The huge number of tomato varieties offered on the market can easily satisfy any request. One of the varieties of the crop is giant tomatoes, which are in great demand. What gardener doesn't like a good harvest? When the fruits are significantly different in their large size, this can be a special reason for pride.
After scrolling through thematic forums and reading reviews, you can note that summer residents first of all talk about large fruits and a large harvest. But due to their size, tomatoes are not suitable for pickling; it is better to eat them fresh.
One such tomato can easily feed a whole family.The description of the culture indicates the low shelf life of ripe fruits: a picked tomato can be stored for no more than three weeks.
General description and characteristics
Giant tomatoes are great for growing in gardens and greenhouses. Among the giant tomatoes there are both early-ripening and mid-ripening varieties. The height of an adult plant varies from 1.5 to 2.5 meters, there are determinate and indeterminate species.
The earliest varieties ripen on 80 - 100 days after planting (Early Giant F1, Sugar Giant, Giant Sukhanov), mid-ripening varieties ripen en masse on 110 - 125 days (Giant Cuba black tomatoes, Pear tomato, Giant Sweater, Giant of Belgium and Ukraine). On one plant, 5 - 6 clusters are formed, the weight of the fruit is 200 - 600 g. On some varieties, the fruits can grow up to 1 kg or a little more (Gigantissimo, Gigantistika, Giant Black Sea, Belgian).
Description of agricultural technology for giant tomatoes
The characteristics and description of the variety indicated on the packaging must be read before purchasing seeds - fundamental points may be indicated there. Prepare the seeds for planting - disinfect them in a solution of potassium permanganate, rinse them in warm water and put them in a cool place for several days. Next, the seeds are soaked, and when the first shoots appear, they are planted in prepared pots. Sowing seeds for seedlings is carried out from the third ten days of March to the first ten days of April. Later sowing may result in fruits not reaching large sizes.
Planting of finished seedlings is carried out in prepared soil; the age of the shoots should reach 45 - 55 days.It is advisable that adult plants do not shade any buildings or trees, which is important when planting in open ground. 2 - 3 plants are planted per square meter of land.
Regular watering, or rare but plentiful watering, loosening and hilling of the soil, weeding and pest control, timely staking and formation of plants are needed.
Fertilizer feeding (superphosphates, nitrogen and potassium fertilizers). When choosing complex fertilizers, it is worth adding 1.5 times more than the specified norm. When planting, it is advisable to add humus and wood ash to each hole.
Useful tips
Before planting in open ground, seedlings should be hardened off: in the daytime, taken out into fresh air or into a cool room; from mid-April, they can be left overnight in a cold room.
Do not remove the top of the bush - this leads to the completion of fruit growth and their active ripening, to the detriment of size and yield. The crop grows in two stems - for this a strong stepson is left, all other shoots should not exceed half a centimeter.
Giant tomatoes do not like being next to potatoes, and the risk of late blight increases. It is necessary to carry out additional pollination of flowers during periods of calm and when the bushes are covered with bags. In hot weather, plants are shaded.
Popular varieties of giant tomatoes
General description and characteristics of the variety:
- Tomato Black Giant is an indeterminate variety for open ground and greenhouses. The fruits are large, weighing 200 - 500 g, dark red in color with black and brown patches, fleshy and multi-chambered, sweet in taste. Productivity is above average, immunity is high, ripening period is 110 – 120 days.
- The Giant Rose tomato is a mid-season variety intended for open ground.The fruits are large, weighing 350 - 400 g, raspberry color with orange stripes, fleshy. The pulp is juicy and sweet.
- The Cuneo tomato is a giant pear - usually planted in a greenhouse. In regions with warm climates it is also suitable for open ground. Indeterminate mid-season variety. Ripe red fruits of a non-standard, pear-shaped shape weigh up to 300 grams. Very sweet. The productivity is high, these tomatoes are resistant to many tomato diseases.
- The Ukrainian giant tomato is a medium-ripening variety intended for open ground or planting in a greenhouse. The bush is indeterminate and can reach a height of up to two meters. Ripe red fruits, weighing up to 600 g, standard shape, pleasant to the taste.
- Tomato Giant of the Moscow Region is a mid-season variety, suitable for planting both in greenhouses and simply for open ground. The height reaches 1.8 m. Tomatoes weigh from 400 to 600 g, are heart-shaped, and the color of a ripe specimen is red. The pulp is grainy and sweet. The variety is characterized by strong immunity to common diseases and high yield.
Of the most popular, the following varieties can be additionally noted: Giant Sukhanova, Sugar Giant, Jersey Giant, Khokhol Giant, Pink Sweater and French tomatoes. Their description is similar to the varieties described above and does not differ in agricultural technology.
Taking into account the above, we can say that there are no particular difficulties in growing this crop. Russian gardens are perfect for their climatic conditions and fully provide them with everything they need. Characteristics and description of the variety of any of the listed tomatoes (Sugar giant, Giant of the Moscow Region and others) claims that it is enough to pay due attention to the plants, and the tomatoes will delight you with their harvest.
