How to grow a tomato "Red giant"

Every gardener dreams of having only the best in his arsenal. varieties plants, be it vegetables, fruits or other crops. When it comes to tomatoes, one of the generally recognized leaders in beauty and taste is the Red Giant variety.

In this article, you will learn the most useful information about the Red Giant tomato and the rules for its cultivation.

Characteristics, description of the variety

Red giant stands out from others varieties of tomatoes its size. You can recognize it not only by its size, but also by the bright red color of the fruit, round, slightly flattened shape, unexpressed ribbing. The plant reaches a height of 140-180 cm, has long drooping leaves. One bush can contain up to 6 fruits.

Advantages and disadvantages

Tomato "Red Giant" was bred in the USSR and quickly earned popular love due to its excellent characteristics.

Namely:

1. High taste. Due to their high sugar content, these tomatoes are delicious both fresh and processed. “Red Giant” is a juicy variety: its moisture content is about 95%.
2. Large fruit size. One tomato weighs 450-650 g, and during the first harvest it can reach 850 g.
3. High disease resistance.
4. The possibility of growing both in greenhouses and in the open field. It grows not only in warm regions, but also in the north (but only in heated greenhouses).

However, the variety also has some disadvantages:

1. Low yield compared to other varieties of tomatoes.
2. Picky soil.
3. Short shelf life of ripe vegetables.

Disease and pest resistance

The variety itself has high disease resistance and pests... But with improper care, he is prone to disease.

Important. You should choose the right soil for planting (neutral is perfect), carefully monitor the watering and lighting of the plants, and do not forget to regularly ventilate the greenhouse.

Thrips, aphids, spider mites, greenhouse whitefly and Colorado potato beetle are the most dangerous for this variety. These are common pests that most modern drugs successfully combat.

Keep in mind that almost all insects lay their larvae in the soil in the fall, therefore after harvesting, dig up the soil so that the pest problem does not arise in the spring.

Planting and follow-up rules

Proper planting and proper care ensure a good harvest for the Red Giant.

Reference. Experts recommend not buying seedlings, but growing them yourself to avoid the risk of getting sick plants. Start disembarkation in February-mid-March.

When preparing the soil for seedlings, pay special attention to disinfection: soak the seeds in the solution potassium permanganate, and then rinse in running water. For the same purposes, it is recommended to scald the soil with boiling water.

Moisten it before sowing. Then depressions are made up to 2 cm, seeds are planted in them and sprinkled with earth. Watering is done every 3 days. The seedlings should be kept in a room with a temperature of 23-25 ​​degrees. After the sprouts appear, the seedlings are transferred to the ground.

Remember that neutral soil is suitable, in the 6-6.5 pH range. It must be carefully prepared for transplanting: remove all weeds and grass, add humus, compost and sand in equal parts. If the tomatoes are planted in a greenhouse, then treat it from pests.

2-3 bushes of plants are planted per 1 square meter of soil. The soil can be covered with mulch (shredded grass and plants). The tomatoes are poured with settled water.The greenhouse must be systematically ventilated to prevent fungal diseases.

At the growth stage, complex feeding is needed: every 10 days it is recommended to alternate organic and mineral fertilizers (with phosphorus and potassium).

Important. Do not water the tomatoes too often. Roll it into a ball to gauge the moisture content of the soil. If it quickly rolls down and collapses when pressed, then the humidity is normal and watering is not required.

During the period of active growth, the "Red Giant" is watered once a week, consuming 20-30 liters of water per square meter. During the flowering period, watered twice a week, one and a half to two liters per meter. The appearance of ovaries is accompanied by watering twice a week for 3-5 liters (if it is very hot, the volume is increased to 10 liters).

When the first fruits appear, it is worth watering only if the soil is very dry. The optimal time of day for watering is morning, since at this time of the day the sun is not yet too aggressive and the soil has time to absorb all the moisture.

An important part of grooming is plant pinching. This is the name of the removal of shoots in order to prevent the appearance of an excessive number of fruits. This is especially important for the "Red Giant" variety, as too much of the fruit provokes a decrease in their size.

The large weight of tomatoes of this variety weighs down the stems, and if there are a lot of fruits, then it can break.

Stepson shrubs once a week, leaving the stepson to form the stem. It is better to do this in the evening (when there is no heat).

Important. Due to the large weight of the fruit, it is important to place supports under the branches of the plant.

Yield

Due to the fact that up to 6 fruits of the "Red Giant" grow on one bush, and there are no more than 3 plants per square meter, the yield of the variety is relatively low: up to 12 kg per 1 square meter.

For comparison, medium-high productivity - 5 kg / bush. For the "Red Giant" this figure is 3-4 kg. But the variety compensates for its low yield with excellent taste.

Reviews

Enas, Ukraine: «It will not be difficult for me to grow large tomatoes now, because I bought the seeds of the Red Giant tomato. Tomatoes from them will turn out to be bright red and each of them weighing up to 500 grams. A very interesting variety, I have not grown such large ones yet, but they suggested that the tomato variety is of high quality and resistant to various diseases».

Ekaterina, 30 years old: «I tried to grow the Red Giant tomato. I'm happy with the result. Delicious in processing, especially in ketchup!».

Alexander: «I consider Red Giant to be the best tomato variety. The most wonderful and sweetest. I do not grow either green or yellow tomatoes, I think that the best are the red ones, because they cannot be sweeter».

Conclusion

The red giant was bred in 1989 and still occupies a leading position among other tomato varieties. It has established itself as a delicious, sweet, unpretentious variety.

The giant is already recognized by many gardeners and has received a lot of positive feedback. Try you too grow this vegetable and appreciate it!