Low-growing tomatoes for open ground without pinching

Low-growing tomatoes for open ground without pinching, disease-resistant, productive, tasty, suitable for both canning and salads—isn't this every gardener's dream? Compact, low-growing plants that take up little space, are easy to grow, productive, stress-resistant, tolerant of cold, heat, and minimal care—do such things even exist, you ask? Of course, our breeders are working hard, and many such varieties have been developed, and we're happy to share this information with you.

Low-growing tomatoes

These tomato varieties boast a bush height of up to 80 cm, require no pinching, are compact, and ripen early, making them rarely susceptible to late blight. Many yield slightly less than taller varieties, but they offer many advantages. They ripen early—for many, the period from planting to fruiting is only 80-100 days—and ripen evenly. Fruits vary widely, from small ones weighing 80 g to large giants weighing up to 1 kg. If you're looking to grow these wonderful varieties, the packaging should be labeled "determinate"—these are short, very early-ripening varieties. "Superdeterminate" varieties are even better—these are even earlier ripening, with the smallest bushes, starting at 30 cm. They can be planted both in open ground and grown in a small greenhouse.

If the leaves of the seedlings are curling, find out how to deal with it.

Advantages of low-growing tomatoes:

• They rarely form side shoots, which makes caring for them much easier.
• Fruits appear very quickly, by the way, if you didn’t manage to plant them on time, or tall varieties for some reason didn’t take root, you’ll have time to plant them again and wait for fruit from these little ones.
• Cold-hardy varieties can be grown without seedlings under cover in warm beds, sowing as early as April or May. This method prevents plants from overgrowing, eliminates the hassle of replanting, and they grow hardened and stress-resistant. Such varieties include 'Podsnezhnik', 'Stolypin', and 'Boni M.'

Tomatoes resistant to late blight

This dreadful brown rot is the scourge of all gardeners. It often decimates rows of tomato plants, causing great distress. Fighting this problem is often futile, so gardeners often look for varieties resistant to this pest. Hybrids are the most resistant. Among the common varieties, 'Dubok,' 'De Barao Chernye,' 'Tsar Petr,' 'Metelitsa,' and 'Gnome,' are particularly resistant. Among the newly bred varieties, 'Alenka,' 'Kibitz,' 'Barnaulsky Konservny,' and 'Sibirskaya Troika' are particularly resistant.

The best varieties of low-growing tomatoes for Siberia

Spring and autumn frosts and sudden temperature fluctuations place very high demands on tomatoes for cultivation in such extreme conditions. But you still want tomatoes from your own garden, so many cold-resistant varieties have now appeared that are quite suitable for growing in northern regions.

• "Akvarel" was bred by Siberian breeders. It's reliable and productive, with compact bushes up to 40 cm tall and requiring no pinching. The plum-shaped fruits are excellent for whole pickling. The skin is thick, preventing cracking when canned, and, importantly, retains its flavor during ripening. Importantly, they are resistant to many diseases.
• "Alsu" - large tomatoes weighing up to 800 g, with excellent yield, the fruits are red and kidney-shaped.
• "Barnaul Canning" - bushes up to 38 cm, fruits are small, red-orange, a disease-resistant variety.
• "Olya F1" is a cold-resistant, disease-resistant hybrid with bushes up to 70 cm high, mid-season, and high fruit set, and is not afraid of low temperatures.
• "Snowdrop" is an extremely early variety, which is important - it is incredibly cold-resistant, does not require pinching, and produces fruits up to 100g.
• "Taimyr" - even if the bush freezes, it does not stop bearing fruit, ultra-ripe, the bush is only up to 30 cm.
• "Leningradsky Kholodok" is very early, very cold-resistant, and does not require side-shoots at all.
• "Explosion" - early ripening, cold-resistant, practically disease-free.

Tomatoes for the Moscow region

The following domestic varieties of low-growing tomatoes without pinching are ideal for this temperature zone:

• "Mongolian Dwarf" is an excellent choice for spicy adjika and all kinds of sauces; it produces many fruits weighing up to 200 g.
• "Iceberg" - bushes about 50 cm, fruits are sweet and sour, up to 200 g, very resistant to late blight.
• "Medok" is a very original cucumber-shaped tomato, very unpretentious and tasty.
• "Ox's Ear" - small fruits, up to 100 g, raspberry-colored with a red tint, sweet and tender.
• "Kibits" and "Alenka" are very early, juicy and sweet, and highly resistant to late blight.

Take another look, How to plant seedlings in open ground, useful tips.

Varieties of low-growing tomatoes with special characteristics

I would like to highlight the following varieties:

• "Big Mama" ripens super early—in 80 days. The fruits are very juicy and sweet, perfect for sauces and salads. They contain a lot of lycopene—the ultimate in nutrition!
• "Azhur F1" is a super-productive variety, super-resistant to temperatures (both cold and heat), with fleshy, sweet fruits that store well, even in cold conditions.
• "Gazpacho" is an advantage for gardeners who rarely go to their plots, since the fruits hold firmly, do not fall off at all, do not crack, and are practically not pinched.
• "Large-fruited pink honey" – distinguished by its enormous fruits, sometimes reaching 1.5 kg, pink, heart-shaped, with a honey taste – extraordinary!
• "Mushroom Basket" has a unique appearance. The flat fruits are ribbed like an orange, with a juicy and delicate flavor.
• "Nastenka" is good because it will bear fruit in any conditions, and abundantly, without needing to be pinched.

See also: Cucumbers in a polycarbonate greenhouse: planting and care.