Description of tomato Lady fingers
Tomato Lady fingers belongs to the determinant type,
and their growth is limited by a brush with flowers formed at the top.
On a note!
In terms of ripening time, the Lady's fingers tomato is early ripening - from the moment of seed germination to the harvesting of the first elongated tomatoes, it usually takes a little more than 3 months.
Photo of tomato Lady fingers
When planting seedlings in a permanent place in the first or second ten days of May, the harvest begins already in the last ten days of June. But fruiting of this tomato variety is extended over time - the last fruits can ripen at the end of September.
Lady fingers tomato bushes are compact - when grown in garden beds in open ground, their height can reach 0.6 m, and when planted in greenhouses - up to 1.2 m.
The shoots are erect, strong, of medium thickness, well leafy, dark green in color.
The foliage is medium in size, slightly wavy at the edges, slightly wrinkled, rich green in color.
Small flowers are collected in racemose inflorescences, each of which can form from 3 to 6 ovaries. The first inflorescence is usually formed above 4-5 permanent leaves, and each subsequent one - after two leaves.
Black tomatoes are the best varieties!
Varieties of black tomatoes
Note!
The main feature of the Lady's Fingers tomato bushes is that only a couple of shoots appear on them, and there are no more lateral branches. Therefore, vegetable growers are freed from the need to constantly shoot plants.
This tomato variety got its name because of the shape of the ripe fruits - oblong cylinders with a characteristic rounded top or a sharp spout at the end.
In the area of the top, slight ribbing is noticeable, the skin is thin, smooth, shiny, and in a state of full maturity is bright red. After full ripening, there is no green spot in the stalk area.
The pulp is slightly compacted, contains a pair of seed chambers with an average amount of seed material.
Cross-sectional photo of tomato Lady's fingers
Ripening tomatoes are approximately the same size, with an average weight of about 60 g, but the first fruits can be larger - up to 110-120 g.
Ripe lady fingers tomatoes have a pleasant taste, sweetish with a well-perceived sourness. Lady finger tomatoes are low in calories, contain a large amount of vitamins and a sufficient amount of dry matter.
The harvested crop can be transported to any distance, they do not crack during transportation, and can be stored in appropriate conditions for quite a long time.
Growing seedlings
Tomatoes of this variety are grown in seedlings. Seeds need to be sown 55 or 60 days before planting in a permanent place.
Stages:
- Seeds of determinate early ripening varieties should be sown in seedling boxes in late March. For disinfection, seed material is treated with a pink solution of potassium permanganate, and then washed in clean water. Before sowing, the seeds are dried until they flow.
- You can buy ready-made soil or prepare it yourself. It is poured in boxes with pink boiling water (potassium permanganate crystals are added).
- When the soil has cooled to room temperature, you can sow tomato seeds to a depth of 1 cm. The distance in the furrows is 2 cm, the row spacing is about three. Cover the top with film to speed up germination, and place the boxes in a warm, bright room.
- As soon as the first sprouts appear, the shelter is removed and the temperature is reduced to 16 degrees, then raised again to 22. Lady finger tomatoes, according to the description, cannot develop harmoniously in low light: if necessary, add backlighting.
- Tomato seedlings are picked when 2-3 true leaves appear in separate cups weighing at least 500 ml. While growing seedlings, they are watered regularly. If you feel that the tomatoes do not have enough nutrition, you can feed them with wood ash extract.
Application area
According to reviews of the Lady's Fingers tomato, the harvest from the bushes is distinguished by its versatility in use. Vegetable salads are prepared from the fruits, and preparations for the winter are made - ketchup, tomato paste or lecho.
Photos of growing tomato Lady fingers
Many housewives dry the fruits of this variety in pieces - the result is a very tasty delicacy. Also, due to the small size of the fruits, they can be pickled whole. At the same time, the fruits do not burst during heat treatment.
Harvest and storage
The fruits of these tomatoes ripen together. Inspection of the beds and picking of ripe and spoiled fruits is carried out in the morning every day or every other day.
Since lady fingers are resistant to cracking and have a thick skin, they can be removed for transportation either red or brown. However, the latter option is preferable. Brown tomatoes are placed in boxes and placed in a room with a temperature of +18...+25 ° C and a humidity of 80-85%.
There they ripen for two days without losing their presentation.
For long-term storage, the densest, undamaged tomatoes are selected. They are placed in a place with a temperature of +11-13 ° C and a humidity of 85-90%.
Did you know? In the Kherson region of Ukraine, a farmer collected 165 fruits with a total weight of 8.4 kg from one tomato bush. This amount of tomatoes is enough to roll into 5 three-liter jars. The record-breaking bush was included in the Book of Records of Ukraine.
Positive qualities and disadvantages
The main advantages of the Lady Fingers variety include:
- cold resistance - the crop can be harvested right up to frost;
- the bushes are unpretentious; their development and ripening of fruits are not negatively affected by periods of drought or rain, as well as heat;
- the fruits do not crack in the area of the stalk;
- fruiting is consistent, and ripe tomatoes do not fall from the bushes until they are harvested;
- since Lady's Fingers is a variety, vegetable growers can collect their own seeds from the fruit, and they have good germination over 5 seasons;
- the harvested crop can be transported to any distance and stored for a long time in the refrigerator or cellar;
- tomato is resistant to many diseases;
- ripe fruits are of universal use.
Among the disadvantages of the Lady Fingers tomato, the following can be noted:
- the fruit contains too many dry substances and not enough liquid, so it will not be possible to obtain tomato juice from collected tomatoes;
- since the variety is quite heat-loving, rich harvests are obtained in the southern regions of the country;
- in areas with a short summer period, this tomato should be grown in greenhouse conditions or under film covers.
Diseases and pests
Tomatoes of this variety are resistant to diseases. Most often they are faced with the development of mosaics. When the disease appears, you need to pick and burn the affected leaves.
Bushes may suffer from aphid attacks
So, the main pathologies of tomatoes of this variety include the following:
- Mosaic is a viral infection spread by aphids. As pathology develops, white spots appear on tomatoes. In this case, the foliage becomes covered with brown and yellow marks. If the damage is severe, the leaves curl and die. Greenhouse varieties are more susceptible to pathology. At the same time, it is impossible to cope with the disease - the affected bushes must be pulled out by the roots, taken away from other crops and burned.
- Late blight - in this case, the bushes suffer from late blight fungus. Leaves and fruits become covered with brown spots. To avoid the development of the disease, use Fitosporin. Mefenoxam can be used for medicinal purposes. If a problem is detected early, it is quite possible to cope with it on your own.
- Black leg - seedlings are more susceptible to pathology. To prevent this disease, the soil must be disinfected and the seeds treated with fungicides.
- Brown spot is a fungal infection that is accompanied by the formation of light yellow spots. Most often, pathology develops in conditions of high humidity. To prevent it, it is worth using drugs that have a wide spectrum of action.
Further care for Lady fingers tomatoes
Caring for bushes of this variety is quite simple, because the plants are compact and low-growing, so there is no need to tie up shoots or remove shoots. In addition, the lady fingers tomato is practically not affected by diseases characteristic of other varieties of tomatoes, so there is no need to carry out preventive treatments of the bushes or fight infections.
Irrigation regime
Although this variety is resistant to periods of drought, it is better to water regularly so that the fruits ripen large and tasty. The soil should be constantly moist, but without stagnation of moisture. Therefore, moisture is added to the soil once every 2-3 days, and in hot, dry weather – daily.
Water the Lady's fingers tomato in the evening with warm, settled water.
Loosening and weeding
After watering and rain, you should loosen the root zone of tomato bushes to break up the dry crust that forms.
Only large weeds should be removed from the root zone, and low plants will protect growing tomatoes from the hot rays of the sun.
How to feed tomatoes
Top dressing for the Lady's Fingers tomato variety is applied once every 10-12 days, alternating the application of organic matter and complex mineral fertilizers.
Slurry is also suitable as a fertilizer, with mullein diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10, or chicken manure diluted with water in a ratio of 1:15. The resulting composition is infused before feeding the tomatoes for a week in a warm place.
The Lady's Fingers tomato is also responsive to the addition of greenberries. To prepare this fertilizer, you need to fill a large tank 1/3 with mowed grass, add water to the top and leave for a week.
When applying tomato bushes, you need to add 500 ml of herbal infusion to a bucket of water, and 500 ml of this fertilizer is poured under each plant.
Planting and care
Seedlings should be planted after the threat of return of spring frosts has passed. Taking into account climatic features is important for lady fingers tomatoes.
The planting scheme is simple: 6 to 8 tomatoes are placed per square meter. It is better to plant in a two-line manner with a row spacing of up to 40-50 cm.
Comment! Tomatoes planted in the ground can be covered at night, then planting can be done earlier.
Finger care is simple. They do not need to be pinched or tied up. Most often, tomatoes are grown in a lying position. The uniqueness of the variety is that once on the ground, the tomatoes do not rot and do not get sick. They form a real carpet and decorate the garden both at the beginning of fruiting and during the ripening of fruits.
There is also no need to worry about weeds. Only the large ones need to be harvested, and the small ones will act as a protective screen: protecting the setting and ripening tomatoes from the scorching sun.
Water tomatoes no more than 2-3 times a week. If the summer is dry and the heat is unbearable, then every day. Feeding is carried out as usual, as for other varieties.
Advice! Although plants are resistant to late blight, for prevention it would not hurt to dust them with dry ash or spray them with ash infusion.
The main problem can be mosaic, regardless of where the tomato variety grows. Amber-emerald spots appear on the leaves. The leaves curl and even wrinkle. At the first sign, diseased leaves are torn off and burned.
Tomato Lady fingers: reviews on growing those who planted
Breeders have created a wonderful variety; reviews of the Lady Fingers tomato are presented below.
Valeria: 59 years old, Transbaikalia: The description for this variety states that it can only be grown in the garden in the south. In our harsh climate, I grow this tomato in greenhouses and tie it to trellises. Every year I collect excellent harvests, I use most of the fruits for canning - the Lady Fingers variety of tomatoes have a very neat and attractive appearance.
Natalya, 45 years old, Krasnodar region: I grow different varieties of tomatoes in my garden. In particular, ladyfingers seeds were “inherited” to me from my mother. She has been growing them for 10 years, and I have been planting them for 15 years. The yield is good, we eat some of the fruits fresh and in salads, the rest of the harvest is used for pickling and making lecho.
Dima, 40 years old, Moscow region: I grow this tomato variety at the request of my wife - she has been looking for a whole tomato variety for canning for a long time. Now he cans the harvest from the Lady’s Fingers tomato and has no problems. We bought seeds only the first time we planted this variety, then we collect our own from ripe tomatoes. I recommend this unpretentious, productive variety to everyone.
Tomato Lady fingers is one of the best early ripening varieties.
The bushes are compact, low, you can fit more of them on one m2 than tall tomatoes, and the yield will be no worse. Ripe fruits are versatile and are especially good for preservation.
Varieties
The author of Lady's Fingers L. Myazina offers seed material of two color variations of a well-known variety. They are not included in the State Register.
Crimson
Determinate plant 50 cm high, grows up to 1 meter in a greenhouse. The foliage is weak. The fruits have a beautiful elongated shape, smooth, dense, with thick walls. The color is deep crimson. The taste is excellent. The weight of the tomato is about 100 grams. The pulp does not contain allergens, so this tomato is recommended for baby and diet food.
The raspberry variety of Ladyfingers is suitable for open ground. Sowing of seedlings is carried out 50 - 60 days before the intended planting in the ground. The beginning of ripening in a greenhouse is 95 days after the appearance of full shoots, or 105 days in open ground. The plant is not whimsical, the bush does not need to be pinched, but it is tied up in the greenhouse. Excellent performance is possible if the crop is grown at temperatures between 15 °C and 25 °C. 2 weeks before the start of harvesting, you need to stop watering. Prolonged periods of low or high temperatures affect the characteristics of the variety. The harvest can be used in its natural form, for pickling, drying, freezing. Tomatoes store well. A feature of the variety is its early ripeness and rapid ripening.
Reviews
Having read many reviews left by real gardeners who have been growing ladyfingers for many years, one thing can be said - the benefits of tomatoes are immediately visible. This is a fairly large harvest, resistance to pests, unpretentiousness to weather conditions, but most importantly - a unique sweet and sour taste.
The culture is not picky in care, but it needs several feedings. Gardeners note the plant’s resistance to diseases, but recommend prevention.
How to deal with aphids on indoor plants at home - an overview of the best methods
Productivity
In open ground, the yield of "Lady's Fingers" is small - only 1 kg of fruit from each bush. However, when grown in a greenhouse, this figure increases to 5 kg. Greenish fruits ripen successfully in room conditions.
Which regions are best to grow in?
“Lady fingers” are grown throughout the CIS and in any region of the Russian Federation. The highest yields are achieved in sunny regions: Crimea, Krasnodar Territory, Astrakhan Region. In the north of the country, the variety is grown exclusively in heated greenhouses with additional artificial lighting.
Review from a gardener:
Characteristics of the variety
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The Lady Fingers tomato variety has a number of special characteristics.
- Lady fingers can be grown in unprotected and protected soil, but in risky farming areas it is better to give preference to greenhouse cultivation.
- Cold resistance - fruits ripen until the first frost.
- The variety is resistant to drought, heat, and rainy weather.
- The fruits ripen in several stages and are excellently stored on the plants until harvested.
The fruits ripen in several stages and are excellently stored on the plants until harvested.
- There is immunity to many diseases that are characteristic of tomatoes.
- The yield per square meter of plantings when grown in unprotected soil is about 7 kg. In a greenhouse this figure can reach 15 kg.
- The harvested crop is well stored.
- The transportability of the crop is high.
- The fruits are suitable for canning, fresh consumption, and drying, but they are not used for squeezing juice.
Interesting!
Lady's finger tomato fruits do not crack when ripe.
Agricultural technology
The variety works best when grown in seedlings, especially in cool regions. It is advisable to calculate the timing of sowing seeds yourself, taking into account climatic conditions. Picking in the phase of 2 true leaves (about 20 days after sowing) and hardening before planting in a permanent place is required. Seedlings that are 55-60 days old are considered suitable for replanting. The planting density is quite dense - 6 - 8 plants per 1 square meter, or you can stick to a pattern of 30 - 40 cm between bushes and leave up to 70 cm between rows.
Further care is very easy. The description of growing in open ground states that there is no need to form a bush. This is true, there is no need to pin the plant; moreover, it is on the emerging shoots that a large harvest is formed. Also, the bush does not require a garter. The shoots simply spread along the ground, so you can put mulch under them in advance, which will not only protect the fruits from contamination, but will also retain soil moisture longer. Although even without this, ripening tomatoes will not get sick or rot. If the summer is rainy, then there is no need to water the tomatoes. The only condition is to choose a sufficiently lit area for planting. But in a greenhouse, it is best to tie the plant and grow it in 2 - 3 stems.
Lady's fingers are an excellent productive variety for housewives who like to make preparations for the winter, but do not have enough time to care for the crop, or for inexperienced gardeners. Even with minimal care, the culture will show good results. Unparalleled adaptability allows the variety to be grown in unfavorable conditions. You can collect seeds for further propagation yourself, however, do not forget to process them before planting. The tomato did not show any disadvantages, for which it received the highest marks from vegetable growers.
