What yield can you expect from the Early Girl tomato variety?
Every gardener wants ripe tomatoes to appear as quickly as possible without losing their distinct tomato flavor. Among the proven early ripening varieties is a tomato with the self-explanatory name Early Girl, a product of selection by Tver breeders. Vegetables are stored for a long time, resistant to late blight, juicy and sugary in taste.
Read our article about how to grow them correctly.
Description and characteristics of the tomato variety
The low-growing Early Girl tomato is distinguished by a strong thick stem, a small distance between the nodes on the trunk, the presence of 6–8 leaves and 1–2 inflorescences.
The fruits are medium in size, there are almost no large ones. The weight of each reaches 50–200 g. Ripe tomatoes are bright red in color, rich in beneficial microelements, and have a mild sweet taste.
The harvest ripens 50–60 days after planting seedlings in open ground. An early girl gives a high yield: up to 15 kg of tomatoes ripen on 1 bush.
Pros and cons of the variety
This variety, like any other, has its advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages of culture:
- fruits are stored for a long time and are easily transported over long distances;
- The early girl does not suffer late blight due to the early ripening of the crop, the pathogenic fungus is most active only at the end of summer;
- The fruits have an excellent taste, aromatic pulp, and produce rich tomato juice.
The disadvantages of the variety are low resistance to low temperatures and the inability to self-pollinate.
How to grow
The variety loves soil rich in organic matter. Therefore, before planting seedlings or seeds, add organic compost to the soil. This will make it easier to care for the plants and allow them to develop well.
The ideal soil for the Early Girl variety is slightly acidic.
Sowing tomato
Before sowing, grains are selected to identify low-quality specimens. To do this, planting material is immersed in a saline solution for 10–15 minutes. Floated seeds are unsuitable for planting.
In regions with cool climates, tomatoes are grown in seedlings. Sowing seeds for seedlings is carried out in the first 2 weeks of March. Inflorescences appear approximately 2 months after the first shoots. The grown bushes are transplanted into a greenhouse or greenhouse before the end of May.
If seedlings are planted in open ground, they exclude the possibility of frost and be sure to use covering material. The seedlings are planted in a sunny place and covered with special material or film.
Seedlings are immersed in the soil up to more than half the trunk. This way the root system will take more nutrients from the soil.
Attention! The timing of sowing depends on the planting location and climate in the region.
Pollination of tomato
The Early Girl variety does not pollinate on its own, so gardeners resort to artificial or natural methods.
Natural way of pollination:
- in windy weather, open the greenhouse to create a draft;
- Honey plants are planted between crop bushes to attract pollinating insects;
- flowers in pots are placed in the greenhouse - marigolds and basil have a good effect on the taste of future fruits;
- hives are installed (mainly in large greenhouses). This increases the yield by 30–35%.
Artificial method of pollination:
- brush - it is passed through the inflorescences, transferring pollen between them.They also use a toothbrush;
- shaking - each plant is held by the stem and gently shaken. This is how pollen is transferred and fertilizes the inflorescences. If the seedlings are tied up, then it is enough to lightly knock on the trellis;
- fan — the switched-on device is carried between the rows, directing the air flow to the plants, thus creating an artificial wind and pollinating the seedlings.
Determining the time of pollination is not difficult - pay attention to the inflorescences. In the Early Girl variety, the pollinated flowers have petals curled back. If such a phenomenon is not observed, and natural methods of pollination do not help, artificial methods are used.
After the procedure, the bushes are sprayed with water from a hand sprayer or simply watered.
Attention! Pollination is carried out in the early morning to utilize fresh pollen that ripened at night. The procedure is carried out every other day while the bushes are blooming.
Prevention of diseases and pests
The Early Girl variety is not afraid of late blight, but is susceptible to diseases that appear at the initial stage of tomato growth.
The most dangerous diseases:
- tobacco mosaic;
- septoria, or white leaf spot;
- cladosporiosis, or brown spot;
- root rot.
To get a good harvest, crop diseases should not be allowed to develop. To do this, prepare the soil before planting and carry out preventive measures using effective and safe preparations.
The most popular and effective means:
- Potassium humate — 10 ml of the substance is diluted in 10–12 liters of water. Treatment is carried out when buds appear and at the first stages of flowering. The substance activates beneficial microorganisms in the soil, which increases crop productivity.
- Sodium humate - the substance from 1 sachet is poured into a prepared container, poured into 3 liters of hot water, and allowed to brew for 8–10 hours. The resulting mixture is diluted with water (1:10). Water the soil around the bushes with the prepared product. Sodium humate promotes plant development and reduces the risk of ovaries falling off.
- "Epin" — 1 ml of the substance is added to 5 liters of water, stirred. Spraying is carried out when buds appear and at the initial stage of flowering of the first cluster. The product is completely safe, since its main component, epibrassinolide, is a phytohormone found in plant cells. "Epin" increases the immunity of seedlings, increases the number of ovaries, thereby increasing productivity. The substance reduces the level of heavy metals and nitrates in tomatoes.
Do not forget about preventive measures against insect pests (aphids, cutworms, whiteflies, Colorado potato beetles).
For this purpose special preparations are used:
- "Phosbecide" - 10 ml is diluted in 10-12 liters of water. Spray the plants in the morning or evening, 2 times per season, every 15–20 days. The drug is suitable for greenhouses and open ground;
- "Tsitkor" - 1.5 ml of substance per 10 liters of water. The solution is used immediately. Spray the bushes during the growing season, 2-3 times per season;
- "Spark" - Sold in tablets, powder, ampoules and bottles. 5 ml of the drug is diluted with 5 liters of soft water (preferably rainwater). If flakes appear in the liquid when the drug is infused, this solution is not suitable for processing.
Attention! To increase productivity and protect plants from diseases and insects, tomato bushes are sprayed with a solution of boric acid.
Reviews from gardeners
The variety is popular among experienced and novice farmers due to its early ripening, taste of fruits and ease of care. Here are some reviews about Early Girl:
Vasilisa, Yaroslavl region: “For the last 3 years I have been growing only early varieties of tomatoes. I tried many varieties, but in the end I preferred the Early Girl. The fruits ripen quickly, bright red, as in the photo, and at the same time tasty and aromatic.”
Roman, Kostroma region: “A lot of effort and time was spent fighting late blight, which resulted in losses in the harvest. Two years ago, on the advice of friends, I decided to plant the Early Girl variety. Now I am completely calm about the harvest, since I collect it before the disease develops.”
Victoria, Tver region: “I heard a lot of good things about the Early Girl variety of tomatoes, so I decided to plant them myself. Indeed, the fruits ripen quickly, and with proper care the plants are not afraid of diseases.”
Conclusion
The Early Girl variety is relatively easy to care for, is not afraid of drought, and is not susceptible to late blight. However, the crop does not tolerate cold weather well and is not able to self-pollinate. With the right agricultural technology, closer to mid-summer it will be possible to get a rich harvest of fruits (up to 15 kg from 1 bush).
The pulp of tomatoes is juicy and sugary; they are used fresh, added to salads, and made into juices and sauces.