Spartanets is a striking example of an early-ripening tomato variety, classified as a hybrid. Its distinctive features include highly productive bushes, disease resistance, and the ability to produce fruit in any weather. It is intended for cultivation primarily in protected conditions, such as plastic or glass greenhouses.
Description of the bush and fruits
Hybrid tomato plants are indeterminate. They are characterized by unlimited shoot growth and a moderate degree of development.
The external features of the plantings are as follows:
- strong stems;
- short internodes;
- foliage: long, dark green;
- brushes of a simple type, consisting of 6-7 fruits, formed after the 7th leaf with alternation through 2-3 nodes.
The harvest of this vegetable variety delights gardeners with its marketable appearance and high consumer qualities. The fruits are visually neat, attractive, and medium to large in size.
They have the following characteristics:
- weight - 180-350 g (average weight is 235 g);
- flat-round shape;
- slightly pronounced ribbing;
- rich pinkish-red color;
- dense skin with a glossy sheen, not prone to cracking;
- pulp: fleshy, moderately dense, juicy, with 4-6 seed chambers.
Tomatoes have excellent tasting qualities. Their flavor is rich, sweet, and delicate, with a hint of tartness. They are suitable for fresh consumption, processing into juice and tomato paste, preparing first and second courses, stuffing, and canning. They are especially good in summer salads.
Main characteristics
This hybrid vegetable variety was developed by the talented Russian breeder V. I. Blokin-Mechtalin, representing the seed company "Partner." In 2021, it was approved for use in the following districts and regions of the country:
- Northern;
- North-West;
- Central;
- Volga-Vyatka;
- Central Black Earth Region;
- North Caucasian;
- Middle Volga;
- Lower Volga;
- Ural;
- West Siberian;
- East Siberian;
- Far Eastern.
Spartan is a tomato variety designed for growing in protected soil. It is perfectly adapted to the conditions artificially created inside film, polycarbonate, or glass greenhouses.
This tomato hybrid delights gardeners with its early maturity and long harvest period. Fruits ripen 85-90 days after germination. Its productivity is high:
- 1 plant yields 4.5-5 kg;
- 18.5 kg per 1 sq. m is obtained by summer residents who cultivate the crop in a shelter made of polycarbonate;
- 25 kg per 1 sq. m of planting is the maximum fertility of the bushes.
The advantage of this variety, bred by the founder of the agricultural firm "Partner," is its hardiness and ability to produce fruit well under any conditions. This tomato also boasts a strong immune system.
It is not susceptible to many nightshade diseases:
- verticillium wilt;
- fusarium;
- Cladosporiosis;
- tomato mosaic virus;
- bronze color of the foliage.
Growing and care
Grow this tomato hybrid using seedlings, then transplant them into protected soil. Sow the seeds in late February or early March. When the plants are 50-55 days old, transfer them to a greenhouse.
To get strong and healthy Spartan seedlings, follow these step-by-step instructions for planting:
- Prepare a potting mix for the seedlings. It should be light and loose, air- and moisture-permeable, and have a pH of 5.5-6.5. A general-purpose potting mix purchased from a flower shop is ideal.
- Select containers suitable for growing tomato seedlings: a spacious wooden box, plastic cups, or peat pots. Make sure they have drainage holes in the bottom. Wash reusable containers and disinfect them with a strong potassium permanganate solution before sowing.
- Fill the planting containers with the substrate. Plant the seeds 1-1.5 cm deep, spacing them 3 cm apart.
- Water the tomato planting. Cover it with plastic wrap and leave it in a warm place (+25°C).
Once the seedlings emerge, move the box to a sunny window in a room with a temperature of 20-22°C. Remove the covering material. Provide the seedlings with moderate watering, supplemental lighting with phytolamps, and the addition of mineral fertilizers. Once two leaves appear, transplant.
Transplant young tomatoes into protected soil in late April or late April. Plant no more than three seedlings per square meter. Stick to a 40x60 cm pattern. Create favorable conditions for the plants inside the shelter:
- temperature regime: +18-22°C during the day (+12-14°C at night);
- air humidity - 60-70%, soil - 70-75%.
After transplanting the Spartan hybrid tomato seedlings to a covered garden bed, provide them with proper care, including the following steps:
- WateringEach tall bush planted in a greenhouse requires at least 20 liters of water per week. Use settled, sun-warmed water for irrigation. Repeat this procedure twice every 7 days.
- LooseningCultivate the soil shallowly, being careful not to damage the plants in the bed. Avoid forming a dense soil crust that would impede oxygen access to the crop roots. Perform this procedure the day after watering.
- WeedingRemove weeds while loosening the soil to prevent them from inhibiting tomato growth and increasing the risk of disease.
- Mulching between rowsCover the soil with sawdust to retain moisture and prevent the growth of harmful weeds.
- Top dressingThe hybrid shows maximum productivity when grown in well-fertilized soil. For a bountiful harvest, fertilize the bushes once every 14-20 days. Apply the first nutrient solution two weeks after transplanting the seedlings to the garden bed.
At the initial stage of bush growth (before they bloom), stimulate the growth of green mass by using a nitrogen-rich solution: a solution of mullein, ammonium nitrate or urea.
After the formation of ovaries and during the ripening period of fruits, fertilize the planting with potassium-phosphorus preparations (superphosphate, potassium sulfate). - Formation of bushesTrain indeterminate plants with 1-2 stems, removing side shoots and lower foliage. Pinch out the tops at the end of the growing season. To obtain larger fruits, remove excess inflorescences, leaving no more than 4-5 clusters.
- Tying to supports or trellisesBegin this procedure a few days after transplanting the seedlings into the greenhouse. Keeping the stems upright will make caring for the plants easier. The risk of them breaking under the weight of numerous fruits will be minimized.
- • Remove stepchildren in the morning so that the wounds have time to heal before evening.
- • When forming into 2 stems, leave the strongest shoot under the first flower cluster.
Reviews
Spartanets is a Russian-bred achievement, beloved by gardeners and farmers for its early and uniform ripening of the crop, its excellent quantitative and qualitative characteristics, and its strong immunity. This hybrid is suitable for greenhouse tomato growers. The fruits are suitable for fresh consumption, processing, and canning.