The exquisite female name Linda is assigned to two types of tomatoes - a magnificent cherry variety that can produce good yields at home on the balcony, and an equally successful hybrid tomato bred by Japanese breeders and prefers open beds. Let's learn about the features of each of them.
Tomato Linda: characteristics and description of the variety
A characteristic feature of this ultra-early tomato is enviable unpretentiousness, amazing fruiting speed and its duration. The average time required for tomato ripening is 95-99 days, that is, by planting seeds in March, you can get the first fruits by the end of June.
Short, almost dwarf, reaching a height of no more than 25-30 cm, the Linda tomato forms into a compact bush with a strong dense stem and a small number of leaves. The variety is known for good fruit clustering, high resistance to cold snaps and non-critical temperature changes. The lack of lighting does not affect its qualitative development, although it must be admitted that with sufficientaccess to light, the ovaries on the bush are formed noticeably more.
Tomato Linda forms the first brush after the 7-8th sheet. If the containers for planting are quite extensive, then the bushes are placed at the rate of 7-9 pieces per square meter. This tomato is famous for its good resistance to such serious "tomato" diseases as verticillium and fusarium.
Tomato Linda: reviews, photos, yields
This determinant variety, according to gardeners and amateurs, has an excellent ability to fruit formation: the entire bush is covered with small elastic red fruits weighing 25-35 grams. Experienced gardeners note a fairly high yield of the variety and no less decorative. Those who know this plant firsthand have noticed that a bush dotted with red tomatoes resembles an inverted bunch of grapes.
A distinctive feature of the variety is long-term fruiting: the last fruits are removed at the end of September. Linda tomatoes are excellent for fresh consumption, decorating culinary delights, as well as for processing - canning, pickling, salad preparations and semi-finished products.
Growing and care
Like many nightshades, Linda's tomato loves neutral, fertile, well-drained soils. Before sowing, it is desirable to keep the seeds in a solution of any growth biostimulant (Zircon, Epin, Energen, Vympel). At the seedling stage, seedlings are fed with complete mineral fertilizer, for example, Kemira or Agricola in solutions recommended by manufacturers.
Picked young plants should also receive the necessary nutrition throughout the entire growing season with a frequency of 1 time in 2-3 weeks. Tomato Linda does not need pinching, support and tying, in fact, confirming the assurances of breeders that this variety will not become a burden for beginners and inexperienced gardeners.
Hybrid Linda F1: description and characteristics
The product of Japanese selection, Linda F1 tomato, is a determinate-type shrub with a powerful tuberculate stem, reaching a height of 1 meter. It is considered optimal to grow it in open ground. This is a medium-early large-fruited variety with fruit ripening on the 100-110th day from planting seeds. The hybrid is characterized by a high yield of high-quality one-sized fruits and the preservation of their size throughout the summer growing season. This property is due to the great popularity among vegetable growers of such a crop as the tomato Linda f1.
Description, reviews of professional gardeners emphasize the merits of the hybrid:
- resistance to such diseases as Fusarium and Verticillium wilt, gray spot, Alternaria stem cancer;
- good adaptation to stressful growing conditions - cold snaps and rapid weather changes;
- productive fruit set at high temperatures;
- excellent presentation of fruits, high transportability;
- dense fruit skin,allowing you to s alt whole tomatoes.
Recommended planting density is 3-4 plants per square meter.
Fruits of hybrid Linda f1
Ripe tomatoes are large, flat-rounded, weighing 200-300 g. Coloring is even, without green spots at the stalk. Fruits are not subject to cracking. Like many hybrid species, Linda F1 tomatoes are very dense, have a pleasant table taste with a slight sourness. Unripe fruits are light green, completely ripe, painted in bright red. Tomato Linda f1, the description of which is presented in the article, is universal. In home cooking, it is used in the preparation of various salads, sauces, juices, dressings, s alting and canning.
Features of agricultural cultivation and care
Seeds are sown for seedlings in March, 1.5-2 months before the planned planting in a permanent place. Seedlings dive when 2-3 true leaves appear, after which they are fed with a complex fertilizer with a high content of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Watering is carried out as needed, observing moderation and preventing the earthen coma from drying out. Top dressing for the period of seedling cultivation is carried out 2-3 times. In order to avoid stretching seedlings, they also control the light regime, supplementing the light if it is unavoidable.
Planted in ridges with prepared fertile, water- and breathable soil. The plant, thanks to a powerful stem, does not need support and tying. It is better to water the culture in the evening, when the sun has set. Representedvarieties are very promising, but each vegetable grower chooses a crop in accordance with his own preferences.
