In areas with short and cool summers, agronomists advise using ultra-early ripening tomato varieties. A bright representative of this trend is the Lark tomato. The culture is resistant to diseases and weather conditions, and manages to complete the full growing season in a short time.
Varietal properties and qualities
Successful cultivation of the hybrid is allowed in open and closed ground. The bushes are determinate, strong, usually do not exceed 90 cm. The first flower cluster appears above the fifth or sixth leaf, each cluster contains 5–6 fruits.Good set of tomatoes was noted at unstable temperatures. From germination to first ripeness, 80–85 days pass.
Characteristics and description of the fruits:
- Mature ones are deep red in color, smooth, round in shape. Average weight – 100 g, yield per 1 sq. m 10–12 kg.
- The pulp is not loose, red with good taste.
- Recommended for fresh consumption.
Lark f1 is resistant to the following diseases:
- tobacco mosaic virus (TMV);
- dry spotting (Alternaria blight).
Tomato planting scheme
For 1 sq. m, 7–8 bushes are planted, 40 cm are left between the low determinate tomatoes Lark f1. In the greenhouse, it is convenient to “checkerboard” the placement of crops in two rows. There should be at least 50 cm between adjacent rows. Density of planting in a greenhouse often provokes the occurrence of bacterial infections and complicates the process of pollination of ovaries by insects.
Free passages make it easier to care for plants; there are no obstacles to the access of sunlight.
Lark tomatoes form one, two or three stems. The last two schemes are considered more effective: the lowest stepchildren are removed, higher along the main stem a few of the strongest ones are left, which later lead on a par with the main one. Determinate varieties tend to stop growth, directing all nutrition to the formation and growth of fruits.
Gradual application of fertilizers
Ultra-early ripening tomato varieties require sufficient amounts of fertilizer. The lack of nutrients greatly affects the taste of the fruit. Soil preparation in the greenhouse:
- Autumn digging to a depth of 30 cm (the fertile layer is not turned over to the surface).
- Apply liquid fertilizers (superphosphate).
- Spring digging with potash fertilizers.
Seedlings are planted in early May, when the soil warms up to +10 °C. A week after planting, young plants are fed with nitrophoska. The mineral complex is reapplied during the active growing season. Fertilize for the last time at the beginning of the fruiting period.
Advantages of ultra-early crops
Chemical composition of tomatoes of the Zhavoronok variety:
- dry matter 6.0–6.5%;
- sugar 3.2–3.5%:
- ascorbic acid up to 20 mg.
If the seeds are sown in March, then the first red tomatoes appear on the bushes in early July. Ultra-early varieties are rarely affected by late blight, as they ripen earlier. The hybrid is genetically resistant to viruses - this is confirmed by reviews from gardeners. Plants do not require a complex system of supports and tying of stems.
Despite the small size of the fruit, the yield of the variety is high. The fruits lie well and tolerate transportation. A natural storehouse of vitamins and nutrients is the early ripening tomato variety Zhavoronok.
