Tomatoesare very popular vegetables and are eagerly grown in gardens. Independentgrowing tomatoes on the plotrequires a lot of knowledge and commitment. See how to performsowing tomato seedsto grow a nice seedling, when is the best time toplanting tomatoes in the gardenand what soil, fertilization and watering requirements and care has this vegetable. We also suggest whichvarieties of tomatoesare worth choosing for amateur garden cultivation.
Tomatoes are vegetables willingly grown in home and allotment gardens
Tomatoes - nutritional and he alth benefits
Tomato(Solanum lycopersicum), the lesser-known name of which is nightshade tomato, is a vegetable in the Solanaceae family, native to South America. Although it is very popular today, it is worth knowing thatin Europe tomatoes became known only in the 15th century , after the discovery of America by Columbus, and by the 19th centuryin many places tomatoes It was considered poisonous plantsand was grown solely for ornamental purposes. Today, however, nobody can imagine a kitchen without delicious tomatoes, and in allotments and gardenstomatoes are the most frequently grown vegetables
When preparing meals, it is worth appreciatingnutritional and he alth benefits of tomatoesThey contain vitamins and minerals, including: vit. A, B, C, E, potassium and phosphorus, and have an alkaline-forming effect on the body. There are only 19 kcal in 100 g of tomato. They have a positive effect on the immune and nervous systems and improve digestion.They are slightly diuretic and counteract constipation.
Tomatoes are a valuable source ofantioxidants that neutralize free radicals that cause cell damage. Natural antioxidants include: lycopene responsible for the red color of tomatoes and vitamin C. There is quite a lot of it in tomatoes, as much as 13.7 mg / 100 g of fruit. Vitamin C increases the body's resistance to infections, but also improves the absorption of iron from food, thus preventing anemia.
Tomatoes are tasty and he althy vegetables
Fig. pixabay.com
Tomatoes - growing in the garden
Tomatoes can be grown in the ground, in greenhouses and in foil tunnelsTo grow tomatoes in the ground, we should choose a sheltered and sunny place. Tomatoes are grown best in permeable, warm and humus-rich soils.The soil for tomato cultivation should be deeply dugand enriched with well-distributed manure or compost.Regular watering and feeding with organic fertilizers is necessary especially during the fruit setting period. Instead of mineral fertilizers, you can also use nitrogen-rich organic fertilizers, such as nettle manure, which has a very good effect on the growth and taste of tomato fruits.
Note!Be careful when caring for tomatoes, as excessive watering or over-fertilization adversely affects the taste of the fruit. Plants should be watered at the root, i.e. directly into the ground, avoiding soaking the leaves. Plants that are moistened too often are easily attacked by diseases.
Tomatoes - sowing seeds and seedling production
Seeds of tomatoes for growing in the home gardenwhether we can buy them on the plot in any garden store. Before buying seeds, it is worth checking the sowing expiry date and choosing the variety you are interested in. If we wanttomato seeding to be successful , we should only buy seeds from shops and garden centers that we trust.Seeds sold in market stalls may have been poorly stored and lost their ability to germinate.
Storage conditions for tomato seedsare especially important for seeds packed in ordinary paper bags, into which moisture can easily penetrate. Unfortunately, this problem concerns the vast majority of seeds available in Poland. If you want to be sure thattomato seeds are of good quality and have a high ability to germinate , it is worth choosing the KIEPENKERL tomato seeds from the Profi Line series, available in the store of our guide, which are hermetically packed. Such packaging guarantees thattomato seeds will retain their germination capacity for many years , regardless of their storage conditions.
When to sow tomatoes?
Tomatoes are grown from seedlings, the production of which is best started in the period from February to March in a germinator, and after about 4 weeks, transplant into pots. If we do not have a greenhouse,the tomato pots can be successfully placed on the window sillto provide the plants with as much sun and warmth as possible.Here, too, the bestsowing date for tomato seedsis the period from February to March. Tomatoes can also be sown in April, but then the start of cropping will also be delayed, and the harvest of the entire season will be slightly smaller.
How to sow tomatoes?
Tomato seeds should be sown in a properly prepared substrate.It can be a special soil for sowing, bought in a garden shop or a substrate prepared by yourself on the basis of compost soil or peat-compost soil. To improve air conditions, it is worth adding a porous material to such a substrate, e.g. bark compost, perlite or vermiculite.
Tomato seedling
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Tomato seeds should be sown evenly, covering them with about 0.5 to 1 cm with a layer of soilFinally, gently moisten the substrate with the sown tomatoes and keep it at the .22-25 ° C. To maintain high humidity and temperature of the substrate, boxes with sown seeds should be covered with foil. However, you should remember about discovering the foil and airing it on a daily basis.
Maintaining a fairly high temperature of 22-25 ° C of the substrate is extremely importantif we want tomato seeds to germinate well. If it is too cold or warm, no seedlings will emerge. I emphasize that it is aboutthe temperature of the ground where the tomato seeds are , and not the temperature of the air in the room. To make sure that the temperature of the ground is at the temperature and humidity required by tomatoes, it is worth reaching for an electronic soil meter.I recommend an electronic meter that will also show the strength of sunlight, soil moisture and its pH. Such a device will find many practical applications in the garden. However, if you are looking for the cheapest solution, you can buy an ordinary soil thermometer.
When to quilt tomatoes?
After the tomatoes have emerged, remove the foil and lower the temperature to 16-20 ° C , remembering to moisten the soil regularly. When the seedlings have decomposed the cotyledons and the first leaves have emerged, pricking is carried out.Tomato quilting is simply transplanting seedlings growing in a box into separate pots , where the plants can continue to grow. For transplanting, choose the he althiest seedlings that have not been damaged by tomato diseases. Prepared in this waytomato seedling will be he althy and ready for further cultivation
Planting tomatoes in the ground
After the last frosts, i.e.in mid-May, tomatoes can be transplanted into the groundHowever, transplanting must be preceded by hardening young plants. Its purpose is to adapt plants to worse climatic conditions. We carry out them about 7 days before planting by limiting watering, lowering the air temperature below 10 ° C and gradually increasing the intensity of airing.After this treatmentthe tomato seedling will be ready for planting in the ground
Remember!Never plant tomatoes next to potatoes, as these vegetables are affected by the same diseases. Very often it is from the potato that the tomato catches the potato blight. Cucumbers are also inadvisable company for tomatoes. However, it is worth planting parsley next to the tomatoes, which has a positive effect on their taste, and basil, which deters pests such as aphids, spider mites or greenhouse whitefly.
"Here the question probably arisesin what spacing to plant tomatoes ? When grown in small areas,high yields can be obtained from thehigh-growing tomato varieties, which are grown at stakes per shoot (we regularly remove emerging side shoots to concentrate the plant&39;s energy on fruit development). We plant them with a spacing of 40 to 50 cm.bushy varieties of tomatoes , lying on the ground, are planted at a distance of 30 to 90 cm, depending on the variety."
Tomato bushes should be tied to stakes
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Tomatoes - care
Tomatoes, like all vegetables, require watering, fertilizing and removing weeds from between plants. But there are also a fewunusual treatments that are especially important in tomato cultivation
After planting tomatoes for their target site, high-growing varieties should betied to stakesAnd here's a curiosity - metal sticks should be chosen to support the tomatoes, as pathogenic fungi are easily spread from the wooden ones. Tomatoes can also be tied to wires and strings, and sometimes bamboo sticks are used.By tying the tomatoes to the stakes , the bushes will not lie on the ground, and the ripening fruit will ripen and dry faster after the rain.
Removing tomato shoots
Another important treatment for this vegetable isremoving tomato side shoots In amateur crops on plots, tomatoes are usually grown on 1 shoot. For this purpose, only the main shoot is left on the plant, and all other shoots emerging from the leaf axils should be removed. Tomatoes can also be led into 2 shoots (the main shoot is left and one shoot under the first fruit cluster is left) and into 3 shoots (in addition, the shoot growing from the lowest node of the main shoot is left.By removing the side shoots, tomatoes will start to bear fruit faster.and their fruit will be more plump.
Tomatoes ripening on the plot
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Removing tomato leaves
It is also advisable to peel the leaves of tomatoes, especially those growing the lowest and in contact with the ground, which are easily infested with diseases.
Tomato care will also include topping, which is carried out in the second decade of August. Topping tomatoes is to remove the top of the main shoot (or 2-3 shoots if grown with more shoots), leaving 2-3 leaves above the highest flowering cluster.The aim of this treatment is to accelerate the ripening of tomatoes and minimize the formation of new fruits that would not have already matured before the fall cold weather.
Disease spraying of tomatoes
I personally recommendspraying tomatoes regularly to protect them from diseasesTomatoes are sprayed alternately every 7 days with Biosept Active natural preparations (natural grapefruit extract immunizes tomatoes against diseases and stimulates it to growth) and Lecitec (based on natural lecithin, which prevents the penetration of pathogenic fungi into plant tissues, especially recommended for protection against potato blight).
If we have a little more time, it is worth preparing nettle decoction, horsetail decoction or garlic or onion decoction yourself. These preparations protect tomatoes against potato blight. If, on the other hand, we prefer to buy ready-made preparations, we can reach for the Substral Pokrzywa Complex Protection spraying and the ecological Evasiol preparation based on horsetail.
All the above-mentionedprotective preparations for spraying tomatoescan be ordered in the shop of our guide. I highly recommend it if you want to avoid contamination with potato blight and other diseases.
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Tomatoes - harvesting and application
With the method of cultivation described above,harvesting tomato fruits will be possible from the turn of July and August until the first frostRipe fruits, depending on the species, have a color from red to yellow .For direct consumption, pick tomatoes when they are fully ripe , because they are the tastiest and most valuable.Tomatoes are best harvested on clear days, when the fruit is dryWe collect them without stalks and place them in openwork baskets or boxes. We do everything carefully so as not to damage the peel and not crush the fruit.
Tomatoes are best eaten raw. You can use them
also to prepare preserves and tomato puree.
Picked tomatoes can be eaten raw, used as an addition to salads or used to prepare sauces, soups, juices, purees or concentrates. They are very he althy in every form: -)
Good to knowTo preserve the unique flavor and aroma of tomatoes, do not put them in the refrigerator. Tomatoes stored in the refrigerator quickly lose their flavor and smell. It's best to keep them in a cool place, but not as cold as a refrigerator.
Tomato varieties for pot growing
Small-fruit tomatoes are perfect for growing in large pots or containers on balconies, the unquestionable advantage of which is their high nutritional value (they contain a lot of sugar and vitamin C). Small-fruit species can form long clusters consisting of several to several dozen fruits with a diameter of 2 to 3 cm, while also playing a decorative role. diseases.It is perfect for potting on the balcony as well as for garden beds. The beautiful dark red fruits of this tomato variety weigh 15-20 g. They are sweet and very aromatic.
The yellow fruit of the Goldene Königin ground tomato will also work perfectly on the balcony. This tomato variety grows to a height of 100 cm and bears fruit very abundantly. The fruit weighs about 90g.
Tomato varieties for field cultivation
Small-fruited tomato 'Koralik'- a strongly growing and bushy variety, limpid, medium-early, fertile, resistant to potato blight. It is perfect for amateur cultivation, it can also be decorative on balconies and terraces. The fruits are small, spherical, hard, red in color, of high nutritional value, gathered in a cluster of 30 to 40 pieces. Fruit harvest August to September, they keep well after harvest. The bead is perfect for soil cultivation. We sow in March in a germinator, we transfer to the ground from mid-May, cultivation at a distance of 40 to 60 cm.
Tomatoes are available in many interesting varieties.
Their fruits can vary in size, shape and color.
Small-fruited tomato Ola- early variety with medium growth strength, fertile, tolerant to unfavorable conditions during flowering and fruit setting. The fruits are small, spherical, yellow in color, hard, with no tendency to crack the tomatoes on the bush, the heel fades during ripening, and they store well after harvesting. This tomato variety is very suitable for cultivation in the ground, it can grow in higher densities. "
Ground tomato 'Buffalo heart'- attractive variety for amateur cultivation, tall plant, growing up to 2 m, limpid. The fruit is large (200 to 600 g), heart-shaped, fleshy, with a pink-red flesh, sweet and tasty. Harvest from August to October. We can prepare the seedlings in the germinator from mid-March, planting into the ground in the second half of May, spacing 50 cm in rows and about 70 to 80 cm between rows.Requires staking, cutting and leading into 2-3 shoots.
Ground tomato 'Jawor'- a stiff-stemmed variety. The fruit is large, spherical, without a heel, fleshy and tasty, suitable for direct consumption or processing. Field cultivation, sowing in a germinator at the turn of March and April, planting into the ground from mid-May to mid-June, spacing 40 to 60 cm between rows and 30 to 40 in rows
Ground tomato 'Krakus'- medium-late, high-growing variety. The fruit is large, fleshy, tasty in dark red color. Harvest from August to September, perfect for home-made preserves and salads. It is recommended to cultivate under cover or in the field, leading to one or two shoots at high stakes.
Raspberry tomato 'Olbrzym'- medium-late variety, very good for amateur cultivation. The fruit is large or very large (weight over 200g), slightly flattened, with a ribbed surface, fleshy, very tasty. Field cultivation, with stakes 100x50 cm apart, leading for 1 or 2 shoots.
Raspberry Tomato 'Retro'- early, tall, very fertile tomato variety, the plant can produce up to 8 kg of fruit. The fruits reach medium to large sizes, spherical-heart-shaped, with no heel and tendency to crack, juicy and tasty flesh. It is suitable for cultivation in high, unheated tunnels and in the ground, due to the achieved growth, it requires staking.
Greenhouse varieties
"Greenhouse tomato Bekas F1- variety for growing under glass, in foil tunnels or in the field next to stakes. The fruits are light red, smooth, spherical, with 3 - 4 chambers, they tolerate transport well. "
" Sun&39;s greenhouse tomato F1- recommended for later cultivation in greenhouses, tunnels or in the ground next to stakes. The fruits are slightly flattened, intensely red in color, withstand transport well.
Good qualitytomato seeds for growing on the plotcan be ordered in the shop of our guide. I strongly encourage you to familiarize yourself with the offer of seeds."
