Characteristics and description of the tomato "Turbojet"

Tomatoes

The "Turbojet" tomato is a popular new variety of 2017, developed by Siberian breeders at the Sibirsky Sad agricultural firm. This variety gained popularity thanks to its combination of ultra-early maturity, low maintenance, and high yield.

Description and characteristics

Description of the plant

This variety is superdeterminate. Low-growing bushes, reaching a maximum height of 40 cm, have strong, thick stems. The plants are sparsely foliated with large, simple, dark green leaves. Flower clusters form after 1-2 leaves, and after 4-5 clusters, a shoot appears, which limits plant growth.

Ripening time and growing conditions

Breeders rightly named this variety "Turbojet." It's a leader among tomatoes in terms of ripening time. From the first mass shoots to fruit formation, it takes only 70-75 days.

The variety's early maturity makes it suitable for cultivation in any Russian climate. Plants thrive in open ground conditions in temperate climates. In regions with short, rainy summers and limited sunshine, the tomato produces a good harvest. However, many northern gardeners, fearing disappointment, grow the variety in plastic greenhouses and hotbeds.

Interesting!Superdeterminate varieties thrive in buckets and pots. This is due to the rapid warming of the soil and the direct delivery of water and nutrients to the plant roots. These tomatoes often produce higher yields and ripen faster than those grown in open beds or greenhouses. Furthermore, dwarf potted plants, covered in fruit, make a beautiful addition to any garden.

Productivity and description of fruits

Another distinctive feature of this variety is its high yield. Since flower clusters form almost every leaf, the plant is literally covered with fruit. A single bush can produce 30 or more tomatoes. Ripening occurs almost simultaneously, and a single bush produces at least 2 kg of ultra-early fruit.

The tomatoes are bright red, flattened and round, with dense, fleshy flesh and numerous seeds. All the fruits on the bush are approximately the same size, weighing between 50 and 80 grams. They have a classic flavor with a pleasant tartness.

You should know!It's commonly believed that early-ripening tomatoes are inferior in flavor to their mid- and late-ripening counterparts. However, years of observation by vegetable growers have shown that with sufficient sunlight, regular fertilization, and proper watering, even super-early tomatoes have excellent flavor and rich aroma.

Agricultural technology

Planting dates

The optimal time for sowing seeds in the central regions is considered to be mid-March, in the northern and western regions – the first days of April.

Preparation of planting material

Although this variety is designed for outdoor cultivation, even in harsh Siberian conditions, it's best to ensure the seeds are properly pre-treated and hardened. This will increase the chances of a healthy harvest even in the coldest and shortest summers. This preparation involves several stages:

Culling

First, remove any broken or out-sized seeds from the batch. Check the remaining seeds by immersing them in salted water. To do this, add 1 teaspoon of salt to a glass of water and drop all the seeds into the solution. Empty and non-viable seeds will float to the surface. Good seed will remain at the bottom of the container. After checking, rinse the seeds with clean water and dry them.

Disinfection and stimulation of germination

To prevent diseases in young seedlings, soak the seeds for half an hour in a crimson-colored potassium permanganate solution. They are then rinsed with water and immersed in a seed growth stimulant. Biostimulants promote rapid germination and increase disease resistance. The seeds are soaked in this solution for 24 hours.

Germination

To germinate, place the seeds in napkins or cotton pads soaked in warm water and place them in a plastic container with a lid. The container will create greenhouse-like conditions, and germination will occur within 3-4 days.

Hardening

The final step is hardening the seeds. To do this, place the container with the sprouted seeds in the refrigerator overnight and leave it at room temperature during the day for a week. Hardened seedlings will produce tomatoes that will thrive outdoors, unaffected by freezing temperatures.

Sowing seeds

Prepared seeds are sown in containers with soil to a depth of no more than 2 cm. Spray the soil with a mister to prevent the seeds from being washed away. Cover the containers with clear glass or film and keep them at a temperature of 23-25 degrees Celsius until germination. To prevent condensation, remove the cover for 5-10 minutes daily for ventilation. Water the seedlings as the soil dries out. In March and April, daylight hours are long enough that additional lighting may not be necessary for the seedlings. After the first shoots emerge, lower the air temperature to 15 degrees Celsius. Pricking out is done after the seedlings have developed two true leaves.

Planting in the ground, care and fertilizing

Seedlings are planted in the ground at the age of 50-60 days, when the threat of recurrent frosts has passed and the soil temperature has warmed up to 10 degrees Celsius.

The planting pattern for this variety is 40x50. This means the optimal distance between bushes is 40 cm, and between rows, 50 cm.

This tomato variety doesn't require side shoots, as these are the shoots where flower clusters form. The low-growing bushes don't require staking. Thanks to their sturdy stems and branches, the plants easily support the weight of the fruit, despite the variety's high yield.

"Turbojet" does not tolerate stagnant soil moisture, so water infrequently but thoroughly. It's important to consider weather conditions. When watering plants, follow these guidelines:

water at the roots, avoiding water getting on the stems and leaves;
use only warm, settled water;
Watering should be done in the morning or evening hours, when the sun is not active.

The soil in the tomato bed needs to be loosened regularly. This procedure should be performed after each watering. It's important to loosen not only the rows of plants but also the soil between them. Weeds should also be removed at this time. While the seedlings are still young, the soil should be loosened very carefully to a depth of 10 cm to avoid damaging the root system. As the plants grow, loosening is combined with hilling. This prevents root exposure and promotes the development of a strong root system.

During the flowering of the first cluster, it is recommended to feed the plants for the first time. This can be done with the following mixture: dilute half a liter of mullein and one tablespoon of superphosphate in 10 liters of water. Half a liter of the solution is sufficient for one plant.

For the next feeding during the formation of ovaries, you can use universal complex fertilizers or specialized formulations for tomatoes.

Important!Fertilizer selection should be approached very carefully, based on the tomatoes' needs at any given time. It's better to underfeed than overfeed.

Variety designation

The flavor of this variety's fruits will leave no one indifferent. These tomatoes are suitable for fresh consumption, as well as for use in various salads and vegetable dishes. These small, regular-shaped tomatoes are ideal for canning and pickling. They don't store well for long periods, so to avoid losing ripe tomatoes, it's important to process any that can't be eaten fresh as quickly as possible.

Diseases and pests

The "Turbojet" tomato was bred and tested in harsh Siberian conditions, making it immune to diseases and pests and resistant to low temperatures. It's resistant to fungal and viral diseases common to nightshades, and even to the common blight known as late blight. Its early ripening period allows it to avoid this disease even in regions where summer doesn't last long.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

The Turbojet variety has a number of advantages:

early ripening;
friendly return of the harvest;
compactness of bushes;
minimal maintenance;
resistance to low temperatures;
has immunity to diseases;
good taste;
marketable appearance of fruits.

The only drawback of this variety is its poor shelf life. However, since these tomatoes are the first to ripen, they simply don't have time to spoil and are usually eaten quickly.

The "Turbojet" tomato is perfect for gardeners who don't like spending a lot of time tending to their plants or waiting a long time for a harvest. Even in poor weather conditions, this variety will delight experienced gardeners and even the laziest and most inexperienced gardeners with its excellent fruit production.

Reviews

Julia

A very compact bush! The tomatoes grew sweet; there was plenty of sun last year. This variety was the earliest to ripen. They grew in a raised bed in the open ground, without any cover. The bushes are truly covered with tomatoes!

Olga Evgenievna

The bushes are tiny and completely covered with tomatoes. I tried to tie them up, but it didn't work; the tomatoes are all over the bush. They're all ripe, and we didn't pick them while they were still green.

Olga

I highly recommend it! I picked two buckets of sweet tomatoes from five bushes. We ate half, and pickled the other half. I'll definitely be planting more this year, just right for open ground. I especially liked that they don't require pinching or staking.