An excellent variety for canning and various dishes - “Lady fingers” tomato: we grow it ourselves
Many people love the variety tomatoes Lady fingers and for good reason! These tomatoes have a special taste and aroma, and also perfectly complement any holiday table. In stores, these tomatoes are sold out instantly. In order not to waste time searching for varieties in supermarkets and to have only a natural product on your table, grow these tomatoes right at home!
In this article, we offer step-by-step instructions on how to properly prepare seeds for planting, how to care for seedlings and harvest your own homemade tomato crop.
Description of the Lady's Fingers variety
A distinctive feature of the variety is its early ripening. Tomatoes ripen within 100 days after sprouting. The fruits are medium-sized with a pleasant taste and have a specific shape - elongated, hence the name - Lady's Fingers.
The bushes, as a rule, grow low: about half a meter in height if grown at home. However, their productivity does not disappoint: each cluster produces about six fruits. When the fruit acquires a bright red hue, we can talk about its maturity.
The tomatoes are quite dense and fleshy, they do not spread or become soggy when cutting. They tolerate temperature changes and transportation well, they can lie for a long time and not deteriorate (compared to other varieties).
We grow seedlings
To grow seedlings of this tomato variety at home, you need to prepare the seeds.Remember that the best time to germinate seeds is the second half of March. When preparing, soak the seeds in hot water for about half an hour, which ensures their disinfection. The next step is germination. Place the seeds on a hard surface and cover with damp gauze.
Important! Do not cover the seeds with thick cloth, this will prevent oxygen from reaching them.
Make sure that the gauze remains moist, because moisture is what will ensure germination. After two days, you can start planting the seeds, but always in moist soil. Plant in rows, 1.5 cm apart from each hole, maintaining a depth of about 2 cm. It is advisable to place 2-3 seeds together so that they are sure to germinate. For better conditions, close to greenhouse conditions, you can cover the box with transparent film.
With regular watering Problems with seed germination arise if all of the above instructions have been followed. Next, be sure to place the container closer to the light (on the window) and observe the temperature norm for favorable cultivation: about +20 degrees. After a week, we increase the temperature and bring it closer to ordinary room temperature.
Make sure that the light comes from all sides, then the seedlings will not stretch in a certain direction (to do this, you can change the location of the boxes or add additional lighting - special fluorescent lamps).
As soon as the seedlings have leaves, they are planted. Plastic cups are used for this. For further successful cultivation, it is necessary to periodically take the seedlings outside: this will help harden them and adapt them to further transplantation into the greenhouse.
Growing tomatoes in a greenhouse
At the end of May (the optimal time for transplanting), we plant the tomatoes in the greenhouse, but not like seeds: at a distance of half a meter from each other, to a depth of 2 cm. We first dig up the soil, form beds, and apply fertilizer 1-2 days before planting. We will also fertilize the bushes once a month in the future.
Next, we monitor the growth of the bushes, tying them up if necessary (in general, this variety does not need tying up). If you are making a vertical garter, make a support for the bush in the greenhouse (this can be a peg or stick) and tie a branch and/or trunk to it with a rope that is lowered by weight. This will make it easier for the plant to grow and develop.
When tying horizontally, use a highly tensioned wire or rope from one end of the greenhouse to the other. Ropes will be attached to it to support branches and trunks.
Water the tomatoes in the greenhouse 3 times a week with water at room temperature. After watering, it is advisable to loosen. This will allow the plant's roots to receive air. Loosen with a special hoe or garden fork, cultivating the soil 5 cm deep. This will prevent diseases of the plant roots and promote its accelerated growth.
Important! Remember about timely pinching - cutting off young shoots from the stems. After removing the stepsons, the bush should look like a trunk with several branches that will bear fruit in the future. This will allow the plant to develop in its normal mode and bear fruit on time.
When it comes to growing tomatoes, remember the existing pests and diseases. Despite the species' resistance to disease, mosaics are common. The carrier of the disease is aphid. If you see white or yellow spots on the leaves, this is a mosaic.Particularly affected leaves fall off, but you should not let this happen; tear off the diseased leaves in advance.
Sometimes a fungal disease of the plant occurs, manifested by brown spots. To cure it, spray the plant with fungicides. Fungal infection can be associated with frequent watering, so at the first sign, reduce the amount of moisture supplied to the plant.
There are also pests that eat plants, for example, the cockchafer. Its larvae feed on the roots of the plant, causing it to die. They can be controlled by direct collection of larvae or with special pest control preparations.
If you follow the regime of watering, loosening and fertilizing, you are guaranteed to get a good harvest.
The nuances of growing in open ground
It is not recommended to grow tomatoes in open ground, as there are a number of nuances that hinder the healthy growth and development of the plant:
- Temperature regime. If the summer is cold, the plants will simply freeze and not bear fruit.
- Rains. When there is too much rain, tomatoes of this variety suffer from fungal diseases or die from excessive amounts of moisture.
- Plants planted in open ground become more susceptible to attacks by pests and diseases. For example, a disease such as late blight affects a plant after heavy rains.
Collection, storage and use of crops
Once the fruits turn bright red, they are ready to be harvested. As a rule, ripening occurs in July. You need to pick tomatoes carefully so as not to damage either the branches or the fruit itself. For storage, the fruits are placed in a paper-lined box. Do not put too many tomatoes in one box, as the fruits underneath will become wrinkled.
Store the box in a dry place, but not in direct sunlight. The room temperature should not exceed +6 degrees, otherwise the tomatoes will begin to deteriorate. If there is a need for long-term storage of tomatoes (more than 3 weeks), they should be removed from the branches slightly unripe and placed in boxes to ripen in the same way.
Thanks to their tough skin, lady fingers are ideal for preservation. They are also added to a variety of dishes and eaten fresh in salads.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
The main advantages of the variety: resistance to diseases and pests, easy care without tying, pleasant aroma and fleshiness of the fruit, ease of care and harvesting.
Among the disadvantages, it can be noted that tomato juice cannot be obtained from these tomatoes, and to grow a healthy plant you need a lot of light and heat.
Farmer reviews
Reviews about the variety are positive. There are often comments on the Internet about the ease of growing lady fingers and the rich harvest. There are many reviews from recipes: Marinated lady fingers, with garlic and cheese, or simply adding tomatoes to a variety of salads, with photos attached. However, there are reviews saying that this variety is already outdated and many gardeners prefer to plant other types of tomatoes.
Elena, 44 years old, Krasnodar: “I have many different varieties of tomatoes. I’ve been planting lady fingers in open ground for about 15 years now. The harvest is rich and stable from year to year. By the way, I got the seeds from my mother. The plants are simply bursting with fruit. Delicious, sweet and sour tomatoes are good for pickling and in salads".
Dmitry, 39 years old, Moscow region: «I grow lady fingers tomatoes mainly for whole-fruit canning. They have never let me down. I collect my own seeds. There's nothing complicated about it.The main thing is to choose the ripest tomato. Over the years of growing my plants have never gotten sick. Thanks to the creators of the variety".
Tatyan Ivanovna, 60 years old, Perm: “Last year, a friend bought Tomato Aelita Ladyfingers seeds. She bought 2 packs at the store. She gave one to me. I immediately liked this variety for its taste. Lady finger tomatoes ripen very early. I grow these tomatoes through seedlings. I sow seeds in March in boxes with soil and grow them on windows. In May I plant the plant in the ground. For good growth, I cover the plantings with a cloth.«.
Conclusion
Summarize. Lady fingers are a variety that has been proven over the years. It is extremely tasty and easy to grow. By following our instructions, even a novice gardener will receive a rich harvest of tomatoes.