days after transplanting seedlings into open ground.
  8. Mulching . It is necessary to use organic matter: peat, grass or sawdust.
  9. Garter . It is necessary to tie to wallpaper or stakes first at the level of the first leaf plate, then at the level of the second brush, and later at the level of the third brush.
  10. Fertilizer . The first time is 10-12 days after transplanting the seedlings into the open ground, the second – half a month after the first, the third – 15 days after the second.
  11. Harmful insects . Tomatoes can be harmed by: scoops, thrips, wireworms, slugs, cabbage worms, gall nematodes and sprout flies.
  12. Illness . The plant can be affected by phytophthora, brown, brown, white and black spots, white, gray, top and stem rot, verticillosis, tracheomycosis, streak, bacterial cancer and viral mosaic.

Features of tomatoes

The rapidly forming rod-like branched root system of tomatoes goes to a depth of 100 cm or more, it grows to a width of 150-250 cm. The peculiarity of this plant is that additional roots can develop on any part of the shoot. In this regard, tomatoes can be propagated by seeds, as well as by cuttings and cuttings. An upright or ascending branched stem can be 0.3–2 m high or even more. Unpaired leaf plates are cut into large parts, in some varieties they resemble potato leaves. The raceme-shaped inflorescences consist of small unattractive flowers that can be painted in various shades of yellow. Flowers are bisexual, each of them has male and female organs. The fruit is a multi-nested berry that can have different shapes, namely: elliptical, round and cylindrical. The weight of fruits can vary from 30 to 800 grams. Depending on the variety, the fruits are colored in orange, yellow, greenish, deep yellow, brown, almost black, pink, deep red, white, yellow, golden yellow or purple. The small and flat seeds are pointed at the base, they are painted in various shades of yellow, their surface has pubescence, which gives them a pale gray color. Seeds retain their germination for 6-8 years. Tomatoes in the botanical sense are berries, but in 1893 the Supreme Court of the United States, and in 2001 the European Union decided to consider tomatoes as vegetables and not fruits, like all other berries. The small and flat seeds are pointed at the base, they are painted in various shades of yellow, their surface has pubescence, which gives them a pale gray color. Seeds retain their germination for 6-8 years. Tomatoes in the botanical sense are berries, but in 1893 the Supreme Court of the United States, and in 2001 the European Union decided to consider tomatoes as vegetables and not fruits, like all other berries. The small and flat seeds are pointed at the base, they are painted in various shades of yellow, their surface has pubescence, which gives them a pale gray color. Seeds retain their germination for 6-8 years. Tomatoes in the botanical sense are berries, but in 1893 the Supreme Court of the United States, and in 2001 the European Union decided to consider tomatoes as vegetables and not fruits, like all other berries.

Growing tomatoes from seeds

Sowing

Tomatoes in the middle latitudes grow exclusively through seedlings, since if the seeds are sown in open ground, their fruits will not have time to fully ripen during the season. It is necessary to start growing tomato seedlings in the winter time, while taking into account that 4 weeks after the second picking, they should be planted in open ground.

The timing of sowing tomato seeds for seedlings directly depends on the climatic conditions of each region. However, it should be taken into account that in any case, if all the necessary conditions are met, then the seedlings will need to be transplanted into open ground, depending on the variety, 45-65 days after sowing the seeds. For example, in middle latitudes, tomatoes are sown for seedlings on March 8-20. If tomatoes will be grown in a greenhouse, then seedlings can be transplanted into it 30-35 days after their appearance. It should be taken into account that in regions with a short summer, it is recommended to grow large-fruited varieties of tomatoes in open ground, because if their fruits do not have time to fully ripen, they can be plucked from the bush when they are brown and ripen. If you add small-fruited tomatoes, the fruits will become sluggish and lose their taste.

Seeds need pre-sowing preparation. To do this, they should be heated for 48 hours at a temperature of 30 degrees, then for 72 hours they are kept at a temperature of 50 degrees. Then the seed material for 30 minutes. immersed in a solution of potassium permanganate, which should have a pink color. Then they should be rinsed for 10 minutes. in running and clean water and keep for several hours in a solution of the drug that stimulates growth. For sowing seeds, a universal soil mixture is used, for example: which includes peat and sand (1:1). To grow such seedlings, you can use a soil mixture consisting of sawdust, peat and sod land (0.5:7:1). Seedlings also grow very well in a soil mixture consisting of humus, mullein, peat and sawdust (1:0.5:3:0.5). Any substrate must be disinfected, for this, it is roasted in a microwave oven or oven, while half a month before sowing the seeds, it must be poured with a solution of EM-Baikal (1%). The freezing method can also be used to sterilize the substrate. To do this, the container with the soil mixture is taken outside in the first winter weeks, while in the spring it is brought indoors, and when it warms up well, it will be possible to sow seeds.

Seedling boxes must be at least 10 centimeters high. If there is enough space, then the seeds should be sown thinly, and if possible, it is recommended to use peat tablets for this purpose, the diameter of which reaches 3.3–3.6 cm, 2 or 3 seeds are placed in each of them, in this case, the seedlings are not will need to decrease. The seeds should not be buried too deeply in the substrate. They are evenly distributed over the surface of the moistened substrate, then covered with a thin layer of vermiculite or substrate, while the thickness of the layer should be from 0.3 to 0.4 cm. The crops should be covered with a paper sheet or film.

Growing tomato seedlings

If tomato seedlings are cared for well and correctly, this will have a beneficial effect on the quantity, as well as the quality of the harvest. Before the seedlings appear, the crops should be provided with an air temperature of about 25 degrees. After the seedlings appear, and this should happen in 5-7 days, the cover should be removed from the container (it is recommended to do this in the afternoon), then the seedlings are transferred to a well-lit place with diffused light, while within 7 days they the following temperature regime should be ensured: at night – 8-12 degrees, and during the day – 10-15 degrees. After a week, the following temperature regime should be established: on rainy days – from 18 to 20 degrees, on fine days – from 20 to 25 degrees, and at night – from 14 to 16 degrees. The room is systematically ventilated, while do not forget to protect the seedlings from drafts. Crops should be watered with well-settled water at room temperature, for this use a fine-dispersed sprayer. Watering is carried out only once every 7 days. But at the same time, it should be taken into account that after the seeds that will be sown in a moistened substrate and before the first real leaf plate appears, it is not necessary to water the crops. After the plants have formed 5 real leaf plates, they are watered only once every 3-4 days.

In some cases, the stairs will need to provide additional lighting, since in order for them to develop normally, they will need a light day lasting 12-16 hours. In the absence of an opportunity to organize additional lighting, the seedlings will need feeding, for this they use potassium fertilizer in a weak concentration. After the tomatoes grow, it is necessary to fill the boxes with a layer of substrate, the thickness of which should be from 10 to 20 mm, thanks to this, the seedlings will be more stable.

Picking tomatoes

It is necessary to prick the seedlings during their development with the second leaf plate. Gardeners have different opinions about whether it is necessary to dive tomato seedlings. It is possible to find out the necessary height of the seedling by experience, for this, half of the tomatoes must be left in the seedling box, the substrate has been added to it, and the other plants must be transplanted into individual cups, the volume of which must be at least half a liter, if you take a smaller container, then the tomatoes will have to be transplanted 2 times. Thanks to this experience, it will be possible to understand in which case the plants will develop faster and better.

Before starting to dive seedlings, the substrate in the seedling box must be watered very well. You can plant 1 or 2 plants in separate cups. If 2 seedlings are planted in a container, then when their length reaches 10-15 centimeters, their stems must be tied very tightly to each other, using synthetic thread for this. After the fusion of two stems into one, the thread must be removed, as a result you will have a bush with two root systems and a strong stem.

For 7 days, the spiked plants should be provided with the following temperature regime: on a sunny day – from 25 to 27 degrees, on a rainy day – from 20 to 22 degrees, and at night – from 14 to 17 degrees. After a week, you should return to changes in the temperature regime. Half a month before transplanting tomatoes into open ground, you need to start preparing them for the new conditions. For this, it will be necessary to gradually reduce watering, every day for a short time they should be moved outside under the direct rays of the sun, the seedlings will also need feeding with a nutrient mixture consisting of 1 liter of water, 7 grams of potassium sulfate, 1 g of ammonium nitrate and 4 grams of superphosphate. and preventive treatment with a solution of Bordeaux mixture (1%) against harmful insects and diseases.

Growing tomatoes on the windowsill

Various vegetable crops are suitable for growing indoors, for example: cucumbers, bitter peppers, tomatoes, sweet peppers, etc. Tomatoes are light-loving, so it is recommended to grow them on a windowsill located in the southern part of the building, as they need very good lighting, and direct rays they don’t need the sun. In autumn and winter, the light day is very short, so for tomatoes to develop normally, they need illumination, for this they use a fluorescent lamp or an agricultural lamp. For growing at home, it is recommended to choose short or dwarf varieties, for example: Little Florida, Dubok, Pearl red or yellow, Pinocchio, and also hybrids: Balcony miracle, Bonsai and Bonsai micro.

Take a glass and fill it with soil mixture, which includes sand, sod land, peat or humus, they must be taken in equal parts. The substrate in the containers should be poured with freshly boiled water, then you should wait for it to cool down completely, and then distribute it over the surface of the seeds. If the seeds are germinated, then you will need to place 1 piece of them in each cup, and when sowing non-germinated seed material – 2 or 3 pieces. Seeds should be buried in the substrate by only 20 mm. For germination, the seeds are placed in a moistened cloth, where they will remain for several days until small sprouts appear. However, first the seeds must be checked for germination, for this they are placed in a pink solution of potassium permanganate for a quarter of an hour. After the allotted germination time, the seeds should swell and sink to the bottom, at the same time, non-viable ones will surface. Then the containers with crops should be removed to a warm place (from 25 to 30 degrees), they should be covered with a film or glass on top. 3-5 days after the seedlings appear, the cups should be placed on the windowsill, on which a device for additional lighting should be installed in advance.

Watering is carried out only after the top layer of the soil mixture has completely dried. Plants should be watered with the help of a rubber medical bulb, for this use well-settled water at room temperature, which should be carefully introduced between the walls of the container and the substrate. Thanks to such watering, it will be possible to avoid blurring of the substrate, as well as overwetting of its upper layer. You can also use the tray method for watering tomatoes. Hardened plants will need to be transplanted into larger containers. If the plants are short, then for their transplant you can use containers with a volume of 3-5 liters, while strong plants will need pots from 8 to 12 liters. A good drainage layer should be made at the bottom of the container, which is covered with a two-centimeter layer of sand. After that, a seedling, taken together with a lump of earth, is transplanted into the container by transshipment, then enough substrate is poured into it so that it is full and has no voids. It is necessary to bury the plant in the soil by the cotyledon leaf plates.

Over time, you need to systematically prune the bushes, for this you should remove those shoots that grow in the leaf axils. They should be broken out by hand, and the stump should be about 1-2 cm long. Thanks to this, the growth of the main shoots is stimulated, as well as the productivity of the bush is increased. It is recommended to provide tomatoes with a temperature of about 28 degrees during the day, and 15 degrees at night. They are watered 2 or 3 times in 7 days, for this they use well-settled water at room temperature, while being extremely careful not to wash the surface of the substrate. It is necessary to feed tomatoes once a decade, for this use organic or mineral fertilizers, remember that it is necessary to monitor the concentration of the solution, otherwise active growth of greens may begin, which will negatively affect fruiting. If the stem near the bush has become unstable, it must be tied to the support. In order for the flowers to be accurately pollinated, it is necessary to gently shake the bushes a couple of times every 7 days. After most of the fruits have formed, experts advise to cut the tops of the bushes, as well as the flowering brushes. A tomato grown at home, if properly cared for, will bear fruit for five years, but as a rule, the first 2 years are the most fruitful.

Planting tomatoes in open ground

What time to plant

Planting tomato seedlings in open ground is carried out in June, after the return spring frosts will be left behind, while warm weather should be established. By this time, the seedling should have a developed root system, 7-8 leaf plates and stems 25-30 centimeters high, and it should also begin to form brushes.

To grow tomatoes, you need to choose a sunny and well-warmed area, which should have protection from the wind. It should be taken into account that cabbage, legumes, onions, carrots, beets, turnips and other root vegetables are good predecessors of this crop. The plot on which crops belonging to the Solanaceae family, such as eggplants, peppers or potatoes, grew, can be used for growing tomatoes only after 3 years.

Suitable soil

Tomatoes are recommended to be grown in soil rich in organic matter. It should be taken into account that such plants rapidly remove all nutrients from the soil, in this regard, compost or humus (from 4 to 6 kilograms per 1 square meter of the site) and mineral fertilizers, namely, 20 grams of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, which should be applied to the soil in the fall during digging 6 months before planting tomatoes, and another 10 grams of nitrogen fertilizers in the spring in the year of planting tomatoes at the rate of 1 square meter. Organic matter is introduced into the soil in October during the digging of the site, while it is necessary to make sure that the lumps of earth are large, in the spring time, the soil should be loosened twice to a depth of 10 centimeters, while nitrogen fertilizer is introduced into it. If organic fertilizers are applied to the soil every year,

Landing rules

Planting pits should be made on the prepared site, the depth of which should be equal to the height of the cups in which the seedlings grow. Then they must be watered well. A distance of 0.3 to 0.4 m should be observed between the holes, and the width of the rows should be about 0.5–0.6 m. If the height of the bushes is about 0.3 m, then they are planted in the holes at a right angle. At the same time, seedlings of vigorous varieties, as well as elongated bushes, must be planted at an angle, while the top of the plants is directed to the south, and the stem is buried in the soil by ¼ or 1/3. After planting tomatoes in the soil, it is compacted and abundantly watered. It is necessary to install pegs near the bushes of vigorous varieties, in the future they will be used as a support. The following number of bushes is planted per 1 square meter of the plot:

hybrids, as well as vigorous varieties – 3 or 4 pieces;
varieties in which 2 or 3 stems are formed on a bush – from 4 to 6 pieces;
varieties that form 1 stem, as well as with limited growth of the main stem – 6-10 pieces.

Growing tomatoes in a greenhouse

It is necessary to plant tomato seedlings in the greenhouse in the first decade of May. It should be taken into account that at the end of spring at night it is still quite cool, in this regard, the greenhouse must be covered with two layers of film, while the gap between them should be from 20 to 30 mm. When warm weather sets in (as a rule, this happens already in the first days of June), it will be possible to remove the top layer of the film. It should also be taken into account that it is forbidden to grow tomatoes and cucumbers in the same greenhouse. The fact is that cucumbers need higher humidity and air temperature compared to tomatoes, and they also have significantly different ventilation modes. Tomatoes also need a large amount of light, and if they are even slightly shaded by tree branches or bushes, this will have an extremely negative effect on the harvest.

It is not recommended to grow tomatoes in a greenhouse bed after any predecessor. If it is not possible to change the entire substrate, then it is necessary to at least change its upper layer with a thickness of 10 to 12 centimeters, this will avoid damage to the bushes by anthracnose. Then you need to disinfect the soil with a freshly boiled solution of 1 bucket of water and 1 tbsp. l. of copper sulphate or 2 tablets of Oxychom. When preparing the soil for planting, add 1 tsp. urea or potassium nitrate, 1 tbsp. l. potassium sulfate, 3 tbsp. l. double superphosphate in granules, 1 tbsp. l. calimagnesia and 2 cups of wood ash.

Planting seedlings of a standard size in a greenhouse is carried out in exactly the same way as in open ground. Overgrown or elongated plants are planted as follows: at the bottom of the planting hole, one more hole must be made, its size should be equal to the size of the container in which the plant is grown. In this hole it is necessary to plant a plant with a peat pot or a lump of earth. After that, the lower hole should be filled with soil, while the upper one should remain completely open. After half a month, after full adaptation of the planted seedlings, it will be possible to fill the upper pit. If an overgrown bush is buried to the required depth immediately, then it will immediately begin to form additional roots, and since the bush spends almost all its strength on this, it will take much longer and worse to take root.

The bushes planted in the greenhouse cannot be watered for 15 days, after that the plants are tied to the support, the height of which should be about 200 cm. After that, single-stem bushes are formed, on which there should be 7 or 8 brushes. At the same time, you need to cut out all the forming stepsons, from which short stumps (10-20 mm) should remain. To be sure that the flowers are accurately pollinated, it is necessary to carefully shake the flower brushes, and then water the soil or moisten the flowers using a fine spray for this. After 2 hours, it is necessary to reduce the level of air humidity in the greenhouse, for this it is ventilated. Remember that when arranging the greenhouse, along with the side windows and doors, you need to make ceiling windows in it, which will prevent the accumulation of condensate on the film.

Before the formation of buds begins, it is necessary to water the tomatoes once every 5-7 days, while 4 to 5 liters of water are taken per 1 square meter of the site. As soon as the bushes bloom, when watering them, it will be necessary to take from 1 to 1.5 buckets of water per 1 square meter of the plot. In order for them to grow well, the air temperature in the greenhouse should be about 20-22 degrees.

During the growing season, tomatoes will need to be fed 3 or 4 times by the root method. 20 days after transplanting the seedlings into greenhouse beds, it should be fed for the first time, for this, a nutrient solution consisting of 1 bucket of water, 0.5 liters of liquid mullein and 1 tbsp. l. nitrophos After half a month, the bushes need to be fed again, for this they use a solution consisting of 1 bucket of water, 1 tsp. potassium sulfate and 1 tbsp. l. complete mineral fertilizer. The third feeding is carried out after another 15 days, for this you will need a nutrient solution consisting of 1 bucket of water, 1 tbsp. l. superphosphate and 2 tbsp. l. wood ash About 6 to 8 liters of nutrient mixture are taken per 1 square meter of the site. In order for the fruits to ripen (fill) faster, they will need feeding during the period of full fruiting, for this, a nutrient mixture of the following composition is taken: 1 bucket of water, 1 tbsp. l. liquid sodium humate and 2 tbsp. l. of liquid superphosphate, while 5 liters of such a mixture are taken per 1 square meter of the bed.

Caring for tomatoes

When growing tomatoes in open ground, they must be systematically watered, fed, weeded, loosened the surface of the soil and protected from diseases and harmful insects. The bushes also need to be turned over and shaped. It is necessary to loosen the surface of the soil between plants and bushes several times during the vegetation period (1 time in 10-12 days), which will allow timely destruction of the crust formed on the soil. Along with loosening the soil, you need to pull out all the weedy grass. The bushes should be turned up for the first time 8-12 days after transplanting tomato seedlings into open ground, this should be done the next day after watering. The second turning of the bushes after watering is carried out 2.5–3 weeks after the first.

It is also necessary to carry out the formation of tomatoes. In regions with a relatively warm climate, such a culture can be grown in several stems. However, if the climate is quite cool, then it is recommended to grow tomatoes in 1 stem, while it is necessary to leave 2 or 3 flower brushes on it, and also do not forget to cut out all the stepsons, otherwise a large amount of gorse will have an extremely negative effect on the harvest. The first pruning of lateral stepsons is carried out 20 days after transplanting the seedlings into open ground, after their length is 50-70 mm. Strong-growing varieties need not only steppinning, but also pinching of the growth point, which is carried out in the first days of August. When growing spiny varieties near the bushes, you need to cut off all the lower leaf plates, this is a good prevention of fungal diseases, and thanks to this, the access of air and sunlight to the plant will improve. This will contribute to the fact that the harvest will be higher and earlier.

How to water

Tomatoes cultivated in open ground must be systematically watered. Water should be poured into the holes, while 1 liter of water is taken for 1 bush. Watering is recommended in the afternoon or on a cloudy day. Mandatory watering must be carried out before starting loosening, during the flowering period of the first and second flower brush, and even after dry fertilizer is applied to the soil.

It is best to water such plants with a drip method. Thanks to this, the liquid enters the soil rather slowly, in this regard, there is no sharp change in air humidity, which has an extremely negative effect on tomatoes. In addition, there is no stagnation of liquid on the surface of the soil, which is a good prevention of fungal diseases.

The surface of the soil around the bushes is recommended to be mulched with black covering material, thanks to this, the growth of weeds is completely stopped, and the preservation of moisture in the soil is also observed. If the surface of the plot is mulched with organic matter (for example: sawdust, grass or peat), then this will contribute to the attraction of earthworms, which loosen the soil and in the course of their life produce humus, and tomatoes need it very much. But it should be taken into account that moles can settle in an area with a large number of earthworms.

Garter rules

You can use trellis or stakes to tie tomatoes. It is recommended to install pegs from the north side of the row, while maintaining a distance of 9 to 11 centimeters between them and the shoots. To make wallpaper, you will need stakes that are installed every 4 meters, then threads or ropes should be stretched between them. Bushes are tied up in 3 stages:

  • after transplanting seedlings into the soil at the level of the first leaf plate;
  • at the level of the second flower brush;
  • at the level of the third flower brush.

Feeding tomatoes

It is necessary to feed seedlings for the first time 10-12 days after transplanting them into open ground. For this, a nutrient mixture consisting of organic matter and mineral fertilizers is used; for its preparation, 20 grams of superphosphate must be added to 1 bucket of mullein solution (manure slurry and water, taken in a ratio of 1:8 or 1:9). 1 liter of this mixture is taken for 1 bush. The second time the plant is fed half a month after the first feeding, and the third time – after the same period of time, for this, mineral fertilizers are used in dry form, they are evenly distributed on the surface of the bed: 10 grams of ammonium nitrate, 20 g of superphosphate are taken per 1 square meter of the plot and 15 g of potassium salt. Then the surface of the soil must be loosened to cover the fertilizers, after which it is well poured.

If there is a lack of any element in the soil or there is too much of it, this may affect the appearance of the bushes. For example, if there is little sulfur in the soil, the leaves on the bushes will turn red or turn yellow, while the shoots will become very fragile. If there is a lack of boron in the soil, then the shoots at the point of growth will turn black, the cuttings in the young leaf plates will become brittle, and brown spots will form on the surface of the fruits. If there is a lack of molybdenum, the leaf plates will turn yellow and curl up, also because of this, the bushes can be affected by chlorosis, as well as with a lack of iron, when the color of the leaves changes to almost white, while the tomatoes do not ripen, and their growth stops. If signs of a lack of any of the elements are detected, the bushes will need to be fed by leaves

Processing


In regions where the climate is quite cool, in some cases tomatoes do not have time to ripen. To save the harvest, the bushes can be treated with a special mixture that will accelerate the ripening of the fruits. For this, you will need young pine shoots, which you need to put on the refrigerator shelf for 7 days. They should be finely chopped and mixed with water in a ratio of 1:2. The mixture should be brought to a boil, after which it should be kept on low heat for 5-10 minutes. The cooled and strained decoction should be diluted with water in a ratio of 1:3. During the formation of buds, treat the bushes with this mixture.

Pests and diseases of tomatoes

Diseases

The most common diseases in tomatoes are brown, brown, black and white spots, mosaic (because of which the plants fall off), tracheomycosis, bacterial cancer, southern and common late blight (bushes begin to dry), white, stem, gray and top rot, verticillosis and streak. Each of these diseases has its own symptoms and methods of treatment. However, it should be remembered that if you strictly follow the rules of prevention and agricultural techniques of this culture, then it will be possible to avoid plant infection altogether.

Pests

Tomato bushes are most often inhabited by thrips, seedling flies, whiteflies, mealybugs, wireworms, slugs, and gall nematodes. It is recommended to fight against such harmful insects with folk remedies, namely: herbal infusions and decoctions that have a fungicidal, insecticidal and antifeedant effect.

Picking and storing tomatoes

20 days before harvesting tomatoes, you need to remove all flowering stems and buds, thanks to this the formed fruits will ripen faster. The fruits are collected selectively, as the tomatoes ripen to a brown, pale yellow, pink or milky color. Such fruits ripen well in 7-15 days, while they remain juicy and tasty. If you pick green tomatoes from the bushes, then after ripening, their taste will be lower. All fruits should be collected before the temperature drops to 8 degrees at night, as this temperature increases the risk of plant damage by various diseases. Most gardeners recommend harvesting the entire crop before the “cold dawn”, otherwise it may die. But at the same time, it should be taken into account that the ripening of each of the varieties occurs at its own time. Example,

Ripe tomatoes must be placed with their noses down, for this they use plastic boxes or cardboard boxes, the bottom of which must be lined with paper sheets, while placing no more than 12 kilograms of tomatoes in each container, otherwise the pressure on the bottom row will be excessively strong.

Ripe tomatoes should be stored for no more than 7 days before canning, processing or fresh consumption. Pink and brown fruits that have been placed on the dozarovanie ripen much faster compared to green or milky white ones. It is not recommended to dose and store injured and large tomatoes that are plucked from the bushes together with the stalks. For planting, the fruits are placed in cardboard boxes, which must be covered with lids. In the middle of the box, 3 or 4 ripe fruits are placed, which produce ethylene, which helps accelerate the ripening of tomatoes. If you put the fruits in plastic boxes or in wicker baskets, then they are covered with a dense material, for example, burlap, which will prevent the evaporation of ethylene. In a warm room, fruits ripen much faster. The pink fruits will be fully ripe in about five days,

In order for the fruits to be preserved until the second half of December, paper sheets should be laid between the layers. They need to be removed in a cool place, for example, in a dry cellar, on a glazed balcony or on a cold veranda. If the fruits are stored for a long time, then they should be systematically sorted, which will allow timely removal of rotten specimens that can infect all other tomatoes with rot.

Types and varieties of tomatoes

There are several types of tomato classifications. The classification of the American scientist C. Rick divides all tomatoes into 9 types. In Russia, a traditional classification is adopted, according to which all tomatoes are divided into 3 types, namely Peruvian, ordinary and hairy tomatoes. To date, there are more than 70 hybrids and varieties of the common tomato, and these are only those tomatoes that are intended for growing in open ground.

Such a plant is also divided according to its structure into non-stemmed, stemmed and potato-like.

  1. Standard tomatoes . They are represented by compact bushes, which have very thick shoots, as well as medium-sized corrugated leaf plates located on short petioles. This group is quite numerous, it includes dwarf and medium-sized hybrids and varieties that form a small number of stepchildren.
  2. Non-standard tomatoes . Their leaves are larger and slightly corrugated. The shoots are thin, and they lie under the weight of the tomatoes. This group is represented by dwarf and tall varieties, as well as hybrids. To date, there are semi-standard tomatoes, which are something in between standard and non-standard types.
  3. Potato tomatoes . Large leaf plates are similar to potato ones. Such species are rare.

The varieties are also divided by the type of bush growth into determinate (slow-growing) and indeterminate (tall-growing). Also in this group there are superdeterministic and semideterministic varieties. However, only specialists use this classification.

Tomatoes are also divided into early-ripening, mid-ripening and late-ripening tomatoes according to their ripening time.

Early ripening varieties

  1. Irma . Large or medium fruits ripen in 100 days. The height of the bush is from 0.5 to 0.6 m, it does not need pruning. The variety is characterized by good bearing capacity. The fruits are suitable for autumn salads, canning in their own juice and whole-fruit freezing.
  2. Raisin . The height of the bushes varies from 0.5 to 0.8 m. The heart-shaped dense tomatoes are red in color and weigh approximately 100 grams. Watermelon pulp is sweet and very tasty. The fruits are suitable for preservation and for preparing salads.
  3. Butuz . High-yielding bushes reach a height of 0.5 to 0.6 m. Barrel-shaped red fruits weigh from 100 to 200 grams, their shelf life is excellent, as is the taste.

The best mid-ripening varieties

  1. Ox heart . Juicy and soft tomatoes are of medium and large size, they have a red-pink color, a thin skin and a wonderful sweet taste. The variety has excellent yield, but this variety has low resistance to brown spotting.
  2. Lady’s fingers . On the half-meter bushes, which do not form stepsons, there is a relatively small amount of leaves. Red tomatoes have a pear-shaped shape and firm, dense flesh. Perfect for preservation.
  3. Koenigsberg . The height of the bush of such a vigorous variety is from 150 to 200 cm. Red elongated tomatoes have a shape similar to eggplants. They have an excellent taste and weigh about 0.3 kg

Late ripening varieties are best

  1. De Barao . The height of strong bushes is about 400 cm. Flat, plum-shaped fruits with dense, very tasty flesh, they weigh about 70 grams. The variety is cold-resistant and shade-loving. Fruits are suitable for whole-fruit canning, fresh consumption and long-term storage.
  2. Finish . The height of the plant is about 0.75 m. Very tasty red-orange fruits weigh about 90 grams. This variety is productive and resistant to verticillosis.
  3. Cherry . This is a very popular variety with excellent taste and decorative qualities of small sweet fruits that weigh about 30 grams, they are collected in a brush. For preservation, they are used with a branch. The variety is grown on the balcony, in open ground and in greenhouses.

There are also interesting and rather unusual varieties

  1. Banana-shaped (pepper-shaped) tomatoes . The fruits have an unusual shape and taste. Varieties are very popular: Jersey Devil, Auria, Uncle Stepa.
  2. Ribbed tomatoes . The variety is distinguished by its yield and large fruits, which are similar in shape to a peeled orange with very long segments. Popular varieties: Tlacolula, American ribbed.
  3. Orange tomatoes . They contain a large amount of lycopene, sugar and beta-carotene, compared to ordinary varieties. They are recommended for people with an allergy to red fruits. The most popular variety is Persimmon.
  4. Yellow tomatoes . Golden tomatoes have a rich taste. They contain many carotenoids and lycopene. These fruits are good for allergy sufferers. Popular varieties include: Golden Domes, Honey Drop, Wonder of the World, Golden Fish.
  5. White tomatoes . The fruits have an unusual taste, they contain a large amount of sugar and are completely devoid of acid. Popular varieties: White Snow, White Bull Heart, White Snow.
  6. Black tomatoes . The fruits contain a large amount of beta-carotene, ascorbic acid and other vitamins compared to all other varieties. Such varieties are also valued for their unusual taste. However, such hybrids have a low yield and low frost resistance. The fruits ripen very late, so it is recommended to grow such tomatoes in open ground only in regions with a warm climate. Popular varieties: Raj Kapoor, Gypsy, Black Prince, Blue Sky.
  7. Green tomatoes . The fruits never turn red, they have unique taste qualities. Popular varieties: Emerald apple, Swamp.

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