What do summer residents who plan to plant tomatoes on their plot want? Many people pay attention to the size and weight of the fruits, for some the height of the bushes and their resistance to diseases and pests are more important, and someone just needs the vegetables to ripen as early as possible in order to enjoy juicy fruits in the middle of summer. If you are choosing a tomato variety for open ground - for the Moscow region or another region, you should pay attention to the Raja variety. It has quite a few benefits. We will tell about them in this article.
Variety characteristics
Raja refers to early ripe varieties of tomatoes. From the moment the seedlings are planted in open ground or in a greenhouse until you eat ripe vegetables, no more than 80-95 days will pass. In reviews of Raja, gardeners say: the variety is not susceptible to the main diseases that are characteristic of the nightshade family, they are not afraid of pests.
In the official description of the Raja tomato variety, the manufacturer notes that they are classified as semi-determinant. This means that the size of the bushes is medium. This is the best option for those summer residents,which select low varieties with the earliest ripening. In general, a tomato of this variety can be grown even in the northern regions of the country - without shelter, the breeders tried to develop a variety that would be resistant to sudden changes in climatic conditions and cold snaps.
The average height of the Raja tomato is about 1-1.5 meters. From one bush you can collect about 3-4 kilograms of tomatoes, 2-3 plants are placed on one square meter, which means that from one square meter you can get 8-9 kg of juicy fruits. Due to its 1.5-meter growth and a large number of fruits, the plant needs a garter.
Fruit characteristics
Tomatoes have an elongated shape similar to plums. One vegetable can weigh about 300 grams; in the process of ripening, tomatoes acquire a rich red hue. Their pulp is juicy, there are almost no seeds in it, on the cut you can see silvery grains. The taste of fruits is sweet, 5-7 tomatoes can grow on one bunch at the same time.
Use in cooking
The taste of the tomato Raj, summer residents say, is incredibly high. Therefore, tomatoes are suitable for fresh consumption - for example, in salads, sandwiches. They are no less good in the preparation of ketchups, tomato puree, juices. Despite its large size, Raja is great for canning - either in pieces in its own juice or whole.
Pros and cons
Of course, choosing tomatoes for his plot, each gardenerwants to know as much as possible about its advantages and disadvantages. In addition to the fact that this variety of tomatoes is early ripe, it has a lot of other advantages. These include:
- high yield;
- disease resistance;
- good taste;
- possibility of growing in the garden;
- dense skin that does not crack.
As for the shortcomings, summer residents say - they simply do not exist. The only requirements that should be observed are tying the bushes, pinching and timely pinching.
Growing rules: seedling preparation
The optimal time for sowing tomato Raja is March-early April. The soil from the site is suitable for seeds, however, it will first need to be held in the oven at a temperature of no more than 100 degrees. If the temperature is higher, there will be no nutrients left in the ground. After that, the soil can be watered with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, and only then the soil can be placed in containers for sowing.
The best option is to use soil, which can be purchased at the store. It should contain two parts of humus, soddy land and one part of sand. The mixture must be moistened, make small indentations in it. From above you need to place the seeds, sprinkle with earth and moisten with a spray bottle. Glass or film should be placed on top. For germination, you will need a special temperature regime: at least +18 ° C. As soon as the first shoots appear, the shelter must be removed.
When the seedlings get stronger,two true leaves will appear on them, they should be transplanted into separate pots. After picking, growth stimulants can be added to the ground - so that the roots develop better, the plant takes root as quickly as possible. Two months later, the seedlings will already have 7-8 leaves. At this time, they can be planted in open ground or a greenhouse. By the way, before that, experienced gardeners recommend hardening seedlings. This is quite simple to do: you need to take out containers with seedlings in the open air. It is recommended to start with five minutes.
Ground planting
Before planting tomatoes in a permanent place, it is necessary to prepare the holes. Peat, humus and sand mixed with the ground should be added to them. Please note: it is necessary to plant tomato bushes at a distance of 30-40 centimeters, the distance between rows should not be less than 60 centimeters. You should not place more than three Raja tomato bushes on one square meter - firstly, it will be inconvenient for you to care for the plants, and secondly, this may adversely affect the yield of the variety. When planting bushes on the site, the first inflorescences should be removed.
Peculiarities of caring for tomatoes
The first thing you should know about tomatoes of this variety is that it can be cultivated in all regions of our country. Even in the northern and northwestern regions, bushes can be grown in open ground. Raja is resistant to fungal diseases and viruses, it does not require preventive treatment with fungicides. However, in rare cases, bushes can be susceptible to such a disease,like late blight. In order for the fungus not to appear, it is necessary to strictly follow the rules of watering. How to water tomatoes? It is necessary to pour water only under the root, in no case directing it to foliage and stems.
There are other rules for caring for Raja:
- Night temperature should not be below 15 degrees, and daytime temperature should be kept at 23-25. Low or high temperature conditions will lead to such a phenomenon as topping.
- Raju needs to be watered twice a week, tomatoes are classified as moisture-loving plants, so the soil should be well saturated with moisture.
- On one plant, gardeners recommend leaving two stems. It is best to leave a side branch located under the first inflorescence. The top of the plant must be pinched.
- The first garter of tomato bushes should be done within a couple of weeks after planting in a permanent place. As the bush grows, you need to make new loops, and the time period should be no more than 2 weeks.
- Another important condition is the thinning of the brush and the removal of defective ovaries. This is necessary in order for he althy fruits to form on the bushes.
- It is also important to feed the plants: during the growth of the bushes, complexes containing nitrogen are suitable. It can also be organic, such as chicken manure or nettle. When the tomatoes begin to bloom, top dressing with phosphorus will be required, and during the development of the fruits - potash fertilizers.
Reviews about tomato Raja
Speaking of Raja, summer residents note that even novice gardeners can cope with its cultivation. The fruits of tomatoes of this variety are fleshy, rather large. The only frustrating thing for gardeners is that there are very few seeds inside, which means that it is not so easy to collect your own seeds. They also note the friendly ripening of tomatoes, which are equally well suited for both canning and salads.
