We grow a giant tomato on our site: planting secrets and care tips
A real hero among tomatoes - Giant - has firmly established himself in the hearts of gardeners. And not only in the hearts, this tasty giant occupies a good half of the summer cottages throughout Russia, because it is easy to care for and gives a good harvest. But, in order to collect tasty and juicy fruits, the size of a real farmer's fist, you need to know the peculiarities of planting this particular variety.
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Variety characteristics
Tomatoes of the Giant variety can be found in two varieties: with fruits of black and raspberry color. The photo shows that giant tomatoes, depending on the subspecies, can be dark brown or pinkish raspberry. In addition to the color of the fruit, the varieties are no different.
“Giant raspberry” got its name for a reason, this large-fruited representative of salad varieties gardeners consider one of the best. And not only in size, but also in taste. The giant belongs to mid-season varieties. In order to get a ripe fruit on the table, at least 105 days must pass from the moment of planting the seeds.
Standard plant - this means that the stem is strong, the leaves are not large... The bush itself is medium-sized, since the plant is determinant by the type of growth (growth is limited). The maximum height is 1m 80 cm. But, in most cases, summer residents get a bush with a height of 130-150 cm. Growth largely depends on the climate in which the giant grows.
Description of the fruits of the subspecies Giant raspberry
When ripe, large fruits have a distinctive bright crimson color... The tomatoes themselves are of a good, rounded shape and can reach a weight of 500 grams in the first harvest, later summer residents collect fruits weighing 300-400 g. The giant has a pronounced tomato taste, the fruit is juicy, sweet, dense, and sugary in structure. The dry matter content is about 5%, sugar - 2.4%, there are few seeds in the chambers.
The crop perfectly tolerates transportation even over long distances and can be stored for a long time... If you pick the fruit green or in "milky ripeness" and create optimal conditions of temperature and humidity (10-12 degrees Celsius and 80% humidity). Then the tomatoes will lie until the new year. Thanks to these qualities, he is so fond of large manufacturers.
How to grow seedlings
If you follow simple rules planting and timely care, then a bountiful harvest on your table is guaranteed. The giant crimson is not very whimsical to care for.
Seed preparation
Before planting seeds for seedlings, you need to prepare them. To do this, first soak them in a solution of dark pink potassium permanganate, but no longer than 40 minutes. Then the seeds should be placed in clean water and the liquid should be changed every three hours. The seeds should spend a day in such water. A growth promoter can be used.
Then the seeds need to be dried on a paper towel.... Fill the seedling container with nutritious soil and moisten abundantly, place the dried seeds at a distance of 2-2.5 cm and sprinkle with soil to a height of one and a half centimeters. The container for seedlings must be covered with foil until shoots appear, but ventilated twice a day to prevent mold.
Sowing seeds for seedlings should be started 65-70 days before planting in the ground (late March - early April). Most often, a bush is formed into two stems.After the first two leaves grow, it is necessary to dive the sprouts.
Growing seedlings
After seed germination, the main thing is to water the soil in time, you can do this with a spoon between the sprouts or from a syringe, drip. It is necessary to put the container closer to the light, it is best to use special phytolamps for this, so that the plant does not stretch in length, but grows strong.
If you plan to grow tomato bushes in the open field, then the seedlings must be hardened: taken out into the street in cloudy weather, gradually increasing the time spent in the fresh air. Then begin to take out in the sun, also for a short while at first, so that the plant does not get sunburn.
About other varieties of tomatoes:
Sustainable and productive tomato "Snowdrop" for the northern regions
Greenhouse or open ground?
The raspberry giant is a very thermophilic variety, and also loves the sun's rays. Therefore, planting in open ground is possible only in the southern regions of Russia, such as: Astrakhan, Belgorod, Voronezh regions, North Caucasus and Krasnodar Territory, Saratov Region.
In more northern areas, where there are often sudden changes in day and night temperatures, the cultivation of the Giant is possible only in greenhouse conditions. This will help you control the flow of heat. When arranging a greenhouse, it must be remembered that the plant is tall enough so that the grown Giant does not have to, like Atlanta, support the ceiling of the greenhouse, its height should be at least two meters.
Planting and leaving
It is necessary to plant seedlings in the ground taking into account that the adult plants are not cramped... The distance between seedlings should be at least half a meter, and no more than four plants can grow on one square meter. Since the tomato bush of this variety is tall, it definitely needs a garter, this will also serve as additional protection if you plan to plant tomatoes in the open field.
While the ovary is forming, this variety of tomatoes simply needs fertilizer containing potassium and phosphorus; during the growth process, the amount of feed can be reduced.
In addition, the plant needs regular watering.
Life hack... If it is not possible to water the ground often, but you want to avoid its rapid drying, you can apply mulching. The method, peeped from nature itself, when the soil is covered with special mulch, best of all organic. In this case, the soil will not only not dry out and not be covered with a crust, it will not have to be loosened often. Organic mulch like freshly cut grass, compost or straw can also serve as fertilizer.
Stealing
So as not to turn your tomato beds into a jungle and to get a good harvest, you need to do pinching... Newbie summer residents have questions: what are "stepchildren", why delete them and how to do it correctly? Stepsons are branches from the main stem, competing shoots. They emerge from the leaf axils at the beginning of flowering. It is best to leave the most powerful one, and remove all others growing on it.
This can be done either by pulling to the side with your hands, and not down, so as not to damage the skin of the plant, or with the help of garden shears. After each trimmed plant, the scissors are washed in a solution of potassium permanganate so as not to spread the infection to the entire bush, if any.
It is best to spawn plants once a week in the early morning on a sunny day., then the "wound" will have time to drag on for a day. If the stepsons did not cut off for a long time and then decided to carry out the procedure in one day, then it will be a great stress for the bush.
Possible difficulties and peculiarities of growing
So that there are no difficulties with growing a giant, you need to remove weeds on time and feed the seedlings with mineral fertilizers... The giant is sensitive to changes in air temperature and to the forgetfulness of gardeners, you need to water the plant regularly.
A large number of sunny days is also extremely important for the variety., this affects the taste and sugar content of the future harvest. Despite the fact that this variety is not susceptible to disease, prevention is still worth carrying out: both from diseases and from pests.
Read also:
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Diseases and pests
More often than not, farmers planting this variety face a disease such as tomato apical rot... So that this ailment does not ruin your future harvest, it is necessary to reduce the nitrogen content in the soil, monitor its moisture and fertilize the soil with calcium.
Damaged plants are sprayed with calcium nitrate solution... Another disease that can affect a giant raspberry tomato is brown spot; for prevention and treatment, you need to often ventilate the greenhouse, water less (at least in smaller quantities) and adjust the temperature in the greenhouse.
Giant tomatoes can attack melon aphids and thripsTo prevent this from happening, you can use the Zubr tool. They fight against bears and slugs by loosening the soil, and you can also water the ground with a special solution: for this, dilute a tablespoon of dry mustard or ground pepper in 10 liters of water.
Harvesting and application of the crop
Giant raspberry has very good yield indicators, on average, farmers collect 10 kg of tomatoes from a bush, considering that three bushes per square meter are 30 kg of delicious tomatoes.
First harvest when the fruit reaches half a kilogram, very good to eat fresh, as an ingredient in salads. The variety is perfect for making tomato paste and ketchup. But the subsequent harvest, with smaller fruits, will show itself well in conservation and will allow you to enjoy the Giant all year round.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
The giant raspberry is not for nothing so popular among farmers, his main advantages:
- great taste;
- large fruits;
- good keeping quality.
The fruits can be stored without fear for a long time: in a cellar, closet, garage... In addition, thanks to their dense skin, they are well-tolerated on the road and are not afraid of long-distance transportation. Resistant to diseases and pests.
This variety has no drawbacks, there are cultivation features that must be paid attention to: the plant is thermophilic, loves the sun's rays, reacts sensitively if the irrigation schedule is violated and needs to be tied, because it is high enough.
Farmers reviews
Let's see how gardeners respond to growing tomatoes of this variety.
Alina Kornilova, 57 years old: “I have tried many varieties of tomatoes and have been growing Giant for several years now. My whole family loves the taste of these tomatoes. In the first year there were difficulties, I did not calculate what size the bushes would be, they were uncomfortable in the greenhouse. But the next season I took into account all the mistakes and got a very good harvest. "
Dmitry Semenov, 42 years old: “I live in the Krasnodar Territory, I grew a giant raspberry in the open field. Most of all I was pleased that there were no problems with pests, the main thing is not to forget to tie up the bushes - when there is a lot of sun and heat, the bushes grow huge. The first crop was eaten like this, and those that went smaller later were salted. "
Irina Vyseltseva, 67 years old: “A friend recommended this variety to me and treated me to her tomatoes, I liked it very much and decided to grow it too. There were no particular problems, I am an experienced gardener. I can only advise you to use mineral fertilizers first. "
Conclusion
The giant raspberry allows you to enjoy not only the harvest (and it pleases with a truly gigantic size) but also from the process itself.The variety is not whimsical to care for, is not susceptible to diseases and pests. The main thing to remember is that planting in open ground is possible only in the southern regions, but an excellent result can also be obtained in a greenhouse.
Follow the watering regime, do not forget to pinch and tie up adult bushes, and then gigantic tomatoes will not keep you waiting.