How to grow a tomato “Volgograd early ripening 323” and how it will please the vegetable grower
What could be better than a time-tested tomato variety? The Volgograd early ripening tomato 323 is one of the crops that vegetable growers have long known and valued. And there is something to appreciate for: this variety has a whole list of useful qualities, the most important of which is early maturity and the possibility of growing in open ground in Russia.
Description of the variety
Variety Volgograd early ripening 323 (state register) bred by crossing Bush Beefstrek and Local crops in 1973. Breeders recommend the variety for cultivation in open ground in the Lower Volga and Central Black Earth regions. In the Urals and Siberia, Volgograd early ripening 323 is recommended to be grown in greenhouse conditions.
Distinctive features
Volgograd early ripening 323 has the following properties:
- early ripening variety (90-100 days);
- plant determinant type - does not require pinching the top to stop growth;
- powerful root system;
- low lush bushes (from 25 to 45 cm);
- leaves are light green, wrinkled, with slight pubescence;
- the first ovary is formed above the 6-7th leaf, then with an interval of 1 leaf;
- inflorescences are simple, intermediate type, bearing up to 6 flowers.
In the State Register of Varietal Achievements there is a variety with a similar name - Volgogradsky 5/95. This culture was bred in 1953 and has slightly different characteristics.
Basic indicators:
- mid-ripening (ripens in 120-130 days);
- suitable for growing in open ground;
- has taller standard-type bushes (70-100 cm);
- produces large fruits (weight reaches 150 g);
- has an intense red color of the fruit;
- has a high yield - up to 10 kg/m2.
Fruit characteristics, yield
The fruits are round in shape, slightly flattened at the ends, red with an orange tint. The tomato skin is thin, dense and shiny. The pulp is juicy, fleshy, sweet.
The average diameter of tomatoes is 7 cm, weight reaches 100 g. Productivity is 4-7 kg/m2.
How to grow seedlings
For Volgograd early ripening 323, the seedling method of cultivation is preferable, although direct sowing in the ground is also allowed in the southern regions after the May holidays. Depending on climatic conditions, the summer resident himself decides where he will grow tomatoes - in open or protected ground.
Seed preparation
The seeds of the variety have almost 100% germination and do not require special pre-sowing preparation. You can speed up the germination process by soaking it in a gauze cloth moistened with a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 24 hours.
Container and soil
Any low and wide containers that you have on hand are suitable for sowing.
Tomatoes are demanding on fertility and water-air exchange in the soil. You can buy the substrate for sowing ready-made or prepare it yourself:
- peat - 1 bucket;
- humus - 2 buckets;
- sand - 0.5 buckets.
Add 1 tsp to this mixture. superphosphate, 1 tsp. potassium sulfate and a third of a bucket of wood ash. This soil is slightly acidic in composition, rich in mineral compounds and organic matter, and has good air permeability.
Attention! Before sowing seeds, the soil needs preventive treatment. The best treatment method is watering with a strong solution of potassium permanganate or biological preparations Fitosporin-M or Trichodermin.
Sowing
Prepared seeds are sown in containers filled with moist soil to a depth of 1.5 cm, the distance between plants is 2-4 cm, between rows - 2 cm. The crops are covered with the same fertile soil and moistened again. The boxes are covered with film to create a greenhouse effect.
Optimal conditions for seed germination:
- temperature 22-25 °C;
- humidity 75%.
The timing of sowing seeds depends on the location of further cultivation of tomatoes:
- for heated greenhouses - February;
- for film greenhouses and greenhouses - the third ten days of March;
- in open ground - 1-2 weeks of April.
Growing and care
As soon as the shoots appear (after 4-5 days), the young seedlings are freed from the film and placed in a well-lit place. Watering should be regular. Seedlings that have not shed their cotyledon leaves are plucked off by hand.
Temperature for normal development of seedlings:
- daytime - 15-20 °C;
- night - 8-12 °C.
Like adult tomatoes, seedlings are fed. Fertilizing with complex mineral fertilizers once every 2 weeks (Kemira Lux, Mortar A) has worked well.
2 weeks before planting, the seedlings are hardened off. If tomatoes are grown in apartment conditions, then arrange through ventilation of the room. If possible, the plants are taken out onto the balcony. When the seedlings reach a height of 15-20 cm, they are planted in open ground.
Important! If the seedlings have stretched out, they can be saved by picking them into tall glasses with the root collar buried.
How to grow tomatoes
The seedlings are planted in a permanent place at the age of 60 days. For the health of tomatoes, seedlings are not planted the next year after any nightshades. The best predecessors in the garden are cabbage and onions of various types.
Landing
Tomatoes Volgograd early ripening 323 are planted in a prepared bed.
Step-by-step planting technology:
- The holes are prepared deep and wide.
- Plants 20 cm in height are planted one at a time in a hole, at the bottom of which a handful of superphosphate is poured.
- Planting pattern: distance between plants - 40 cm, between rows - 50 cm.
- The soil is added to the first leaves on the trunk.
- A small ditch is created around each plant for quality watering.
- Water generously.
Reference! The use of the immunomodulator and growth stimulator "Zircon" will speed up the survival and adaptation of seedlings to a new place.
Care
Tomato care measures:
- Watering Once every 10-15 days with settled water at room temperature. Excessive soil moisture can lead to fungal diseases and root rot. It is important to water the plants generously and then wait a period of time until the soil dries out.
- Regular weeding as weeds grow.
- Loosening is combined with watering.
- Stepsoning Volgograd early ripening 323 is not required. To increase the mass of fruits, you can remove each stepson up to 1 cluster.
- Shaping the bush. In determinate tomatoes, bushes are formed into 2-3 stems, removing excess shoots. The lower large leaves are also removed. Removal of stepsons is carried out in cloudy weather.
- Garter plants do not need it.
- To obtain a quality harvest, regular feeding - 1 time every 10 days. It is recommended to alternate organic and mineral fertilizers.
Features of cultivation and possible difficulties
Volgograd early ripening 323 is an unpretentious crop. The only difficulties that may arise when growing it are waterlogging of the soil and lack of nutrition.These factors can be easily eliminated by correcting agricultural practices.
Diseases and pests
The variety has fixed resistance to late blight, anthracnose, cladosporiosis, blight and rot.
If the weather is damp in the summer, to prevent fungal diseases, the greenhouses are regularly ventilated, and the plantings are treated with copper preparations (copper sulfate, “HOM”).
The nuances of growing in open ground and greenhouses
When grown in open ground, plants require shading in hot weather: you can cover them with an opaque film or install sun protection.
In a greenhouse, ventilation and soil disinfection are required.
Harvesting and application
Tomatoes are picked as they ripen. You don’t have to wait until the tomatoes are completely colored, but pick them brown (but not green!). Brown tomatoes will ripen in a bright place in a week until they are fully ripe.
The harvest is used fresh, for processing and for sale. The fruits are suitable for transportation and short-term storage.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
Volgograd early ripening 323 has a lot of useful qualities:
- precocity;
- productivity;
- does not require pinching;
- adapted to temperature changes;
- Resistant to major nightshade diseases.
No significant deficiencies were identified in the variety. The plant reacts to extreme heat by reducing the ovaries. This property is due to the physiology of the plant, since when exposed to high temperatures, pollen becomes sterile.
Farmer reviews
Several reviews from gardeners about this reliable and popular variety.
Elena, Samara region: “Of all the tomatoes I planted, this was the only one that came out. The downside is that the taste is typical for sophisticated people, the appearance of the tomatoes is uninteresting, however, the same as in the photo on the packaging.”
Nikita Vladimirovich, Zelenograd: “I’ve been growing it for 3 years now. I go to the dacha once a week. This variety was a godsend for me! Grows without any problems. You can water once a week.”
Marina, Kherson: “The endurance of the plants is amazing. I grow it in open ground. One day I was in a hurry to plant seedlings, and they got frostbitten. I thought they would die. But the plants grew back and gave a good harvest.”
Conclusion
Even a beginner can grow a Volgograd early ripening tomato 323. This variety of old selection is popular among gardeners - it is a kind of “magic wand” in years with unfavorable weather conditions. The variety is universal in use - suitable for summer salads and main courses.