Tomatoes Lady fingers: description of the variety with photos

Description of the tomato variety Lady fingers

The variety was grown in the last century, but it was officially recognized in 2006. During its existence, new varieties with slight differences in the shape of the fruit appeared in private farms.

Syzran lady fingers from the Volga region stand apart from this list. The description of the Syzran tomato variety Lady's Fingers differs from its namesake. This is an indeterminate variety, reaching a height of 1.5-2 m. It is grown in greenhouses, pinched and tied. The fruits are small in size (30-40 g), but their abundance is striking. One bunch consists of 20-30 small sweet-tasting tomatoes.

Lady finger tomatoes are determinate varieties. They form small, compact bushes that do not require pinching.

Description of tomato Lady fingers:

• grow up to 60 cm in open ground and up to 1m 20 cm in greenhouses;
• growth occurs in two stems;
• the tomato is characterized by medium foliage;
• dark foliage with a bright emerald tint;
• inflorescence – a raceme on which up to 6-8 fruits are formed;
• the brushes are tied after 1-2 leaves.

The fruits do not fall from the bush, they ripen gradually, and when unripe they are emerald green, and when ripe they are bright red. There is no spot on the stalk. Photos of Lady Fingers tomatoes clearly demonstrate this.

Description of fruits

The tomato variety Lady's fingers is distinguished by cylindrical, elongated fruits from 5 to 10 cm in length. They are usually smooth, with a shiny surface, but slight ribbing is possible. The weight is small and amounts to 50-75 g. Most often, the fruits are even and do not grow large, but exceptions are possible. Thus, there are specimens up to 145 AD.

The juicy fruit contains 2-3 chambers and a small number of seeds. The pulp is quite dense, which increases the transportability of tomatoes and their lightness. The fruits do not crack and retain a presentable appearance for a long time. They taste sweet with a slight sour note.

The purpose of the Lady fingers tomato is universal: the fruits are suitable for fresh consumption in salads or whole canning. Pickled “berries” not only look appetizing, but also have a wonderful taste.

In what dishes should I use it?

Small lady fingers tomato fruits are very convenient and rational to use in preservation in their entirety. Tomatoes are in large quantities and will fit tightly into any jar and can be used in preserving assorted vegetables.

In their processed form, the “fingers” also performed well and are perfect for preparing a dressing for borscht, stews, tomato paste, as well as ketchups and sauces.

Fresh tomatoes are also very tasty, meaty, and can be used for salads. But due to their meatiness, they are not suitable for making tomato juice.

Characteristics of tomato Lady fingers

Tomatoes of this variety have excellent characteristics:

• fast ripening times;
• good yield
• simultaneous maturation;
• ease and transportability;
• excellent taste.

Important! Tomato Lady fingers does not need pinching. The bush independently forms two stems, which greatly facilitates care. The variety is suitable for “lazy” and novice gardeners, as it does not require much attention.

Productivity and fruiting

The yield of the Lady's finger tomato variety is affected by climatic conditions. Like most tomatoes, they are heat-loving and need good lighting. Under favorable conditions, fruiting is 10 kg per 1 sq. m. The fruits ripen together and stay firmly on the bushes.

Fruiting occurs 90-110 days from planting. The variety is early, so the harvest of vegetables begins in June and continues until the first frost. This makes it possible to collect tomatoes throughout the growing season, using them as needed.

Area of ​​application of fruits

The Lady Fingers tomato variety is classified as universal and is used for:

• cuts in fresh salads;
• preparing ketchup, lecho, tomato paste;
• canning whole fruits.

Comment! Due to the dryish pulp, the tomato is unsuitable for squeezing juices, but sometimes the fruits wither and candied fruits of unusual taste are obtained.

Resistance to diseases and pests

The variety is not sufficiently resistant to diseases and pests, since it is not a hybrid. It is easily infected with tobacco mosaic, which is a dangerous virus. Bacteria infect tomato crops both in open ground and in greenhouses.

With tobacco mosaic, the shade of the leaf blade becomes different, light spots appear and wrinkles appear. The stems also change shape and curl. The plant looks sick, growth stops, yield drops or is reduced to zero.

Diseased branches and leaves are torn off by hand and burned. Healthy plants should not be near sick ones, as the virus spreads easily and quickly “moves” to other bushes, destroying the entire tomato plantation.

Important! The Lady's finger tomato is not susceptible to late blight due to the rapid development and ripening of the fruit. With prolonged fruiting, individual specimens often become infected with this fungal disease.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

The Lady Fingers tomato has many more advantages than disadvantages.

1. It is cold-resistant and ripens until the first frost.
2. Tomatoes tolerate heat, drought and rainy weather well, so they are considered unpretentious.
3. The vegetables ripen quickly and stay well on the stalk without falling off the bush.
4. You can collect the seeds yourself, since the variety is not a hybrid. They remain viable for up to 5 years.
5. During transportation and storage, the fruits do not change shape, do not crack, and retain their excellent appearance.
6. They suffer only slightly: they are practically not affected by late blight. This may be due to early ripening, when late blight does not have time to spread.

Lady fingers also have minor disadvantages. They bring the richest harvest in the southern regions, because they love an abundance of warmth and light. In the northern regions, this variety is recommended for film greenhouses. In addition, the fruits are not suitable for making juice due to their insufficient juiciness.

How to get seeds for planting next year

For seeds, you need to choose fruits that are red and have a characteristic shape for the variety.

To collect the seeds, the fruits should be slightly brown. Before collecting the seeds, wash the tomatoes, cut them with a knife and squeeze the juice and pulp into a small container.

After squeezing out the pulp, the dishes are covered with gauze and then placed in a dark place. In this case, water is not added to the mass, as it will cause the death of the seed.

When the juice becomes lighter, a film and bubbles will be visible on the surface of the jar’s contents, and the seeds will sink to the bottom of the container. After this, you can separate the seeds.

Ripe fruits, slightly brown in color, are suitable for collecting seeds.

Then you need to perform a series of actions:

• the seeds are washed;
• spread on a cotton cloth to remove excess moisture;
• spread on paper in a thin layer to dry;
• stir periodically.

Ready seeds are stored in a dry place in paper bags, their germination remains 5-9 years, but it is better to use them no later than 4 years.

Growing rules

Care involves basic agrotechnical measures intended for representatives of the Solanaceae family. But since the variety is not particularly demanding on growing conditions, any gardener can master the growing rules. This tomato belongs to the varieties that are said to be “planted and forgotten.”

Planting seedlings

Seeds are prepared in advance for planting, treated with growth stimulants and disinfected, so that in the future the young plants do not get sick and are strong.

Seeds are planted 60 days before planting in the ground, that is, approximately in mid-March. The period is selected individually, based on their specific climate zone.

Planting includes several stages.

1. Seedling boxes and soil are prepared, which is disinfected with a pink solution of potassium permanganate. Sometimes they use ready-made soil or mix sand, turf soil, and humus in equal proportions.
2. Seeds are sown to a depth of 1 cm according to a 2x3 cm pattern. The soil is moistened, the boxes are covered with film and placed in a warm place.
3. The first shoots appear within a week. When they appear, the film is removed, the temperature is lowered to plus 16 and good illumination is created, installing backlighting if necessary.
4. When the third leaf appears, they dive into separate pots. In this case, the tip of the central root is cut off to speed up the development of the root system.
5. 2 weeks before planting in a permanent place, the seedlings are hardened off by taking them out into the fresh air for several hours every day.

Advice! If the seedlings stretch out and turn pale, this indicates a lack of light or nutrients. You need to install lighting and feed the seedlings with ash or complex mineral fertilizer for seedlings.

Tomato transplant

The Lady's Fingers variety is planted in the greenhouse in early May, and in open ground when the threat of return frosts has passed. For 1 sq. m place up to 6-8 bushes. A two-line planting method with row spacing of 40-50 cm and the same distance between plants is convenient.

The soil is prepared in advance by marking the planting holes and adding a nutritious mixture of ash, humus, several granules of ammonium nitrate and superphosphate. Well-formed, strong and healthy seedlings are carefully removed from the cups, trying not to damage the earthen ball. The planting holes are watered with water, the seedlings are placed and covered with earth. The soil around the roots is compacted and sprinkled with mulch (peat, sawdust, leaves).

Important! At first, plants are protected in greenhouses from bright sunlight, and in open ground from frost, so that the seedlings adapt to new conditions without stress.

Subsequent care for tomatoes

Care includes traditional procedures.

1. Feeding, which is carried out several times per season. They are necessary in the initial stages of growth and during fruit formation. Nitrogen is important for the growth of green mass, and subsequently phosphorus and potassium.
2. Watering 2-3 times a week. In hot weather they are carried out daily.
3. Removing weeds as needed. Small weeds do not need to be removed, as they cover the soil and protect the bushes from the sun.
4. Pinching and tying are not carried out: this is not necessary. The bushes are formed compact and small. In greenhouse conditions, plants are sometimes tied up for greater stability.

The harvest of Lady's finger tomatoes is formed even without careful care, especially in the southern regions. In more northern latitudes, growing tomatoes will require a minimum of effort.

Fruit

Amateur varieties of the Lady Fingers variety are usually distinguished by more elongated fruits, smooth, even along the entire length, with a small pointed nose.

When they hang in the hand, the illusion of an elegant female hand with thin fingers and nails is created. In the photo, these tomatoes look the most beautiful.

The registered variety and its variants from many companies that sell seeds show slightly different forms. The tomatoes also hang beautifully in the brush, like cylinders; but they are often slightly shortened, like a barrel or even a pear, with or without a spout.

Consistency

Any description of this variety notes its most important characteristic: the tomatoes are very dense, with a high content of dry matter. The color is bright, rich red.

There are few seeds in the fruits. The pulp is not watery, with a typical “tomato” sourness, very aromatic.

Thanks to the strong peel, they do not suffer during carrying and long-term transportation, and do not wrinkle. And they can be stored until the New Year holidays!

Care

The rules of agricultural technology are quite simple. According to the description, the plants do not need to be pinched and tied up, because They assigned this function to themselves. These tomatoes produce a high yield when lying down; they do not wither or rot.

Tall weeds should be pulled out periodically. If the grass has not grown much, it can be left as a protective wall from the merciless rays of the sun.

During periods of drought, tomatoes require watering 2-3 times a week; if the summer has an average level of humidity, it will be sufficient to water the bush just once a week. It is better to feed with mineral fertilizers at the initial stage of plant development and during the ripening period.

Fruit

All varieties of lady fingers are small in size, rich red in color and elongated (elongated) in shape. Hence the name of these elegant fruits.

Variety varieties

The widening at the bottom explains the characteristic pear shape. Fruits without such thickening are of the cylindrical type. If they have a sharp tip, they are called "spouted" - a trademark for "lady finger". Each tomato has two nests with a small number of seeds. Fruit weight 50-70 g.

All varieties of the variety have thick skin, a sweet “tomato” taste and a strong aroma.

The yield of the variety depends on the region and method of cultivation. In the center of the country in open ground, according to the results of state tests, it is 2.7 kg/m2, under film up to 15 kg/m2.

Small-fruited (Syzran) lady fingers

Syzran Lady Fingers are noticeably different from these three varieties. This option has an indeterminate bush with a height of 1.5 to 2 meters, which requires tying and pinching. It also needs to be formed into two stems. Here, each cluster contains 20-30 small fruits, weighing 30-40 g each. Because of their size (and shape) they are called “candy”. The variety has a high yield, which is achieved due to the number of tomatoes.

Diseases and pests

This variety has average disease resistance. It is most susceptible to mosaic damage, which manifests itself in a change in the shade of the leaf, on which emerald-amber spots appear. In addition, the branches of the plant twist and change, the bush looks sick.

To prevent diseases, seeds are pickled in a light pink solution of potassium permanganate before sowing.

To get a good harvest of Lady Fingers tomatoes, it is enough to follow basic agrotechnical practices. This is a low-maintenance variety, so even a beginner can easily handle it.

The variety is moderately resistant to diseases. Most often, plants suffer from tobacco mosaic. To combat the disease, you should follow the rules of prevention:

• Regularly weed, avoid the appearance of aphids;
• Periodically treat plants with whey;
• Do not leave affected plants in the garden.

IMPORTANT: Recommended humidity when growing in a greenhouse is 40-60%, temperature is 20-26*C

Bushes

They are determinate by plant type. Their height in open ground does not exceed 60 cm and can reach 1.2 m in greenhouses. The Lady's Finger bush does not need to be formed - it forms itself into no more than two stems. It also does not require pinching.

Fruit clusters (simple inflorescences) are located after 1-2 leaves, each containing 6-8 fruits. The recommendation found that bushes need not be tied up is not unambiguous. In the southern regions, in the open air, they can lie almost on the ground without harm to the fruits. In other places, a garter is desirable: it will protect open bushes from strong winds, which can break them, and tall plants in greenhouses will protect from unwanted contact with wet soil.

Although, thanks to the dense skin, the fruits are not affected by rot even on damp soil.