The tomato variety Ladies' fingers is known for its delicious elongated fruits. He is loved by gardeners, because he is unpretentious, stored for a long time and perfectly transported. How to grow this variety of tomatoes, we will tell in the article.

Origin history

Tomato Ladies' fingers gardeners have been planting for over a century. He was brought out by Russian breeder Lyubov Myazina. Despite its popularity, the tomato was recently added to the official register - in 2006.

Characterization and description of the variety

Tomatoes Ladies fingers differ in the following characteristics:

• ripen in the early stages - the first fruits are formed 95-110 days after emergence;
• the bushes are stunted and determinant - in the garden reach a height of 60-65 cm, in the greenhouse - up to 120 cm;
• the crown of the bush is compact, the shoots do not grow much, the number of leaves is average;
• dark green leaves, medium in size;
• tying brushes occurs after 1-2 leaves;
• tomato brings fruits of elongated, cylindrical shape;
• peel of tomatoes smooth, dense;
• fruit color is bright red;
• the average fruit mass is 50–70 g;
• the yield of the variety is medium in open ground (3 kg per 1 sq. m), high in the greenhouse (15 kg per 1 sq. m);
• from 6 to 8 fruits are formed on one brush;
• flesh is fleshy, dense, sweet with sourness;
• fruits are resistant to cracking;
• tomatoes are often used for salting, eat fresh and for making sauces;
• resistant to short-term temperature drops, high temperatures and drought;
• suitable for long-term storage - in cool conditions they do not deteriorate for 4 months;
• keep appearance after transportation;
• grown in open ground, in a greenhouse, in a greenhouse, under the film.

Depending on the shape of the fruit, the variety is divided into types:

• pear-shaped;
• cylindrical;
• small fruited (Syzransky).

Did you know? The world's largest tomato was grown by American farmer Dan McCoy. Its weight is 3.8 kg. Tomato even got its own name - Big Zack.

Advantages and disadvantages

• Grade Ladies fingers has a number of advantages:
• high taste and marketability of the fruit;
• there are practically no seeds in the fruits;
• unpretentiousness;
• friendly ripening of tomatoes;
• the ability to propagate with your own seeds;
• excellent transportability and durability;
• universality of application;
• resistance to late blight.

• The disadvantages of the variety:
• not suitable for making tomato juice;
• in areas of risky farming, it is cultivated only in closed ground conditions.

Features of planting and growing

Tomatoes Ladies' fingers are grown using seedlings. Sowing is carried out in the second half of March. Seeds purchased at the store. Before sowing, they are kept in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, and then washed in clean water.

The substrate for growing seedlings can also be purchased at the store. It must be nutritious. If there is no opportunity to buy ready-made soil, then you can prepare it yourself by mixing 2 parts of peat, 1 part of sod land, 1 part of humus or compost, 0.5 parts of sand.

Such a substrate must be processed before sowing. First, disinfect by treating with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, “Fitosporin” or keeping in the oven (microwave) at a temperature of +70 ... + 90 ° С. Then it is good to moisturize and maintain in room conditions throughout the day.

After treatment, the soil is placed in a container for growing seedlings - a wooden or plastic box, cassettes, plastic cups or peat tablets. Recommended tank depth - 10 cm.

Holes are made in the soil with a depth of 1-1.5 cm. 2-3 seeds are put in each hole. Wells are covered with earth. The substrate is well moistened with a spray bottle. Capacities are covered with a film or glass.

In order for the seeds to sprout quickly and successfully, favorable conditions are created for them:

• air temperature - +22 ... + 25 ° С;
• air humidity - 60-70%;
• good lighting - 14-16 hours (if necessary - artificial lighting).

Every day you need to remove film or glass from the tank to give an influx of fresh air and exclude fungal diseases. Soil moistening is also required. It is better to carry out watering with a spray gun, warm, standing water. The frequency of hydration - 1 time in 7-10 days.

If the conditions are created correct, sprouts will appear in 3-4 days. After that, the film or glass is removed from the tank completely.

After the formation of 1-2 leaves, the sprouts dive - they are planted in different peat pots with a nutrient substrate. They are regularly moistened and sprayed. Daytime air temperature should not fall below +18 ° C, at night - below +12 ° C.

During the growth of seedlings, it can be fertilized with mineral additives - Kemira Plus, Agricola.

If you plan to grow in the open ground, then the seedlings 1–1.5 weeks before the intended transplantation to a permanent place will need to be hardened - on warm days, take the pots out into the fresh air, starting from 5 minutes a day. Daily duration of the hardening procedure is increased.

Technology planting seedlings in a permanent place

Seedlings are transplanted to a permanent place in open ground at the end of May. Planting in the greenhouse can be done in mid-May.

For transplanting, the soil in peat pots is well moistened so that an earthen lump easily leaves them.

The recommended planting pattern with the standard width of the beds - in 2 rows. For 1 square. m should fit 6-8 bushes. The optimal distance between seedlings is 40-50 cm, between beds - 40-50 cm. The recommended planting scheme is 70x50 cm.Depressions are made on the beds, allowing you to place up to half the stem. The soil for tomatoes is fertilized in advance.

If the weather is not yet stable, then it is recommended to cover the beds with film or non-woven material.

Tomato Care

Tomatoes Ladies' fingers belong to unpretentious grades. Nevertheless, minimal care for them is necessary, otherwise it will not be possible to get a good harvest.

Feeding and watering

Tomatoes are fed 3-4 times during development.

Top dressing is applied 1 time in 20 days or adhere to the scheme:

1. 2 weeks after planting.
2. After 10 days.
3. In 2 weeks.
4. After 20 days.

Of fertilizers use:

• "Epin";
• “Tsitovit”;
• "Gumi Kuznetsova";
• Gumat-Universal;
• "Emerald";
• "Ideal".

Nutrient solutions are also prepared in person. To do this, mix 50 g of superphosphate, 10 g of urea, 10 g of potassium sulfate and 10 l of water. Organics are also introduced - bird droppings (1:10), mullein.

Yeast is an excellent fertilizer for tomatoes. For their application, the foliar method is used. A yeast solution is prepared from 10 g of dry yeast, 0.5 l of wood ash, 5 large tablespoons of sugar, 10 l of water. The bushes are processed at the stage of budding and blooming of the first flowers.

Another option for fertilizer is infusions of herbs.

Fertilizing under the root is carried out only after abundant moisture in the soil. Root top dressing should be alternated with foliar.

The first watering after planting is done in 10-12 days. Use warm, settled or rain water with a temperature of at least +20 ° С.

Before the start of flowering in 1 square. m will need 4 liters of water. During flowering and the formation of ovaries - up to 12 liters.

The optimal regime for watering tomatoes is 1-2 times in 7 days. The best time to moisturize is in the evening, after the sun hides, or on a cloudy day. When watering, make sure that moisture does not fall on the foliage and stems. This will prevent the development of burns in plants.

Tomatoes can be watered manually - using a hose (under the root, excluding moisture from plants) and a drip subsoil method. More preferred, convenient, efficient and economical is drip irrigation.

Important! You can find out if tomatoes are watered enough by squeezing a lump of earth in the palm of your hand, allocated from a depth of 10 cm. A well-molded and decaying lump indicates sufficient moisture.

Shrub formation and pinching

Since the bushes of these tomatoes form only 2 stems, they are compact, and the foliage is not large in size, this variety does not need to be pinch. Some farmers resort to this procedure when growing tomatoes in a greenhouse.

Soil loosening

Loosening of the soil is carried out after each irrigation and rainfall. The procedure is necessary in order to give air to the roots, as the wet soil becomes dense.

Loosen the soil in the near-stem zone carefully so as not to touch and damage the rhizome. Tilling is combined with hilling.

Since often tomato bushes of this variety are closely intertwined, then weeding is not necessary. It is enough to pull out large weeds with roots.

Optionally, but preferably mulch the soil. The mulching procedure allows you to limit the growth of weeds and save moisture in the soil. For this purpose, mowed grass, peat or straw are used.

Possible growing difficulties

The Ladies fingers variety is resistant to late blight, as the fruits ripen until the time the disease spreads. Therefore, preventive measures that reduce the risk of developing this disease are not required.

However, with erroneous actions during the cultivation of tomatoes, they can suffer from the development of pathogenic microorganisms and damage by parasite pests.

With increased humidity, fungal diseases develop that are treated with fungicides - Fitosporin-M, Quadrice, and copper-containing drugs.

Mosaic may also develop. When yellowish-green spots appear on the leaves, twisting, they should be removed and burned. If required, the entire diseased plant is removed.

Tomatoes often infect spider mites and aphids. In case of their invasion, they use spraying with a soap solution and treatment with insecticides - “Aktellik”, “Fitoverm”, “Aktara”, “Fufanon”.To prevent the invasion of pests, mixed plantings are used. So, in the immediate vicinity of tomatoes, in the aisles you need to plant marigold, marigold, lupine, mustard, oil radish. Their smell repels harmful insects.

Also used for this purpose are the biological products “Bitoxibacillin”, “Actofit”, “Lepidocide”, “Planriz”, “Haupsin”.

Harvesting and storage

The fruits of these tomatoes ripen together. Inspection of the beds and picking ripe and spoiled fruit produce in the morning every day or every other day.

Since ladies' fingers are resistant to cracking and have a dense skin, they can be removed both red and brown for transportation. However, the latter is preferred. Brown tomatoes are placed in boxes and placed in a room with a temperature of +18 ... + 25 ° C and a humidity of 80-85%.

There they ripen within two days without losing their presentation.

For long-term storage, the most dense, intact tomatoes are selected. They are placed in a place with a temperature of + 11–13 ° С and a humidity of 85–90%.

Did you know? In the Kherson region of Ukraine, a farmer collected 165 fruits with a total weight of 8.4 kg from one tomato bush. Such a quantity of tomatoes is enough to roll up in 5 three-liter cans. The record holder bush was entered into the Book of Records of Ukraine.

What can I cook?

Grade Ladies fingers has universal application.Here are some tips on how these tomatoes can be used in cooking:

1. Fresh - put in salads, they are decorated with various dishes.
2. It’s good to make harvests from these tomatoes for the winter. They are in the top 5 varieties for pickling. Small-sized fruits are ideal for preservation as a whole in containers of different volumes. In brine, they do not burst and do not become sap.
3. Suitable for conservation in green.
4. From the fruits are obtained delicious sauces, ketchup, lecho.
5. For seaming in jars, they take away intact, not spoiled by rot, ripe fruits with a strong skin.
6. To preserve the greatest amount of valuable substances in fruits, they can be dried or dried.
7. For the preparation of tomato juice, this variety is not suitable. Only tomato paste can be made from it.

Important! To get 1 kilo of dried tomatoes, you will need 8—14 kg of fresh fruit. When dried, tomatoes lose up to 93% of their weight.

So, we introduced you to one of the favorite varieties of gardeners. It differs in tasty fruits - “cream”, unpretentiousness, resistance to late blight. It is grown in greenhouses, in the southern regions - in open ground.

Since it perfectly retains its presentation in long-term storage and transportation, it can be considered as a suitable option for cultivation for commercial purposes.