Tomato Linda is perfect for fans of "lazy" home plantings. Up to ten bushes can be planted in just a square meter of the garden. This variety is recommended for those gardeners who are not engaged in the cultivation of tomatoes on a large scale, preferring to grow vegetable plants on their balcony. You can read a description of the characteristics of the Linda variety in the article.
Description and characteristics of tomato Linda
The inherent feature of this early ripening tomato is complete unpretentiousness, an amazing fruiting rate and its duration. On average, tomatoes ripen in three months. Having sown seeds in March, the first harvest can be obtained by the end of June.
The plant is undersized, dwarf, and does not exceed thirty centimeters in height. The bush is compact, the stem is dense, the foliage is not very much. Tomato Linda is known to many for the accuracy of red dense fruits, characterized by rounded shapes, good resistance to cold weather and slight temperature extremes. Insufficient lighting has no effect on the quality of vegetables, but if there is enough light, then a little more ovary is formed on the bushes.
The tomato variety is known for its resistance to many diseases inherent in nightshade crops.
Those who have already managed to grow this variety know that the bush is literally dotted with small tomatoes, the average weight of which is from twenty-five to thirty-five grams. The plant bears fruit for a long time - until the end of September. Tomatoes are recommended for fresh consumption, canning, salting, salads.
The culture can be successfully grown in pots and balcony boxes, it is not afraid of the conditions of unprotected soil. The plant is very popular among gardeners in Ukraine and Moldova.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
The main advantages of gardeners include the following features:
- the tomato plant does not make any special claims in care;
- compact bushes, convenient for cultivation in confined spaces;
- the fruits are delicious, they are an excellent ingredient for a large number of dishes;
- resistance to diseases and cold snaps;
- minimal care for seedlings.
The plant has no negative points.
Sowing rules
Like most nightshades, the crop favors neutral, fertile, drained soils. Seed material before planting is pre-soaked in a solution of a growth biostimulator. Such a measure will help to significantly increase germination. Then the seeds are laid out in a plate, covered with a damp cloth.
They should have small roots within three days. Then you can land. It is done simply - the seeds are laid out on the surface of the soil and sprinkled with a centimeter layer of earth. The spacing between seeds should be about three centimeters.
The containers are covered with plastic wrap and placed in a warm place until the first shoots appear. Then it is allowed to remove the film, and move the boxes to the windowsill. At night, the temperature in the room should be seventeen degrees Celsius, in the daytime - about twenty-five.
During the growth period, seedlings must be fed with mineral fertilizers. After picking the seedlings, they are also fed once every two to three weeks.
If necessary, irrigate using warm water. Seedlings are transplanted to a permanent place in May, when the weather is warm.
Seedlings must be protected from drafts!
Care after landing
In the cool period, you should not water the bushes often; dried soil will be considered a signal for this. In the summertime, it is enough to perform this procedure at intervals of two to three days.
Like all tomatoes, Linda loves warmth, for this reason, it must be located on the south or east side. If the bushes begin to stretch up, and internodes begin to form between the leaves, then this is a sign that the plant is very hot.
If you grow Linda on a glazed balcony, and it is hot outside, then you need to control the temperature around the plants, which should not exceed thirty degrees. To lower it, you can hang light curtains on the windows, keep the frames ajar. Some owners even take containers with bushes to the room, where it is a little cooler.
There is one inconvenience - you will have to deal with pollination of plants yourself. As soon as the inflorescences open, the brushes should be shaken gently in the morning. At this stage, it is allowed to use the drug Ovary, which helps in the formation of fruits.
Tomato Linda does not need pinching, and there is no need to tie its branches to the supporting posts. During the flowering period and after another couple of weeks, the plants can be fed with mineral fertilizers containing potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen. Wood ash is also used for the same purposes, diluting one spoonful of water in an amount of 500 ml.
If you decide to grow a crop in open beds, then the predecessors should be zucchini, cucumbers, carrots, parsley and dill.
Diseases and their prevention
Although the plant is resistant to diseases, preventive measures to prevent them will not be superfluous.
In addition, you should carefully monitor the condition of the soil, do not overmoisten it during watering. Excess moisture can cause some tomato diseases.
If tomato bushes are planted in an apartment, then they are not threatened by diseases.
Seed production methods
Planting material for the next year can be selected from the largest and ripe fruits. The seeds must be separated from the pulp and dried. But it is safer to purchase seeds in a specialized store.
Experienced gardeners, growing Linda on the balcony, pick the ripe tomatoes immediately so that the rest of the vegetables have the opportunity to develop better. If the tomatoes have a sour taste, then they should be laid out on the windowsill, and after a few days the taste of the fruit will significantly improve.