The Gardener's Dream tomato is considered one of the elite varieties. Productive, unpretentious, the tomato is characterized by early ripening of fruits. When planting this variety on a plot, you can expect the first ripe tomatoes already in the last ten days of June. No special hassle is required when growing it. The tomato is quite disease resistant. The variety has good yield.
general information
This tomato was bred by Russian breeders. The characteristics and description of the variety indicate that its purpose is to grow in film-coated or glazed greenhouses in open areas.
Tomatoes of the Gardener's Dream variety have low bushes (determinate). Ripening begins quite early, so these tomatoes are the dream of any gardener. The growing season is only 95 to 100 days.
The height of a tomato bush can reach approximately 60 – 70 cm. The foliage is average. The ovary is formed on brushes of 4–6 pieces. One bush can have up to 5 brushes. With proper care of the plant from 1 sq. m you can harvest up to 6.8 kg of tomatoes. The harvested crop is well stored and does not deteriorate during transportation.
The fruits of this tomato variety have a rounded-flattened shape. The surface is smooth, glossy without pronounced ribbing. As tomatoes ripen, they acquire a bright scarlet hue. The average weight of one tomato is 180 g. Tomato pulp has a pleasant taste, moderately dense and juicy consistency. The peculiarities of taste are due to the increased content of sugar and lycopene. In a tomato, most of the volume is occupied by seed chambers.
Tomatoes of the Gardener's Dream variety are consumed fresh, prepared in salads, sauces, and added to soups. Ripe tomatoes are used to make juices.
Characteristic pros and cons of the variety
The main positive qualities of the variety are the excellent taste of the fruit, ease of cultivation, early ripening, small bush size, and disease resistance. One of the disadvantages of the Gardener's Dream is the need for pinching and tying up heavy branches.
Growing rules
The process of planting tomato seeds of the Gardener's Dream variety to obtain seedlings begins in the second half of March. Immediately before sowing, the seeds of the variety are treated with a special growth stimulator. This ensures rapid germination and enhances plant immunity.
Soil consisting of compost, turf soil and river sand is poured into containers prepared for planting. To disinfect the soil, it is calcined in the oven or generously watered with a low concentration solution of potassium permanganate.
The temperature of the room in which the containers with germinated seeds will be located should be about +23 degrees. The container is covered with film or glass. Only after seed germination and the appearance of the first shoots, the temperature is lowered by 2 - 3 degrees, and the containers are placed in such a way as to provide access to sunlight for 12 - 14 hours. The container cover must be removed.
Seedling lighting
If natural light is insufficient, additional lighting is provided with fluorescent lamps to stimulate photosynthesis. It is impossible to carry out illumination throughout the day without interruption, since necessary biological processes also occur in the dark.
At this time, watering the tomatoes is carried out using a watering can, settled with heated water. After the first true leaves appear, the seedlings are planted and the first fertilizing is carried out with mineral complex fertilizers.
2 weeks before planting seedlings in the ground, they are hardened off. To do this, pots with tomato seedlings are taken out into the open air.
Planting seedlings in the soil
Transplanting into a greenhouse begins in early May, and replanting them under film takes place a little later. It is necessary to ensure that the soil at the time of planting has a temperature of at least 14 degrees at a 15-centimeter depth. Seedlings are planted in areas where onions, parsley, zucchini, carrots, and cucumbers previously grew.
Experienced gardeners advise adding wood ash and superphosphate (1 tbsp) to each hole. Tomatoes of this variety are planted in the ground so that their number per 1 sq. m did not exceed 4 plants.
Although the bushes of the variety are not tall, they have quite a lot of stems, so pinching is required. The stepsons break off when their size reaches approximately 4 cm. Usually, for 1 tomato bush, it is enough to leave 1 - 2 main stems, the rest must be removed in a timely manner.
Irrigation mode
Watering is carried out as the soil dries. Excessive watering with stagnant water is harmful to tomatoes. This can lead to rotting of the root system of the bush.
During ripening watering tomatoes is limited so that sugar is formed in the fruits and the tomatoes have a richer taste.
During the season, the plant is fed 3–4 times. Phosphate and potassium fertilizers are required.
We fight diseases and insect pests
Tomatoes of the Gardener's Dream variety are quite resistant to the occurrence of typical diseases (fusarium, crown and root rot). Early ripening of fruits on bushes ensures resistance to late blight. If there is a risk of late blight infection, spraying with preparations containing copper is carried out.
For the purpose of prevention, bushes of the Gardener's Dream variety are treated with Fitosporin or other similar non-toxic drugs in the amount required by their description. It is necessary to follow the watering regime, remove weeds, and in greenhouse conditions, be sure to ventilate the room to remove high air humidity and minimize the risk of developing fungal diseases. Weekly loosening of row spacing is required.
To cope with possible pests of tomatoes (spider mites, naked slugs, mole crickets, aphids, whiteflies, thrips), the soil is mulched and weeded. The bushes are constantly inspected, and if signs of pest damage are found, they are sprayed with insecticides. From experience gardeners, repeated treatment with such drugs is required.
You can get rid of aphids on the bushes with a soap solution sprinkled on the planted tomato bushes. Slugs are afraid of spraying with water containing ammonia.
