Features of low-growing varieties
Compact and miniature tomato bushes take up little space in the garden, their root system is also small, so more low-growing tomatoes can be planted in one square than other taller tomato varieties.
If you provide appropriate care for these short vegetable plants, you can get high yields.
Most varieties of low-growing tomatoes are early or mid-early in terms of fruit ripening. Such ripening periods are important for those regions where there is a short summer period and harsh climatic conditions.
Also, such varieties have high resistance to most diseases characteristic of vegetable crops from the nightshade family. It is especially important that early-ripening tomato varieties manage to bear fruit before weather begins favorable for the active development of the late blight pathogen - cold nights, heavy dew in the morning and hot weather during the day.
Most early, short varieties of tomatoes are resistant to changes in temperature and can withstand spring cold snaps and other vagaries of weather, forming ovaries in unfavorable weather conditions.
Although in general the tomato is a heat-loving vegetable crop, which should be planted in a well-lit place, providing a sufficient amount of moisture in the soil, but at present many varieties of this vegetable crop have been bred that are resistant to temporary cold snaps, and therefore grow well in Siberia, on the Urals and central Russia.
And although many of the low-growing tomatoes can grow well in greenhouse conditions, where they will not suffer from lower temperatures, in open ground such resistance of these vegetable plants is very valuable.
Such early-ripening tomatoes do not require regular pinching procedures, so gardeners do not have to waste time on additional care for the bushes.
Need to know! The annotation for the variety must indicate whether the stepsons need to be removed or not. Therefore, it is so important to carefully read the instructions for the variety in order to know what kind of care a particular tomato variety needs.
Most often, low-growing tomatoes are grown in open ground in the southern regions of Russia. And in areas with a short summer period, it is better to plant them in greenhouses, greenhouses or tunnels.
Also, some varieties of such vegetable plants that do not require pollination by bees can be grown on glazed balconies or loggias. But the yield of varieties grown at home is not too high.
Low-growing tomatoes can vary in the shape and color of ripe fruits, the purpose of the harvest, and the size of the tomatoes.
Methods of growing seedlings
Planting seeds in the ground under a greenhouse
This must be done in early May. We wrap the seeds in a wet cloth and wait until they hatch. Thus, we weed out non-living seeds.
In the selected area, we cut grooves up to 3 cm deep. We treat the ground with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Then place 2-3 seeds in the recesses, at a distance of 3-4 cm from each other. Sprinkle everything with a thin layer of sifted chernozem. Then we water it using a watering can and a diffuser (so as not to wash away the seeds).
To speed up germination, the crops must be covered with plastic film. The frequency of watering at the germination stage is 1 time every 2 days, with water that has settled and warmed in the sun.
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It is necessary to install arcs over the emerging sprouts and cover them on top. In sunny weather, the edges of the greenhouse must be raised for hardening. When the seedlings reach 4-5 cm, open them for a day. Now you should water every day, before sunset.
At about 40-45 days, fully formed seedling bushes can be planted in the open air, directly to the place of their further growth and fruiting.
It is important to do this before the first inflorescences appear. Otherwise, during the adaptation period, the plant may shed flowers and the time for ovary formation will increase. What will affect the timing of the first harvest?
Before removing seedlings from the garden bed, be sure to thoroughly fill the soil with water. Softened soil will prevent damage to the roots.
The distance between bushes should be 35-45 cm, and between rows 50-60 cm.
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Planting in artificial beds on the windowsill
Here you can start the process 15 days earlier. When the sprouts have 2-3 leaves, we transplant them into separate peat cups (pick).
After they take root, begin the hardening process by opening the window for a short time. We gradually increase the ventilation intervals. Then take the plants out to the balcony in the open air during the daytime. Plant ready-made seedlings in the garden directly in cups so as not to disturb the root system.
It is important to buy seeds based not only on the taste, color and size of tomatoes, but also choose those growing in your climate region.
Advantages and disadvantages of low-growing varieties
The main advantages of such varieties include:
- fairly high yield;
- bushes do not require special care, including gartering, pinching and shaping;
- resistance to temporary cold snaps,
- resistance to most diseases, including late blight;
- early ripening of the crop in almost all varieties;
- unusual shape, size and color of fruits;
- more low-growing tomatoes can be planted on one square;
- resistance to changing weather conditions and low temperatures.
These varieties have practically no disadvantages. It should only be noted that the yield of low-growing tomatoes is lower than that of ordinary tomatoes.
The best varieties of low-growing tomatoes for open ground, according to gardeners' reviews
Below we will talk about the best varieties and hybrids of low-growing varieties by category: the most productive, not requiring pinching, with sweet fruits, bred by Siberian breeders, fleshy early ones, cherry tomatoes.
The most productive
Akulina
this short tomato produces its first fruits approximately 4 months from the moment the seeds are planted. Bushes require partial removal of stepsons. Ripe fruits are round, slightly flattened at the base, the weight of one fruit is 180-200 g. 6-7 kg of tomatoes are harvested from one square.
Elena, Ulyanovsk: I have been growing this variety for several years. I use the harvest for canning - I make delicious juice, tomato paste and salads.
Cheerful gnome
a variety intended for growing in garden beds. High-yielding with good taste of ripe fruits, the Cheerful Gnome tomato is popular among gardeners from different regions of Russia.
Nina, Cheboksary: I would like to note the beautiful elongated shape of ripe fruits; tomatoes are not prone to cracking. I use the harvested crops for canning.
Affectionate Misha f1
a high-yielding, low-growing hybrid with an early ripening period - about 3 months pass from the moment of planting to the ripening of tomatoes. The height of the bushes reaches 0.6-0.7 m. The weight of ripe round fruits is about 170 g.
Valentina, Moscow region: I liked this variety for its high yield and early ripening of the crop. Ripe tomatoes do not crack, so I use them for canning. From one square I collected about 5-6 kg of fruit.
Piglet
a mid-early variety with a tomato ripening period of about 3.5-4 months from the moment the seeds are planted for seedlings. Bushes require formation; usually in beds these vegetable plants are grown into two stems. The weight of ripe round fruits is up to 120 g. Up to 6 kg of fruits are collected from each square.
Lisa, Stavropol region: I have been growing these tomatoes for more than one season. The ripening of the fruits is smooth, the taste of the fruits is good.
Yaki f1
high-yielding low-growing variety of Dutch selection. This hybrid is unpretentious and resistant to most diseases. The weight of ripe fruits is about 90 g; up to 7 kg of ripe tomatoes can be collected from one square.
Alla, Tambov: I grow this variety for further sale of the harvest. The collected fruits are elongated, rich red in color, smooth skin and good taste.
The most productive low-growing tomatoes: video
For growing without pinching
Arctic rose
the bushes grow up to 0.4 m in height and produce large pink fruits weighing 160-190 g. The bushes do not require pinching, but do need staking due to the large size of the fruits.
Ekaterina, Volgograd: I like the fruits of this variety due to their rich pink color, they look beautiful in salads. The taste of ripe tomatoes is excellent, but they are only suitable for fresh consumption.
Betalux
a variety with very early fruit ripening and high yield. The height of strong shoots can reach 0.4-0.5 m. During the fruiting period, it is recommended to tie up the stems. There is no need to remove stepsons. The fruits are flat-round with slight ribbing at the base. The color of the skin is deep red.
Sveta, Voronezh: I would like to note the good yield of this variety; you can collect 3-4 kg of fruit from one bush. The weight of one tomato can reach 80-90 g. I use the fresh harvest, and also prepare delicious slightly sour juice, pastes and lecho.
Perseus
The height of the shoots of this variety is up to 0.5-0.6 m. Ripe fruits are round in shape, fleshy, dense with good taste.
Yana, Yaroslavl: I liked this variety because it does not require special care, no pinching is needed. And the fruits are quite large, up to 110 g. I use the harvested crop for canning and preparing salads.
Tarpan
a hybrid bred by Dutch breeders. Bushes of small height are distinguished by their low maintenance requirements and the good taste of the collected fruits. The weight of raspberry round tomatoes is about 160-180 g.
Natalya, Penza: friends recommended me to grow this variety. I planted a bed of this hybrid in open ground, and as a result I collected 5.5 - 6 kg of ripe tomatoes from each square. Their taste is excellent, and their presentation is excellent.
Yablonka Russia
a variety whose fruits are excellent for canning and pickling. The variety is high-yielding, the mass of ripe red fruits is up to 100 g, the pulp is fleshy and tasty.
Olga, Saratov: the honeycomb amazed me with its productivity - I collect up to 7 kg of fruit from one square. I use them to make pasta, sauces, and marinades.
Sweet
For lovers of sweet tomatoes, we can recommend the following tomatoes for growing:
The Velvet season
in open ground, bushes of this variety grow up to 0.6 m, and in greenhouses they can have a height of up to 1.0 m. The shoots are well leafy, ripening occurs 3.5 months after planting the seeds.
Nelli, Atkarsk: I have been growing the Velvet Season variety for a couple of seasons. I really wanted to grow tomatoes with sweet fruits on the plot. And Velvet Season is just such a variety. The fruits are fleshy and very sugary.
Honey candy f1
tomatoes from the cherry category, distinguished by the sweet, almost honey-like taste of ripe fruits. Elongated orange tomatoes are harvested 4 months after planting the seeds.
Olga, Samara: I liked the wonderful sweet taste of the collected small fruits, so I have been growing Honey Candy for 5 seasons. I mainly preserve the harvested fruit, but we also eat the fruits fresh.
Peach
a variety with an unusual sweet taste, which contains fruity notes. The color of ripe fruits is yellow, almost creamy. The height of the bushes is no more than 0.6 m; removal of stepsons is not required. Ass of fruits – about 100 g.
Anna, Balashov; I have long wanted to plant a tomato with an unusual color of ripe fruit in my garden. I liked the Peach variety, with good yield, friendly and early ripening of fruits and their good taste.
Pink honey
A characteristic feature of the variety is large pink fruits with a sweet taste. The bushes are low - about 0.7 m in height.
Alisa, Penza: very tasty large fruits (weighing up to 1.5 kg). But if more than 2 fruits are formed on the shoot, then their mass will be less.
Heavyweight of Russia
A large-fruited, high-yielding variety with tasty, sweet, fleshy fruits. Bushes can reach a height of 0.65-0.7 m.
Anya, 45 years old: I collect 4-5 kg of interesting heart-shaped fruits from the bushes of this variety, use the fruits to make salads, preserve toams of this variety, cutting them into pieces.
Siberian selection
There are varieties of low-growing tomatoes, bred by Siberian breeders, specially bred for cultivation in regions with a short summer period. The best of them:
Alsou
a variety of Siberian selection with large fleshy fruits. The height of the bushes is up to 0.8 m. The variety is adapted to “extreme” conditions, therefore it grows well in Siberia and the Urals.
Nelli, Chelyabinsk: I plant this variety in open ground, from the lower clusters I collect tomatoes weighing up to 700-780 g, and on the upper clusters the weight of fruits is smaller - up to 250-300 g.
Countryman
tomato with stable yield. The height of the shoots is up to 0.7 m, the fruits are round, medium in size, weighing up to 90 g. The fruits are collected in clusters, on each of which up to 15 tomatoes ripen at the same time.
Alexandra, 57 years old: this variety has been growing in my garden for several years and pleases with its yield in every season. The purpose of the harvest is universal.
Petrusha the gardener
determinate standard variety, the height of the shoots reaches 55-60 cm. The shape of the fruit is elongated, pointed, similar to a cap. The color of the fruit is red, their weight is about 200 g.
Ksyusha, 39 years old: the Petrusha gardener variety is one of my favorites. It is not susceptible to diseases, bears fruit well, the fruits are tasty, fleshy, and have a universal purpose.
Northern baby
small bushes up to 0.4 m high, the variety is resistant to cold, the fruits ripen 3-3.5 months after the sprouts appear. Round, bright red in color with a weight of about 55 g. The yield of the variety is up to 1 kg per bush.
Sofia, Chelyabinsk: I grow this variety in open ground, I like the early ripeness of the tomato and the good taste of the fruit - sweetish, with a slight sourness.
Snow Leopard
a variety of Siberian selection, intended for cultivation in regions with short summers. The variety does not require pinching and can reach a height of 0.5 m. Ripe tomatoes are round in shape, red in color, weighing up to 230 g.
Stanislava, Nizhny Tagil: I grow this variety in seedlings. During the summer period, large, tasty tomatoes have time to ripen. I use them to make salads.
Meaty early
Among the low-growing varieties of tomatoes there are tomatoes with fleshy pulp and early ripening of fruits. The best of them are described below:
Dimensionless
This variety is distinguished by high yield and large fruit. The weight of one fruit can be up to 1 kg, and up to 7 kg of harvest can be harvested from one plant. The pulp of ripe tomatoes is dense and fleshy.
Irina, 50 years old: I definitely plant at least a bed of this variety in my garden. and in the summer I always have delicious large fruits on my table; one tomato is enough to make a salad for our whole family.
Ob domes f1
The variety is intended for cultivation in open ground and under film covers. The shape of the fruit is original, similar to a persimmon. The pulp is fleshy, tender, melting in the mouth. The weight of ripe fruits can reach 220-240 g.
Inna, Barnaul: I would like to note the resistance of this tomato to weather changes and good fruiting even in unfavorable conditions. I use the harvested crops for preparations - I get delicious juices, pasta, and ketchup.
Sanka
low-growing productive bushes reach a height of 0.6 m. The fruits are medium-sized, red with fleshy pulp and weighing 90-140 g. Productivity is up to 13-14 kg per square. The fruits ripen until frost.
Nastya, Chelyabinsk: I grow this variety in open ground, despite our unpredictable climate, this variety bears fruit well, and ripe fruits can be used fresh, they are also suitable for preservation.
Sultan f1
this variety is recommended for growing in greenhouses, but in the southern regions this low-growing hybrid is grown in open ground. The height of the shoots of the hybrid can reach 0.5 m. The fruits are round in shape, with slight ribbing at the base, the flesh is fleshy and tasty. The weight of the fruit can reach 130-140 pieces.
Polina, Labinsk: I have been growing this variety for several years. I would like to note the high yield of the variety - you can collect up to 14 kg of ripe fruits from one square.
The Tsar Bell
early ripening variety, with large fruits. The stems are quite powerful, the shape of the fruit is heart-shaped, red in color, with fleshy pulp. The weight of the fruits on the lower clusters is up to 550 g; the last ripening tomatoes weigh no more than 300 g.
Olesya, 55 years old: I grow this variety because I use its fleshy fruits to prepare delicious sauces, ketchups and lecho.
Cherry
Of all the low-growing varieties of cherry tomatoes, I would like to note the following:
Bonsai
This tomato is intended for growing in open ground, but it can also be planted on a windowsill. The bushes are compact, miniature, reaching a height of 0.3 m. The fruits are round, weighing up to 25 g.
Maria, Chapaevsk: I saw the Bonsai variety from my neighbors in a dacha cooperative, tried the ripe fruit and decided to plant this variety in my beds. The fruits are sweet with a pleasant sweetish taste, a fairly productive plant.
Button
an early ripening variety that can be grown in open ground, as well as indoors. The bushes do not require pinching and can reach half a meter in height. Fruit weight – no more than 30 g.
Oksana, Volgograd: I grow this variety in the garden in the summer, and in winter this tomato bears fruit well on the windowsill. This way I have delicious cherry tomatoes on my table all year round, which my grandchildren simply adore.
Basket on the window
a variety of cherry tomatoes that can be grown not only in the garden, but also on the window in the room. The ripening period is no more than 90 days. The bushes reach a height of 0.4 m. The ovaries are collected in racemose inflorescences; no more than 12 fruits weighing up to 20 g ripen on each raceme.
Elina, Elista: I grow this variety in garden beds because my family really likes the small, tasty fruits of this variety. The yield of the variety is not bad; we usually use the entire harvest for making salads or eat it fresh.
Coin
small compact bushes with a shoot height of about 45 cm. The foliage is typically tomato, dark emerald green. Weight of ripe yellow fruits – no more than 15 g.
Tatyana, Orenburg: I plant this variety of tomatoes because my family and I like small, tasty tomatoes that can be used for making salads, decorating dishes, and canning.
Florida Petite
super early variety, American selection. This vegetable plant reaches a height of 0.4 m and has a beautiful decorative appearance when the buds open and the fruits ripen. The variety does not require the removal of stepsons; it is recommended to tie up the shoots so that they do not break under the weight of the ripening harvest. Weight of round, sweetish fruits – up to 30 g.
Katya, Moscow region - I plant this variety in my garden because I love its tasty small fruits.
Tomatoes for open ground: video
Growing early tomatoes
Before planting, you must select the most suitable site. In this case, you should pay attention to crop rotation. Tomatoes grow well after cucumbers, cabbage, carrots, and herbs. It is not advisable to plant tomatoes in the same place for the second year in a row, or after early potatoes, peppers and eggplants.
If necessary, the soil is mulched and fertilized. Tomatoes respond very well to organic fertilizers. The selected area is fertilized with potassium and nitrogen fertilizers, as well as organic mixtures. It is better to do this in autumn or early spring. Wood ash will also not be superfluous. It will be able to normalize the acid-base balance of the soil and add potassium to it.
Many people are interested in when to plant early tomatoes. Planting seedlings in open ground is carried out only when the average daily temperature exceeds +12⁰С. Tomatoes do not tolerate low temperatures very well and may simply die. Planting is carried out either in the early morning or in the evening, when the sun's activity subsides. The seedlings are planted in holes no more than 10 cm deep at a distance of at least 30 cm. Approximately 0.5 liters of water are poured into the dug hole, wait until it “goes away”, the seedling is carefully stuck into the softened soil and sprinkled with soil. Then add a little water.
Water the seedlings as needed within reasonable limits. When watering, be sure to remember that this plant cannot be watered from above. If moisture gets on the surface of the leaf, it can cause disease in the seedlings. After 2-3 weeks of growth, low-growing tomatoes are hilled up, leaving a trench between the rows into which water is poured.
More interesting low-growing varieties
The earliest
Variety Boni-M
- Boni-M;
- Golden bunch;
- Raspberry Viscount;
- Liana;
- Marmande;
- Sanka;
- Oak;
- Siberian early ripening;
- Subarctic;
- Little Red Riding Hood.
Those who do not suffer from late blight
Variety Dubok Varieties
and hybrids that are not affected by late blight are presented below:
- Cheerful gnome;
- Golden bunch;
- Affectionate Misha f1;
- Petrusha the gardener;
- Siberian early ripening;
- Sanka;
- Oak.
For growing on a windowsill
Variety Balcony Miracle
The following low-growing varieties of tomatoes can be grown on a windowsill:
- Angelica;
- Balcony miracle;
- Bonsai;
- Pearl;
- Golden bunch;
- Button;
- Lukoshka on the window;
- Florida is amazing.
Garter
Some vegetable growers claim that low-growing varieties do not require support. But most experts agree that this operation is still necessary. This is explained by the fact that tomato fruits can create significant pressure on its shoots, which in strong winds can cause a stem fracture.
Is it worth picking tomatoes for ripening or not? Due to changeable climatic conditions, 50-60% of the tomato crop may be unripe. If August is not happy...
You can tie a plant in 2 ways:
- By setting up an individual pillar. At a short distance from the rhizome, it is necessary to insert a rod of wood or metal into the soil, to which the stem of the seedling is attached with 1-2 pieces of fabric.
- The second method is a trellis. At the end of each row, 2 supports should be installed, between which the wire is stretched. Seedlings are carefully tied to it.
