What you might remember about “Masterpiece” tomatoes and how to get a decent harvest

Tomato is a welcome guest in any garden bed. What other vegetable will add an appetizing red color and fresh juiciness to summer salads? What can we say about conservation, without which not a single housewife can imagine her life. However, the abundance of tomato varieties can confuse even an experienced gardener. The best solution is to choose selected collection varieties. For example, the Masterpiece tomato. In the article you will learn the characteristics of this crop and the rules for growing it.

Description and characteristics. Yield indicators

The authorship of the Masterpiece variety belongs to domestic breeders. Taking into account the climate of different regions of Russia, they set themselves the task of obtaining a universal variety. And they succeeded.

The masterpiece has the following characteristics:

• cold resistance;
• resistance to common diseases - late blight, root rot;
• mid-ripening - 120 days pass from germination to the first harvest;
• high yield - 3-6 kg per bush and 6-12 kg per square meter. m respectively;
• excellent taste – meatiness, predominance of natural sugar content over acids;
• good shelf life and suitability for transportation;
• long shelf life – 3-6 months.

These indicators for gardeners vary slightly depending on agricultural technology, which is partly determined by the climate of the region.

Breeders have taken the trouble to create a whole collection to make it easier for lovers to choose the right variety of tomatoes - Masterpiece Hybrid F1, Masterpiece Early or Masterpiece Altai.The most important indicator remains unchanged - high yield.

Other signs:

• a medium-sized variety always produces many ovaries;
• fruits weigh 300-800 g;
• indeterminateness Tomato planting makes it possible to pinch or extend the bush in order to increase the ovaries.

Ripe fruits are distinguished by their flat-round shape, large size and garnet color. When cut and eaten, it turns out that the tomato is fleshy and sweet.

Pros and cons of Masterpiece tomato types

Masterpiece is a relatively young variety. But in just a few years of its distribution, it managed to evoke responses from thousands of gardeners. Moreover, these responses are ambiguous.

First the good:

• suitable for growing in open and closed ground, which allows you to get an early harvest and grow in extreme conditions;
• divided into traditional varieties and hybrids for simplified selection according to personal requirements;
• unpretentiousness;
• excellent initial vegetative properties of the plant.

However, there are some disadvantages among the reviews:

• unsuitable for canning whole fruits due to their large size;
• tying is necessary as the bush develops.

These disadvantages are conditional because they apply to individual varieties.

Masterpiece Early

By its name, the tomato indicates early ripeness. The variety is interesting for those who want to receive a harvest 10-20 days earlier than usual. Growing seeds through seedlings is encouraged. During development, the bush grows an average number of dark green leaves.

Masterpiece Early reaches a height of no more than 50 cm and produces medium fruits weighing 120 g, up to 6 pieces per cluster. The harvest volume from one bush per season is up to 5 kg.

In terms of application, Masterpiece Early tomatoes can be safely called universal: for salads, tomato purees, and preparations.Taste and preservation are at a high level.

Altai masterpiece

This variety is in greatest demand due to its tallness and frost resistance. Hence the following advantages:

• resistance to viruses and fungi;
• high yield - up to 10 kg per bush;
• good marketability and taste of fruits weighing up to 600 g.

The predominantly indeterminate Altai Masterpiece is grown indoors to ensure a long fruiting period. But if the tomato is planted in the southern region, you can do without greenhouses.

Hybrid

The advanced hybrid of the Masterpiece collection is designed to set records. Therefore, gardeners should definitely appreciate:

• suitability of cultivation in open and closed ground;
• average height – about 120 cm;
• resistance to diseases of nightshade crops;
• yield up to 12 kg per bush;
• the weight of one fruit is up to 1000 g.

The fruits of Masterpiece F1 ripen in 100-110 days.

How to grow

The growing season for all representatives of the Masterpiece tomato is the same; the seeds are grown in seedlings:

1. At the beginning of March, when daylight hours increase, planting material is prepared - store-bought soil or a mixture of peat, turf, ash (3: 4: 1).
2. Seeds are disinfected in solution manganese for 20-30 minutes, then soaked for a day in clean water at room temperature.
3. The hatched seeds are planted to a depth of 1-1.5 cm, after which they are watered and the soil is compacted (the depth of the total soil layer should be at least 4 cm, the sowing area should be 30-50 seeds per 40-50 sq. cm).
4. When the first shoots appear (5-7 days after planting the seeds), the seedlings are placed in a well-lit place without drafts.
5. Every 5 and 20 days, seedlings are watered and fed with nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizers;
6. At 50-60 days, adult bushes are planted in the ground.

From this moment on, the gardener must be guided by the growth indicators of the Masterpiece. If the bush reaches 50-60 cm, it is suitable for planting in the ground. The medium-sized Altai Masterpiece and Masterpiece F1 require the preparation of twines or trellises for garter.

It is preferable to grow these crops indoors. The remaining rules of agricultural technology remain unchanged:

1. Preparing holes 20 cm deep for seedlings - add peat, humus, and ash to each hole (4:1:1).
2. Planting adult plants at a distance of 50-80 cm from each other and 1.0-1.2 m between rows (when planting, watering with warm water is required, it is advisable to use the “Kornevin” solution so that the tomato quickly strengthens in a new place).
3. Water every 5 days or as the soil dries out.
4. Weekly loosening to ventilate the root system and weeding.
5. Tying the plant when it reaches a height of 30-50 cm.
6. Pinching stepsons if necessary.
7. Monthly fertilizing with phosphorus-potassium or organic fertilizers.

Last feeding carried out 2 weeks before the first harvest.

Attention! It is best to avoid spraying with nutrient solutions, as they have an unpredictable effect on flowering and foliage.

Prevention of diseases and pests

Tomato Masterpiece is resistant to late blight and root rot. These diseases can only develop in open ground and with improper agricultural practices:

• when air and soil become waterlogged;
• when pests appear.

Spraying the leaves with a solution of non-toxic biofungicides “Fitocid”, “Trichodermin”, “Mikosan” will help prevent the attack. Treat in clear weather a week after planting the seedlings, until flowering becomes widespread.Repeated spraying is allowed 3 weeks before harvest.

From pests It is better to use bioinsecticides that do not poison bees and animals. Type of treatment – ​​spraying. The schedule is the same as for biofungicides.

Reviews from gardeners

Oksana, 36 years old (Rostov-on-Don): “The climate of our region allows us to grow different tomatoes. But I still focus on the “giants”. I tried to grow Masterpiece Hybrid and got fruits weighing 1 kg. The children are delighted!”

Fedor Matyukhov, 47 years old (Cheboksary): “I want to make my contribution to public opinion about the Masterpiece. The variety is truly frost-resistant and unpretentious. But for commercial products it is better to use closed soil and Masterpiece Early. I use the rest purely for collection (I grow more than 30 varieties).”

Nadezhda Viktorovna, 52 years old (Penza): “In my entire life I have never seen such sweet and large tomatoes as in the photo in the magazine! I grow them in open ground, so some don’t have time to grow before frost. It is necessary to plant the seeds at the end of February so that the harvest can be fully harvested in August, and leave the half-red fruits to lie in the sun until they turn completely red. I have some small tomatoes and I can them. Banks don't explode. A masterpiece is one of the best varieties!”

Conclusion

The Masterpiece tomato lived up to the hopes of the breeders. The prevalence of this variety throughout Russia indicates its positive qualities. However, the Masterpiece collection can be further developed to shorten the growing season and improve the tomato’s resistance to the surprises of the northern climate.