Large fruits with excellent taste - Grandma's Secret tomato
Siberian breeding activity does not stand still and continues to surprise the world with its developments. Work carried out in harsh climatic zones is rightfully considered breeding achievements. All Siberian crops are highly adaptable to harsh weather conditions and the ability to form ovaries in any circumstances.
Tomato Grandma's secret is no exception. Enthusiastic reviews from gardeners leave no doubt about the reliability and quality of the variety. Large-fruited, juicy tomato is a welcome guest in many garden beds. It not only complements any fresh dish, but is also delicious in winter preparations.
Characteristics and description of the variety
The tomato variety Babushkin Secret belongs to the work of Siberian breeders Dederko and Postnikova. Entered into the State Register in 2007. Recommended for open ground breeding in the south of the country and in greenhouse conditions in cold regions.
Distinctive features
The plant is tall, indeterminate, height is artificially limited. Requires mandatory shaping and garter. The leaves are large, dark green, and the inflorescences are simple. The stem is powerful, the bush is not spreading. The roots do not go deep, but grow in breadth on the surface, so seedlings require enough space for full development.
The first fruiting branch forms above the eighth leaf, 5-7 fruits are laid on each brush.
The ripening period is average, from the moment of sowing to full ripening, 110–115 days pass. Fruiting lasts for a long time, until frost. Productivity is high, with 3-4 seedlings placed per 1 sq. m, up to 17 kg of fruits are collected.
Culture does not differ in increased resistance to pathogens major diseases of the nightshade family, so regular preventive measures are mandatory.
Fruit characteristics
Average weight 320–450 g, flat-round, ribbed shape. The color is pink, the taste is excellent. The pulp is dense, sugary, juicy, with six or more seed chambers. The peel is thin, so ripe vegetables cannot withstand long-term storage and transportation over long distances.
The variety belongs to the salad variety, Therefore, the ideal application is to prepare a variety of dishes from fresh vegetables. However, tomatoes are processed, producing excellent adjika, paste and lecho.
The photo shows the Grandma's Secret tomato variety.
How to grow seedlings
Before you start sowing seeds, carry out special training that strengthens the immune system and increases the percentage of germination.
Seed preparation
Preparation includes several stages:
- Rejection of seed material. The grains are laid out on the table and carefully inspected for damage. Valid specimens must be light in color and free from distortion.
- Checking for emptiness. 1 teaspoon of salt is dissolved in a glass of warm water to form a saline solution. Seed material is placed in the solution for 10 minutes. Full specimens will sink to the bottom. Those that float to the surface are disposed of - they are empty and will not sprout.
- Disinfection. 1 g of manganese is dissolved in half a glass of water, obtaining a weak (pink) solution. The grains are kept in it for 20–25 minutes. After disinfection, they are washed with running water.
- Treatment in a growth stimulator. To improve germination, seeds are soaked in a growth stimulator for 10 hours. The most used drugs are Zircon and Epin.
Container and soil
For sowing, soil is prepared from turf soil mixed with humus and river sand. in equal quantities. The resulting mixture is disinfected with a dark manganese solution or steamed in the oven at 50°C for 15 minutes. Disinfected soil has a beneficial effect on the growth of seedlings, strengthening them.
Drainage holes are made at the bottom of the planting containers. Excess moisture has a detrimental effect on young roots, which can rot. You can plant in a common wooden box and in separate peat and plastic cups. Remember that when sowing in a common container, mandatory picking of plants will be required.
Sowing
Seed material is buried 2 cm, leaving 3-4 cm between the grooves. Sprinkle the soil on top, lightly compact and moisten with warm, settled water from a spray bottle. Then cover with film to create a greenhouse effect and leave in a room at a temperature of 25 °C.
Seedling care
As soon as the shoots appear, the seedlings are placed on the windowsill and the film is removed. During this period, the temperature is reduced to 16°C, otherwise the seedlings will begin to stretch. In addition, at this temperature regime, the initial hardening of plants occurs.
Water when the soil dries out only with warm, settled water. When loosening, keep in mind that the roots do not go deeper down, but grow wider. Therefore, loosening is carried out carefully, along the surface itself.
Important! You cannot water with boiled water, because when boiling water loses oxygen, and this has a bad effect on the seedlings.
When two true leaves appear, pick, planting seedlings in separate containers. Remember: the Granny's Secret tomato does not like transplantation and does not take root well after it. Therefore, the best option for propagating seedlings is to sow seeds in peat cups. With this method, the seedlings are not picked or transplanted from containers into the ground: they are planted in holes together with peat containers, which independently dissolve in the ground.
Before picking, the soil is well moistened and replanted together with a large earthen ball in order to less injure the root system. After picking, the seedlings are not watered for a week.
14 days before planting, seedlings are hardened off in outdoor conditions, adapting to a permanent location. During the daytime, seedlings are left outdoors for 1 hour. Gradually the interval is increased to 10 hours. Simultaneously with daytime hardening, the temperature in the room at night is reduced to 13 °C.
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How to care for tomatoes
After two months, the seedlings are ready to be transplanted to a permanent location.. Overgrown seedlings take a long time to take root after being placed in the ground, so you need to place the tomatoes in the garden bed in time.
Landing
The soil is dug up and a full range of minerals is added.. Then pour a hot solution of dark manganese. The holes are made at a distance of 60 cm from each other, placing them on 1 square. m 3-4 seedlings.
Reference! A strong stem is an indicator of healthy and hardened seedlings.
Bushes are installed vertically and deepen to the first leaves. After transplantation, the holes are compacted and watered with warm, settled water.
Further care for tomato Grandma's secret
Begin to water regularly when the seedlings take root in a new place. Do not water abundantly as the soil dries out. The beds should not be over-watered, as this will affect the taste of the fruit: they become watery.
After watering, weeding and loosening are required.. Loosening the beds will improve air permeability, and removing weeds will retain in the soil many of the beneficial substances necessary for tomato growth. Mulching beds retains moisture longer and prevents the appearance of ground-based pests. In addition, mulch prevents weeds from growing.
Reference! Straw, sawdust or peat are most often used as mulch.
Fertilizers use a full complex of minerals or organic matter.. Judging by reviews from gardeners, powerful bushes grow exclusively from fertilizing with mullein and bird droppings. These organic compounds also affect the taste of the fruit, making it richer and the tomatoes themselves meatier.
When fertilizing with minerals during flowering, phosphorus is used, and at the time of fruiting they are fed with potassium for accelerated ripening.
Features of care and possible difficulties
From the photo and detailed description it is clear that tall plants need staking. The support is installed when transplanting seedlings. After planting in the ground, the stem is immediately fixed to the support, otherwise it will form weak and uneven. Fruit-bearing branches are also tied to the supports, since they cannot withstand the weight of large fruits. Wooden stakes or metal rods are used as support.
Form a bush into one stem, deleting all other stepsons. When the eighth flower cluster appears, the main stem is pinched, limiting growth. Thus, all forces are spent on the formation of ovaries.
Stepping is carried out regularlyto prevent overcrowding of plantings. For the same reason, unnecessary leaves are removed, especially the lower ones. In addition, if they come into contact with wet beds, they can rot and become a source of fungal infections.
Diseases and pests
The main danger for crops is fungal infection. late blight. This is a common disease of the nightshade family that can cause great harm to plantings. To combat it, use the systemic fungicide “Fitosporin”. But with regular preventive measures, seedlings can be protected from infection.
Such measures include:
- moderate watering with humidity control;
- systematic loosening;
- weed removal;
- mulching beds;
- ventilation of protected structures;
- spraying plants with fungicidal agents;
- feeding to strengthen the immune system.
Subject to agrotechnical practices and crop rotation rules The seedlings do not get sick and bear fruit for a long time.
Whiteflies and Colorado potato beetles pose a particular danger to tomatoes.. To prevent whitefly In their beds, next to the tomatoes, they plant calendula or marigolds, the smell of which repels the pest. Spraying plants with a decoction of onion peels also helps. The Colorado potato beetle is collected manually, and when there is a large accumulation of it, the chemical preparation “Prestige” is used.
To prevent the development of infections and pest infestations, seedlings are carefully inspected regularly for changes.
Nuances for greenhouses and open ground
If you do not limit the growth of the plant, the ovaries will form endlessly, little nutrients will be released for the development of fruits, and they will form small.
When growing tomatoes in closed structures The top layer of soil is changed every year. This is due to the fact that diseases and pests successfully overwinter in the greenhouse, and in the spring they cause serious damage to the plantings. If it is not possible to replace the soil, it is dug up, saturated with humus and a full range of minerals, and thoroughly disinfected.
They disinfect not only the ground, but also the walls of structures. The ground is spilled with a hot solution of manganese and copper sulfate, which destroy fungal spores, and the walls are treated with Bordeaux mixture.
Interesting fact. Many gardeners hang tea bags treated with iodine in greenhouses. It is believed that this method saves from the development of fungal infections.
After transplanting both into open ground and into a greenhouse, young bushes are sprayed a weak solution of potassium permanganate or fungicidal agents as a preventive measure against infections.
Harvesting and application
Reviews of the Grandma's Secret tomato speak of its high yield, fruiting lasts throughout the entire growing season.
The fruits are harvested after full ripening, the taste of unripe vegetables differs from ripe vegetables. The harvested crop is immediately used for consumption, since the vegetables do not have a shelf life. Ripe tomatoes are well suited for preparing salads, hot and vegetable dishes, various snacks, and slices. They are good baked with meat and other vegetables.
Processed tomatoes make excellent lecho, adjika and pasta. Gardeners say that salting tomatoes is Grandma's secret and makes no sense. Tomatoes do not retain their flavor in pickles and crack.
Advantages and disadvantages of tomato
Culture has many advantages, we list the main ones:
- ability to take root in any region;
- formation of ovaries in any weather;
- unpretentious care;
- high productivity;
- excellent taste;
- large fruits.
Disadvantages include::
- regular stepsoning;
- garter;
- susceptibility to late blight;
- short-term storage.
In addition to the listed positive qualities, we note that the culture does not belong to hybrid, which means, the seed fund collected independently preserves genetic memory in subsequent generations.
Farmer reviews
Gardeners' opinions about the variety are mostly positive. Here are some of themX:
Irina, Tver: “The tomato pleased me with a large harvest. And this is with a complete lack of experience. This was my first time growing tomatoes on my own, and I was not disappointed. Next season I will plant Grandma’s Secret again.”.
Valeria, Krasnoyarsk region: “I thought for a long time about what to plant: a variety or a hybrid. I chose the Babushkin Secret variety. I have never tasted more delicious tomatoes: sweet, meaty. When you cut it, the flesh is sugary, like a watermelon. I grow it in a greenhouse with one stem. I prepare the seeds myself. I will never give up this culture.".
Conclusion
The Grandmother's Secret tomato is familiar not only to southerners, but also to residents of the northern regions. It is famous for its large fruits with sugary pulp, which add amazing flavor to any dish. In addition, the tomato is high-yielding and undemanding in care; even a beginner can cope with its agricultural technology in a summer cottage.
The variety's resistance to harsh weather conditions makes it possible to grow tomatoes in cold climates.