"Lazy" tomatoes are an unusual way to grow tomatoes.

"Lazy" methods of growing tomatoes are unfamiliar to many gardeners in the Leningrad Region. Unlike standard cultivation, this method significantly reduces the time and effort required to care for the plants. Recommendations and advice from gardeners who have already tried the "lazy" method will help you get a decent harvest of delicious tomatoes while saving on labor.

Growing methods

The tomato plant has a strong root system. With sufficient moisture and nutrients, secondary roots form on its stems and even leaves. This allows tomatoes to be grown:

• seeds;
• apical cuttings;
• bends;
• next to other crops;
• in containers using the ampel method.

Using simple agricultural techniques, gardeners cultivate tomatoes in unconventional ways in greenhouses, open ground, on balconies, and on indoor windowsills.

Planting by seeds

Planting tomatoes directly from seeds into the soil simplifies labor and saves time. Furthermore, tomatoes sown directly into the ground in early spring have advantages over seedlings. Germinated plants immediately adapt to sunlight, develop a more robust root system, and have increased immunity to diseases and adverse environmental factors.

Cultivation

1. As soon as the snow melts from the ground, prepare a place on the plot for sowing seeds.
2. The selected beds should be sprinkled with wood ash with the addition of 15 g of superphosphate per 1 square meter of soil.
3. Loosen the area with a hoe or flat cutter.
4. After installing metal arches or wooden stakes, stretch polyethylene over them, covering the bottom with soil.
5. 2-3 weeks after covering the greenhouse, start sowing seeds.
6. Treated with any growth stimulant, tomato seeds are spread on the soil in the greenhouse at a distance of 3 cm by 15 cm, deepened and sprinkled with soil.
7. Once the young seedlings have sprouted, be sure to ventilate them on sunny days by slightly opening the film. On cloudy days, the greenhouses can be left open.
8. In the second or third ten days of May, after the night frosts have passed, remove the cover.
9. Thin out the sprouted plants so that the distance between them remains at least 30 cm by 30 cm.
10. Subsequent tomato care, which includes watering, loosening the soil, and fertilizing, is optional. After all, tomatoes that have been adapted initially will require minimal attention.

A shelter with a manure cushion made in the fall

Building a mini greenhouse with a manure bed in late autumn will save time and effort in early spring. This method involves completing all preparatory work after the season ends. In early spring, you'll only need to worry about sowing seeds and monitoring the growing season.

Cultivation

1. Dig planting holes 50 cm wide and 70 cm deep at a distance of 1.5 m from each other.
2. Place dry plant remains or pine needles in a layer of about 10 cm at the bottom of a deep hole, and 10-15 cm of soil on top.
3. Next, stock up on fresh cow dung and lay a third layer of mullein at least 30 cm thick, with 10 cm of soil on top.
4. After driving metal rods into the soil around the perimeter of the planting hole, cover the future organic greenhouse with film for the winter.
5. All winter, the cow manure bed will await the first rays of March sun to begin micro-fermentation. Therefore, as early as mid-March, you can begin sowing and prepare the seeds by treating them with any growth stimulant.
6. Place the tomato seeds on the surface of the soil in the prepared hole, deepen them to a depth of about 2 cm, and cover with soil.
7. Close the greenhouse tightly and wait for the first shoots, which will appear very soon thanks to the fermentation of the manure. The mullein, placed between two layers of soil in the greenhouse, will begin to burn in the spring sun, raising the air temperature inside.
8. Once the threat of night frost has passed, remove the covering from the hole, driving a stake into the center. Leave only 2-3 bushes for further growth.
9. After tying up the tomatoes, you need to lay a layer of mulch around the root zone of the plants in a layer of about 20-30 cm and wait for the harvest.
10. Throughout the growing season, the plants won't require frequent watering or fertilizing. Furthermore, tomatoes grown this way begin to ripen a month earlier, producing a harvest before the August outbreak of late blight and rot. Therefore, there's no need to waste time, money, or effort on fungicide treatments.

Removal of stepsons

The "lazy" method of layering offshoots eliminates the need to grow a large number of seedlings. By growing just one plant on a windowsill or buying it at the market, you can easily turn it into a whole plot of tomato plants. This eliminates the need to expend effort digging holes and caring for young seedlings.

Cultivation

1. Having grown just one tomato seedling or having purchased a super-hybrid you like at the market, begin preparing the future plot.
2. On a piece of land about 2.5 m by 2.5 m, scatter fertilizers: 30 g superphosphate, 30 g potassium, 50 g nitrate, 50 g copper sulfate, 2 glasses of wood ash.
3. Loosen the soil with a hoe or flat cutter.
4. Dig one planting hole in the middle of the plot, plant a tomato seedling in it, drive in a stake and tie up the plant.
5. After the side shoots have grown, prepare pieces of wire. Bend the emerging lateral branches to the ground, securing them with metal thread.
6. During the entire growing season of tomatoes grown from cuttings, the plant should be watered generously to ensure rapid formation of milky roots.
7. Once the bent-down shoots take root, they will grow vegetative mass, producing new shoots. Subsequent shoots from the rooted branches are also bent down to the ground using wire.
8. Continue bending the layers until the entire area is filled with tomato plants.
9. By spending only the effort of bending the stepchildren to the ground and providing them with sufficient water, up to 10 buckets of fruit can be harvested from just one seedling without any effort or financial expense.

Growing in a barrel

The trailing method of growing tomatoes is for "lazy" gardeners. Growing tomatoes this way eliminates the need for staking or fertilizing. A container with hanging bunches of tomatoes will be a beautiful addition to any yard or windowsill.

Cultivation

1. Having prepared an old, leaky container or an unnecessary wooden box, pour a layer of broken brick or crushed stone onto the bottom.
2. Alternate a layer of garden soil with a layer of any organic waste: grass, hay, straw, food scraps.
3. After filling the container to the top, plant 2 seedling bushes in it and water generously.
4. Over time, the soil in the container will settle, so you will need to add more soil to the container, mixed with organic waste, while monitoring the humidity.
5. With this method, the growth of tomato stems is directed downwards, without tying them up.
6. Thanks to organic farming, tomatoes planted this way will require less watering and receive super nutrition, while the owners will enjoy an excellent and environmentally friendly harvest.

Growing with corn and beans

A "lazy" way to grow tomatoes that eliminates the need to gather rope, nylon thread, or tie up even tall tomatoes.

Cultivation

1. In early May, plant one sprouted grain of corn and one sprouted bean in each hole and wait until the plants grow to a height of 25 cm.
2. Plant prepared tomato seedlings close to the grown plants.
3. By implementing agricultural practices such as watering and loosening the soil throughout the season, the need for staking the tomatoes is eliminated. As the beans grow, they will twine around the plant, securely anchoring it to the corn stalk. Furthermore, the beans' aerial roots release nitrogen during the growing season. This process acts as a natural fertilizer for both the tomatoes and the corn.

Growing conditions in the Leningrad region

When growing tomato varieties and hybrids, it's important to pay attention to their ripening time. Only ultra-early and early hybrids and varieties are suitable for all areas of St. Petersburg. And "lazy" cultivation methods are a good option for residents of Russia's Northwest. And by choosing the right variety, you're guaranteed to grow and harvest ripe, healthy fruits.

"Lazy" varieties for gardeners in the Leningrad region

For cultivation in the northwestern region of the Russian Federation, the following tomatoes are most suitable using the "lazy" method:

• Altai;
• Kobzar;
• Explosion;
• Agatha;
• White filling;
• Sanka;
• Klondike;
• Volgograd;
• Gina;
• Oak tree;
• The highlight;
• Sparkle;
• Hummingbird F1;
• Pink Heart F1;
• Silhouette F1;
• Suomi F1;
• Asterix F1.

Secrets

When growing tomatoes in the northwest region, it's important to know a few tricks. By following these tips, your tomatoes will be less susceptible to disease and produce better fruit.

1. When using the "lazy" method, a layer of mulch is essential for a good harvest. The added organic matter will not only help retain moisture but also provide warmth to the root system.
2. When temperatures drop during the summer months, tomato flower clusters fail to set fruit. To stimulate fruit formation, you can soak them in a solution of 1 liter of water, 1 teaspoon of boric acid, and 1 teaspoon of sugar.

Reviews

Hobbyist vegetable growers in the Northwest region, cultivating tomatoes using the "lazy" method, share their experiences:

Mikhail, Vsevolozhsk

Last year, I saw my neighbor planting tomato plants next to his corn and laughed at him: "The corn will kill them!" But no! To my surprise, he had a harvest. The corn also protected the fruit from the scorching sun. I used the same method this year. It worked wonderfully! The plants didn't need staking, and the fruit didn't get sunburned at all.

Marina, Kirovsk (St. Petersburg)

My husband and I have been growing tomatoes for over 20 years. I'll be honest, we weren't able to grow all the varieties in our cold region. After reading about the "lazy" method of growing tomatoes on a manure bed prepared in the fall in an old magazine called "Priusadebnoe Khozyaistvo" (Homestead), we were thrilled. We started picking sweet tomatoes as early as late June. The plants didn't need any feeding or treatment. Now this is the only method we use!

By trying one of the "lazy" methods of growing tomatoes, you'll spend much less time caring for the crop, and the result will certainly be an abundance of tasty and juicy fruits.