For summer residents, it is important to have in the garden a variety such as the Nastenka tomato, which is moderately whimsical, productive and tastes good. Having collected a large harvest of ripe tomatoes, they are also used for pickling, prepared in their own juice, gelatin. They are also good fresh. Despite the selection's youth, Nastenka has firmly won an honorable place in the garden beds.
Description of the variety
It was not for nothing that tomatoes were called a wonderful feminine name. The fruits of Nastenka are not striking in their size; they are modest in size, reaching from one hundred to two hundred grams.And the standard bush itself reaches a height of about seventy centimeters.
But outwardly, tomato bushes are compact, the stems are covered with dense foliage. They can be used to decorate the site. And the oblong red fruits make the bushes even more elegant. Since the Nastenka tomato variety is an early ripening variety, harvest time is approaching in mid-June. The ripeness of the fruit is determined by its rich pink color. They have an excellent taste - truly tomato-like, with a high sugar content. The tomato pulp is tender and juicy. The fruit has more than six seed nests.
The tomato's marketability is high, so tomatoes can be grown for sale. Due to the compactness of the bush, even in a small area, enough plants can be planted that can produce up to ten to twelve kilograms from one square meter.
Characteristics of a semi-determinate plant
The word determinate means limited in growth. Those who have grown the Nastenka variety know that as soon as a flower ovary appears at the end of the stem, it stops growing. Therefore, the strongest shoot, located below the central shoot, begins to develop further.
To know semi-determinate tomato you can by:
- for seedlings - their cotyledonous knee straightens out and is no more than one or three centimeters in length;
- the formation of the first flower cluster - it appears after the seventh - eighth true leaf;
- laying flower clusters in adult tomatoes - two to three leaves between the clusters;
- restriction of growth after the formation of ten or twelve brushes.
Since Nastena is a standard type of vegetable plant, the thickened central stem does not need a garter. It stands perfectly straight without bending under the weight of the fruit.
Pros, cons of determinant
From the characteristics and description of the Nastenka variety, positive points can be highlighted:
- Due to the frequency of flower clusters, tomatoes ripen faster.
- The number of fruits on one bush is greater, hence the yield is higher.
- The pink fruits ripen together, since the clusters are tied at the same time.
The disadvantages of a semi-determinate variety include:
- predisposition to diseases;
- mandatory work on applying mineral fertilizers;
- pinching a plant due to the bush being overloaded with stems and fruits.
All the disadvantages of the variety are related to the requirements for tomato care.
Features of plant care
The Nastenka variety is grown in seedlings. Seedlings begin to be prepared in March, and in mid-April they are planted in a greenhouse, and in early May - in open ground. It is important that the seedlings are ready for transplanting. Readiness is determined by the presence of six to eight leaves and one flower cluster on the stem. The acceptable planting rate is considered to be up to six bushes per square meter.
Tomatoes require care, consisting of:
- moderate but regular watering;
- application of mineral fertilizers;
- weeding;
- hilling;
- removing dry leaves;
- timely harvesting of fruits.
It is necessary to remove stepsons from a plant if it is planted in a greenhouse. They usually form a bush with three stems, then fruiting will be active.
Mineral fertilizers for tomatoes
The Nastenka variety is especially demanding of mineral fertilizers:
- Phosphorus is necessary to strengthen the root system. It is contained in superphosphates up to fifty percent, phosphates - up to twenty. The use of phosphorus flour or precipitate is common.
- To improve the growth of tomatoes and active fruit set, nitrogen contained in ammonium nitrate and urea is necessary.
- Potassium strengthens the immunity of plants, their resistance to diseases, and increases the taste of tomatoes.
Microelements are added as a complex. First, in the spring, the soil is fertilized with a phosphorus-potassium mixture. Prepared soil will help the root system of the vegetable develop faster.
At the root, or by spraying the foliage, during the growing season, apply from five to six dressings:
- ten days after planting with a nitrophoska solution;
- repeat the procedure after two weeks;
- after picking - superphosphate and potassium sulfate;
- ten days later - with a solution of ammonium nitrate (10 grams per bucket of water);
- spraying with a solution of urea, superphosphate;
- after the appearance of the first brush - with azophoska solution;
- To quickly ripen tomatoes, water with a solution of superphosphate and potassium salt.
The vegetable plant itself will tell you about the lack of any mineral. If the leaves turn yellow and the stem becomes elongated, then you need to urgently feed it with nitrogen.
A lack of phosphorus is indicated by curled leaves and a purple color of the stem. The application of potassium fertilizers is necessary if, in addition to curling of the foliage, a brown border appears on the leaf plate.
An overdose of minerals is just as dangerous as their deficiency.
Reviews
According to gardeners, Nastenka tomatoes have a lot of advantages. It is necessary to organize proper care for them, observe the timing of planting in the greenhouse and open ground. They will be able to resist diseases if they are watered on time and actively fed. Many reviews say: when I planted this tomato variety, I didn’t think that I would grow it every year. But the variety is so loved that there is not a single vegetable grower who would not give it a place in his garden.
