Growing tomatoes in a difficult climate zone always requires time and effort. Therefore, in such regions, unpretentious and well-zoned varieties are in particular demand among gardeners. The “Countryman” tomato is considered by many to be a real gift from Siberian breeders.
In order to grow a high-quality harvest of “Countryman” tomatoes, let’s carefully read the description of the variety and its main characteristics.
History of variety development
This tomato variety was bred by Siberian breeders in the last quarter of the last century. After tests were carried out on experimental plots located in Siberia and the Urals, in 1996, the Zemlyak tomato was included in the Russian State Register.
The originators of the variety recommend growing this tomato in the following regions:
- Ural;
- West Siberian;
- East Siberian.
Common tomato Countryman. Brief overview, description of characteristics - video
But this variety also bears fruit well in more southern regions, and in the Krasnodar Territory and other regions with similar climatic conditions, Zemlyak tomato seeds are sown directly in open ground.
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Tomato Countryman: description of an early variety
Tomato Zemlyak belongs to the early varieties of determinate type tomatoes
– from the moment the sprouts appear until the ripe tomatoes are harvested, a little more than 3 months pass.
The bushes are compact, with erect, fairly leafy shoots up to 0.8 m high.
On a note!
This tomato is intended for growing in garden beds; it is not recommended to grow the Zemlyak tomato in greenhouse conditions - you will have to take care of pollination of flowers to obtain a high yield.
Photo of tomato Countryman
The number of side shoots formed is average, with a large number of leaves. The foliage is medium in size, typically tomato, narrow, elongated, with sharp tips, soft emerald color.
The flowers are small in size, yellow in color, collected in racemes. The first of them appears above 6 or 7 permanent leaves, and each subsequent one appears after a couple of leaves. Each cluster can contain up to 15 ripening fruits
.
Ripe fruits of the Zemlyak tomato have a plum-shaped shape, their skin is slightly compacted, smooth, with a characteristic shine, rich red color at the stage of full ripening. The pulp is tender, sweetish, with several seed chambers (usually no more than 3), the number of seeds in them is small, but they are quite enough to be collected for further planting. The weight of ripe tomatoes is up to 90 g.
The presentation and taste of ripened Zemlyak tomatoes are good. The harvested crop can be transported to different distances and stored for a long time.
Appearance
In appearance, the fruits of the Zemlyak tomato are a typical “cream”, reminiscent of the fruits of the well-known pickled tomatoes Novichok or New Transnistria. The ribs are not visible, the fruits are smooth. Even the appearance of the tomatoes indicates that their main purpose is to be rolled up in glass jars.
The shape and size of Zemlyak tomato fruits are ideal for canning
Main characteristics
Tomato Countryman tolerates short-term cold snaps well,
however, if the air temperature drops for a long time, the growth of the bushes may slow down, as well as the ripening of tomatoes. As a result, the yield of the variety may suffer greatly.
Photo of tomato pulp Zemlyak
Since the bushes are not tall, they do not require staking, but during the ripening period it is better to place supports under the bushes so that they do not break under the weight of the harvest, or still tie up some of them. There is no need to form plants or remove shoots.
Common mistakes
Often gardeners, especially inexperienced ones, make mistakes in growing this crop, resulting in weak bushes with poor yields.
Among the common ones:
- use of low-quality or expired seeds;
- planting in heavy, acidified, poor soil;
- infection of sprouts with blackleg, rot and other fungal infections as a result of planting in contaminated soil;
- violations of picking rules - transplanting sprouts without moisture, which leads to injury to the root system and death of seedlings;
- yellowing and wilting as a result of transplanting tomatoes into the garden without acclimating them to sunlight and fresh air;
- lack of basic care - watering, loosening and weeding;
- violation of the scheme and dosage in the nutrition of tomatoes, which causes slow development, poor fruiting, and sometimes the death of plants.
Tomato productivity Zemlyak
For a determinate variety, the Zemlyak tomato has excellent yield. When grown on an industrial scale, up to 400-450 centners of ripe products are collected from one hectare. The maximum harvest was collected in the Omsk region, where 778 centners of ripe tomatoes of the Zemlyak variety were harvested from each hectare.
On a note!
When growing in gardens, vegetable growers collect at least 4 kg of tomatoes from each Zemlyak tomato plant, and about 20 kg of tomatoes from each square.
Tomato Countryman on August 25 - video
Farmer reviews
Let's take a closer look at the reviews of summer residents who have already planted Zemlyak tomatoes.
Lyubov, Mogilev : “Super grade! I bought the seeds in 2013. Now I have been sowing my own seeds for 5 years. What a wonderful adjika from this variety! And pickled tomatoes without vinegar are simply delicious. I recommend this variety to everyone."
Yulia, Berdsk : “We almost exclusively cut it into salads. I plant it every year. This year the harvest turned out to be very good, this has never happened before.”
Natalya, Tula : “I liked the Zemlyak variety. I sowed it for the first time, it showed itself well in seedlings (it didn’t stretch, it didn’t get sick) and I was pleased with the harvest.”
Area of application of fruits
The main purpose of the harvested crop is pickling of whole fruits
.
It should be noted that tomatoes do not burst or crack during heat treatment, retain their beautiful appearance, and the taste remains pleasant.
You can also use these fruits fresh, add them to vegetable salads and prepare various snacks.
Harvesting and application
The fruits are harvested when they have grown to a size characteristic of this variety , as well as when they reach milky ripeness (the tomatoes are still green or white-green, but have their full weight).
It is important to monitor changes in weather conditions. In case of high humidity and pronounced cold snap, when the average daily temperature drops below +13 °C, it is worthwhile to start harvesting immediately. In this case, the degree of maturity does not matter.
If the tomatoes were picked from the branch while still green , they are dipped in warm water, dried and stored in a warm place until fully ripe. Unripe tomatoes can be stored for long-term storage. They are removed from the branch along with the stalk.
Fully ripened fruits are consumed in any form : fresh, heat-treated, canned. They are used to prepare first and second courses, salads, drinks, etc.
Advantages and disadvantages
The main advantages of the Countryman tomato include:
- early fruit ripening;
- high productivity;
- good presentation and taste of ripe fruits of Zemlyak tomatoes;
- the bushes are compact, so more plants can be planted on the site;
- good resistance to major diseases;
- the possibility of whole-fruit canning of the harvested crop;
- ripe tomatoes can be transported to different distances and stored for quite a long time;
- resistance of plants to short-term cold snaps;
- the tomato variety Zemlyak practically does not require pinching and plant formation;
- Seeds can be collected from ripened fruits for further planting.
Among the disadvantages of the Countryman tomato, the following should be noted:
- low resistance to late blight;
- the Countryman tomato requires constant fertilization and regular watering;
- the variety is intended only for cultivation in open ground; for a greenhouse it is better to choose self-pollinating varieties;
- You need to place supports under the clusters with ripening fruits.
Pros and cons of the variety
- Based on the above, the advantages of the tomato variety Zemlyak include:
- high yields occurring in a short time;
- good gastronomic quality of fruits;
- versatility of use;
- undemanding to growing conditions;
- good germination of seed material, which can be obtained directly from the fruit;
- compactness of bushes, allowing to save planting space;
- no need for pinching and gartering;
- resistance to diseases and adverse weather conditions;
- uniformity of small fruit sizes, which contributes to their preservation as a whole;
- good keeping quality of fruits and their transportability.
- Those who planted this tomato variety have no significant complaints about it. Sometimes noted:
- the plant's requirements for soil fertility;
- the need to carefully adhere to watering schedules for tomato bushes.
Growing tomato Countryman
The Countryman tomato is usually grown through seedlings, but in warm climates it is possible to plant the seeds directly in open ground.
Rules for planting tomato seedlings Zemlyak
Since the ripening period for this tomato is approximately 3 months, vegetable growers in the southern regions of Russia do not grow Zemlyak seedlings
, and immediately plant the seed in the last ten days of April - the first ten days of May in the beds. And already in the last ten days of July, the harvest of ripe fruits is harvested.
In other Russian regions it is necessary to grow this tomato in seedlings.
. In this case, seed material is planted in the last ten days of March. Since about 60 days should pass from the moment of seed germination to the planting of Zemlyak tomato seedlings in open ground, the specific sowing period is calculated based on the climatic conditions of the growing region - by the time of transplanting to garden beds there should be no return spring frosts.
Tomato variety Countryman in open ground - video
Soil for planting seedlings is bought in a specialized store, and seeds collected from your beds should be disinfected in Bordeaux mixture before planting and then germinate. And only then sow.
Seed material is planted in wide, low containers. At the stage of a pair of permanent leaves, the plants are picked, transplanted into a separate container.
One of the advantages of the Zemlyak tomato variety is that the grown seedlings are not prone to overgrowth. However, even before transplanting the seedlings to a permanent place, buds may appear on them, which may fall off during transplantation and further acclimatization of the plants. Therefore, it is advisable to plant seedlings before flowers appear on them.
Important!
7-10 days before transplanting, the seedlings of this tomato must be hardened off: on a balcony, loggia or outside on a warm day.
Planting seedlings in a permanent place
Seedlings are planted in beds prepared in advance. The main thing is that the soil in them is well fertilized.
5-6 tomato bushes are planted on each square.
The plants are strong and not too tall, so some vegetable growers do not tie up the shoots. However, under the weight of ripening fruits, the stems may fall to the ground. Either you have to lay a thick layer of straw under the bushes so that the tomatoes do not come into contact with the soil, or put supports to which you tie the shoots in several places.
Sowing tomatoes for seedlings. Dates and methods of sowing - video
Further care for the Countryman tomato
The main thing for further care is to water the growing tomatoes on time and periodically apply fertilizer.
Irrigation regime
After transplanting the seedlings, the tomatoes are not watered until the plants take root. Then watering is carried out once every 3-4 days, as the soil dries out. In hot, dry times, the frequency of watering needs to be increased. The main thing is that the soil in the beds is constantly moist all the time until the fruits ripen.
Advice!
The water is left in the sun during the day, and in the evening hours it is watered at the root of the tomato bush. Water should not get on the foliage and stems.
If the plants are planted quite densely, then it is necessary to loosen the root zone only at first, and then after watering only mulch with straw, mown grass or humus.
Feeding
Fertilizing the Zemlyak tomato variety is done with infusions of cow manure, chicken manure or greenfinch.
During the cultivation of this tomato variety, fertilizers are applied 10-12 days after transplanting the seedlings, then another couple of feedings are carried out at intervals of 20-22 days.
The best fertilizer!
The most suitable means for feeding tomatoes is an infusion of cow manure.
Transplantation and care
Plants need sunlight
A week before transplanting into the garden, seedlings need to be accustomed to fresh air and sunlight. Tomatoes are taken outside every day and kept in the sun for 2-3 hours.
Site preparation
This garden crop likes to grow in a sunny area where there are no drafts.
All preparation activities are carried out in the fall. The garden is cleared of weeds and plant residues, sprinkled with a mixture of fertilizers - 10 kg of humus, 3 kg of ash, and 100 g of superphosphate and potassium sulfate are used per 1 m².
If the soil is acidified, you can additionally add chalk, slaked lime or dolomite flour (300 g/1 sq. meter). The area is dug up and leveled.
A week before planting tomatoes, the soil is irrigated with a urea solution (15 g per 10 liters of water). This fertilizer increases the nutritional value of the soil and destroys all pathogenic microflora.
Planting scheme
At a distance of 50 cm, holes are dug with a distance of 60 cm between the rows, spilled with water - 0.5 liters each. When the moisture is absorbed, bushes are planted, sprinkled with soil and hilled up to prevent moisture evaporation.
