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Summer residents and gardeners, planting seeds or tomato seedlings on the beds of their plots, dream of getting early products with good taste and resistance to various vegetable diseases. With the arrival of spring, the garden season begins, and those who like to grow a tomato crop with their own hands go to buy seeds.
The most in demand are tomato seeds for open ground. Moreover, not many gardeners like tall varieties, which must be tied up on large supports and pinned. Basically, they try to grow undersized tomato bushes on the plots, for which minimal care is required. Also, ripening dates are important for gardeners. The thing is that early ripe tomato varieties, which have a genetically accelerated rate of development, give their harvest before the spread of tomato diseases. New products that may interest gardeners include an ultra-early hybrid - Captain F1.
Tomato Captain: characteristics and description of the variety
Ultra early hybrid
The Kapitan tomato variety, bred for central Russia, the Urals and Siberia, is not inferior in taste to the southern varieties. The captain refers to the varietal products of vegetables included in the State Register of the Russian Federation.
It is a determinant plant. This means that tomato bushes are formed in a special way: when they are laid on the top of the main stem of the inflorescence, the growth of the plant stops. Approximately the bush grows up to 70 cm. Stepsons also stop growing when 2-4 flower brushes are formed on them. This variety has proven itself well when grown in open ground and in unheated greenhouses.
Early ripe variety - Captain F1
Hybrid fruit
The fruits of tomatoes are dense, have a rounded shape with a smooth, evenly colored surface. There is no white core on the cut, there are few seeds in the seed pockets, it has a uniform fleshy surface. There is a small depression near the stalk. The average weight of a tomato is 100-120 grams. This ultra-early tomato variety has the excellent flavor characteristic of ground tomatoes. The variety, bred as a salad, has proven itself well in winter canning. Tomatoes Kapitan, with dense pulp, produce a thick consistency of pasta, juices, mashed potatoes and ketchups.
Maturation
Tomatoes Kapitan give a harvest already on the 80th day from the moment of planting in open ground. The average yield of the variety depends on the place of growth. Outdoor tomatoes ripen by mid-July. Collection from one square meter of area is no more than 10 kg. In the greenhouse, the crop ripens a couple of decades earlier, that is, by the end of June, the harvest from one square meter is about 17 kg.
Diseases
The characteristics of the Kapitan variety include immunity to fungal diseases and resistance to many tomato diseases, such as bacteriosis, late blight and tobacco mosaic virus (TMV).
Late blight
Agrotechnics
Soil type and planting site
Tomato seeds are planted in 10x10 cm containers in early March. The soil in the container must be warmed up to 25 ° C. Planting the seeds earlier is not recommended in order not to get elongated and frail shoots. Please note that Captain is a hybrid variety.Its seeds have been pre-sowed, so they do not need to be soaked.
Sowing depth of seeds - no more than 0.5 cm. Containers with seeds are covered with glass or transparent film. Seedlings appear on the fifth day from the moment of sowing. The film or glass is removed, and containers with seedlings are placed in a bright place. The best option is a windowsill. Further air temperature in the first week should be maintained up to 12 ° С, after which the temperature should be up to 18 ° С.
If you follow all agrotechnical requirements: additional lighting, moderate watering and loosening of the soil in the container, by the first days of May the seedlings will be ready for planting in a permanent place. The captain is suitable for open field and greenhouse breeding.
Planting tomatoes in open ground
Growing in a greenhouse
You can plant seedlings in the greenhouse a couple of weeks earlier than in the ground. Depending on whether the bush will be tied to a support or not, various planting schemes are selected. With a garter, 4 to 8 plants are planted per 1 square meter. If you do not tie the bush, then 4-5 plants are planted. The second scheme makes it possible for untied stems that have fallen to the ground to give additional roots to the plant. They are sprinkled with earth, the rooted plant quickly increases the mass of fruits, and they ripen.
Growing in soil
Seedlings are planted in the ground after returnable spring frosts. This variety loves sandy loam and light loamy soil. It is recommended to plant in open ground according to the same schemes as in a greenhouse. It is worth paying attention to the fact that the Captain does not like the heat. It is necessary to shade bushes with tomatoes on hot days, otherwise, at temperatures above 30 ° C, the flowers are sterilized and, as a result, ovaries do not form.
Care advice
Top dressing
After the tomatoes are planted in a permanent place, a week later, the first fertilizing with mineral fertilizers is performed. Soil mulching or compost will work. A plant needs trace elements for its growth and development: potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen. Top dressing is repeated every 2-3 weeks until the end of fruiting.
Regardless of where the tomatoes grow, at the moment when the ovary forms and the fruits ripen, tomatoes require superphosphate and potassium sulfate. This fertilizer is scattered in the path and filled with water. Yes, it's chemistry. But sometimes manure cannot replace trace elements, and the same potassium sulfate is also not present in manure. Such a measure is necessary for the plant, therefore, a one-time feeding with these fertilizers is performed.
Provide plenty of sunlight and warmth during the growing season. With a sharp drop in temperature, growth, ripening of tomatoes slows down, fruiting decreases.
You need warmth and light
Weeding and loosening the soil
On the beds with tomatoes, it is necessary to do weeding and loosening of the soil once a week. The roots of tomatoes are shallow, so loosening must be done carefully so as not to damage them. If we are talking about the beds in the greenhouse, and they are mulched, loosening is not necessary.
Watering features
For the growth and rapid ripening of tomatoes, regular watering with warm water is required. In the greenhouse, watering is carried out in the row-spacing in the usual way: with the help of hoses or by the drip method, in the "water communications" carried out under the mulch.
If it is direct watering, the water jet should not erode the soil near the tomato bush and expose the roots, as well as fall on the leaves and fruits. Watering is carried out in the morning with heated water. Water temperature - not lower than 25 ° С.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
To talk on this topic, you need to understand, what is this variety marked with the letter F? Hybrid F1 is a combination of positive properties of one species, but its seeds are obtained after crossing two, three or more varietal forms. To obtain a hybrid plant with the desired varietal qualities, parent plants with the right genes are selected. The resulting hybrid is more productive than its parent varieties. The hybrid is immune to resistant tomato diseases. These are the main benefits.
From the experience of gardeners
Some gardeners are used to growing seedlings from tomato seeds obtained on their plots, a variety like Captain F1 will not suit them, breeders say. Seeds of this variety must be purchased. Only bagged seeds guarantee that this hybrid variety will yield exactly the harvest that gardeners expect.
However, there are many reviews about the positive experience of using seeds collected from a hybrid plant. If gardeners like to experiment, then it is worth trying to grow tomatoes from hybrid seeds.
Captain F1 should not be confused with a new selection called Captain Lucky Tomato. It is an indeterminate (tall) tomato with medium-late fruits. Super-exotic has elegant fruits of green-yellow-pink color.
So, to get a good harvest of Captain tomatoes, you should follow the simple rules for planting and caring for plants:
- Prepare the soil for planting and, according to agrotechnical requirements, grow seedlings;
- Carry out top dressing and loosening;
- Monitor the temperature and humidity in the greenhouse;
- Water regularly.
Fulfilling all these requirements, gardeners and summer residents will receive a good harvest on their land plots.
