How to choose tomatoes for open ground

Not all summer residents have well-equipped greenhouses at their disposal, and some simply cannot move to their summer cottages in April. That is why tomatoes for open ground will always have their admirers.

Tomato varieties for open ground today are quite widely represented. Therefore, when choosing tomatoes for your plot, you need to exercise some caution.

Firstly, given the instability of spring and often summer weather, for cultivation in open ground you need to choose the earliest ripening varieties (from 80 to 105 days). Typically, these are low-growing (super-determinate) and low-growing (determinant) tomatoes, producing 3-6 bunches, after which the plants top up and stop growing. This feature also affects the further care of such plants: they do not need staking and pinching. In addition, early ripening varieties produce the main harvest already in the first month of fruiting, which reduces the risk of late blight infection. Such plants can be planted more compactly than tall varieties - 3.5 plants per 1 m². In the southern regions, such tomatoes can be grown using the seedless method by sowing directly into the ground.

Secondly, with all the advantages of early varieties, tomatoes for open ground usually have rather small (40-60 g) and not the sweetest fruits. Therefore, carefully study the information indicated on the label or bag about each specific variety. It is advisable to choose varieties and hybrids labeled as “salad” and having “excellent taste.”At the same time, smaller fruits are excellent for preservation.

So, when choosing tomato varieties for open ground, pay attention to:

• ripening time
• plant type
• fruit size and taste characteristics.