Each gardener has his favorite tomato varieties, they delight with a rich harvest. Such species include the “Little Red Riding Hood” - an early ripe tomato that can supplement the diet and eliminate the lack of vitamins after a long winter. This product of German breeders has gained popularity due to its unpretentiousness and productivity. How to grow it on your site - learn from this article.

Did you know? Tomato "Little Red Riding Hood" has an increased amount of lycopene and valuable amino acids, which is why it is very useful for children. Due to the high content of sugar components, kids are very fond of these tomatoes.

Grade description

The characteristics of the variety “Little Red Riding Hood” must be known:

• this species is a superdeterminant (stunted tomato);
• bush height rarely exceeds 70 cm;
• stems are strong, compact, pressed to the middle of the bush;
• medium-sized leaves are painted dark green;
• strong, but low bushes of these tomatoes do not require pinching;
• fruits of a flat-rounded shape and bright red color;
• the size of the tomato itself is small, the weight is also small (60-70 g);
• the first matured specimens appear 95 days after planting in the ground;
• the fruits have a thin peel, so they are not used for whole winter canning;
• 3 to 5 tomatoes are formed on one ovary;
• the pulp is juicy, of moderate density, with a small amount of seeds;
• the taste is sweet and pleasant, with a slight acidity;
• productivity from one bush - up to 2 kg;
• the variety is very resistant to diseases and pests;
• this species does not suffer from temperature changes;
• grows well both in the greenhouse and in open soil.
• tomatoes are best suited for salads, soups, sauces, juice.

Advantages and disadvantages

• Among the advantages of the variety "Little Red Riding Hood" include:
• high palatability of fruits;
• excellent productivity;
• strong immunity;
• compact bushes;
• resistance to low temperatures;
• lack of need to form a bush.

• Critical flaws in the variety were not noticed, however, to ensure high productivity it needs:
• regular watering;
• plentiful top dressing.

Self-growing seedlings

For better germination and obtaining a higher yield, it is better to plant tomatoes of the Little Red Riding Hood variety through seedlings.

Sowing dates

Seeds are sown for seedlings usually in late March or early April.

The soil

To grow seedlings, you need to prepare the right soil.

Important! In this case, you will need nutritious soil from a mixture of garden, sod land mixed with humus. About 10 days before planting seeds, it is advisable to treat this substrate with a solution of copper sulfate for disinfection. After it, you can add a little river sand, wood ash or superphosphate.

Capacity for growing

For growing seedlings for tomatoes, they are perfect:

• boxes with a depth of 6-7 cm;
• individual cups (they are convenient in that they do not require additional dive after emergence);
• peat tablets. Their use eliminates the need to prepare a special substrate.

Did you know? Today there are more than 10,000 varieties of tomatoes.

Seed preparation

For better germination and a larger harvest, take seedlings not older than 2-3 years under seedlings.

Before sowing them, the following procedures are necessary:

• soak them for a day or two in a growth stimulator;
• disinfect the seed with a pink potassium permanganate solution;
• After the procedure, rinse in clean water and dry before planting.

Sowing seeds

If you plan to plant in individual containers or peat tablets, then in the future it will facilitate the care of seedlings. If the planting will be carried out in common boxes, then it is necessary to observe the distance between the seedlings: 1-2 cm. Lower the seeds no deeper than 1-1.5 cm, otherwise it will be difficult for them to break through the soil.

Seedling Care

Having planted the seeds, take care of the proper conditions for them:

• plants like lighting, but they need to be hidden from direct sunlight, so if possible, give them diffused light;
• choose for them a place sheltered from drafts, only with good ventilation;
• the temperature in the room should be + 23 ... + 25 ° C, after emergence, for several days it can be lowered to + 16 ... + 18 ° C, and then returned to room temperature;
• periodically water the shoots with warm, settled water (watering can or using a spray);
• during seedling growth, it must be fed twice with liquid fertilizer complexes.

Important! If the seedlings were in common containers, then when the first pair of leaves appears, they can be planted in separate pots.

Seedling hardening

In order for the Little Red Riding Hood tomatoes to take root in the open field faster, pre-harden them (10-12 days before planting).

For this purpose, plants are periodically taken out into the open air, if the temperature is not lower than + 12 ° C. Just make sure that the soil of the seedlings is moist, otherwise they will wither in the fresh air. Correctly and qualitatively hardened seedlings acquire a bluish-purple color.

Planting seedlings in a permanent place

Usually young seedlings are transferred to open soil at the age of 2-2.5 months. Depending on the time of planting the seeds and climatic conditions, the exact dates may vary, but most often this time falls at the beginning of May. During this period, the probability of night frosts and sudden cold snap is already low.First, find a suitable place for future plantings. Let it be neutral or slightly acidic soils, rather loose and well warmed up. Well, if the previous fall you fed and dug up the soil in a quality manner.

Did you know? The tomato is 95% water.

Do not plant Red Riding Hood tomatoes, where other members of the Solanaceae genus grew in the previous season: potatoes, eggplant. The best predecessors of tomatoes will be cucumbers, table greens, legumes, carrots.

10 days before planting seedlings, treat the soil with a hot solution of copper sulfate to disinfect it.

Saplings are transferred to the open ground in the evening or on a cloudy day. Plant plants according to the pattern of 70 x 45 cm. Thus, per 1 square. m. there will be up to 8 bushes with space sufficient for free growth.

Water the seedlings in a new place. The next day, repeat the procedure, and then give the tomatoes a week to root.

Features of outdoor cultivation

Further care can be divided into several components:

• fertilizer application;
• timely watering;
• soil care, loosening;
• prevention of pests or diseases.

Watering

Tomato "Little Red Riding Hood" can be moistened in two ways:

• through normal watering. It must be carried out abundantly, several days 1 time. Direct water under the root, since this variety does not tolerate moisture from above;
• using drip irrigation. In this case, moisture fills the soil, and then the plant takes the required amount of water. Therefore, just turn on every evening for an hour and a half water.

Did you know? In Spain, every year at the end of summer, they celebrate the Tomatina festival. This is the name of the festivities, when locals and city guests arrange a battle with tomatoes.

Top dressing

This variety is very fond of various dressings and fertilizers. Thanks to them, the harvest is richer.

The first top dressing is carried out already in 1-2 weeks after planting, when the plant is well rooted.

For these purposes, fertilizers are suitable:

• superphosphate;
• manure;
• compost;
• complex mixtures of calcium and potassium.

Important! In the future, dressing should be carried out once a month until the fruits fully ripen.

Stitching and tying the bush

Since tomatoes have very strong, but low (up to 70 cm) stems, there is no need to tie up bushes. Although when a lot of ovaries appear on plants of this variety, caring owners still make a garter so that the bush does not suffer from the severity of the fruit.Little Red Riding Hood has few branches, so you can do without stepsoning too.

Soil care

Weeding soil from weeds on tomatoes is carried out as necessary. They do this extremely carefully, because the stalks of tomatoes are fragile and easily break.

To better saturate the root system with oxygen and useful substances, it is worthwhile to regularly loosen the soil after each irrigation, making it easier for water to reach the roots.

If you want to speed up the ripening process of tomatoes, increase their productivity, and also reduce the number of weeds, you can’t do without mulching. Creating a protective layer near each bush will help maintain moisture and protect the roots from overheating.

As mulch, you can use materials:

• inorganic: polyethylene, agrofibre, roofing material;
• natural: straw, hay, sawdust, bark.

Did you know? Tomatoes can cleanse the human body of cigarette smoke and lower blood pressure.

To conduct hilling or not - each owner decides for himself. This is a fairly simple procedure; it can strengthen the plant, stems, improve the nutrition of fruits and the growth of additional roots.

The first procedure is carried out already on the 10th day after transplanting. The main thing is to ensure that by this time “pimples” appear on the stems - the rudiments necessary for the development of the bush. Rake the ground carefully, then fragile stems or young roots will not be damaged. And be sure to moisten the soil before hilling.

Preventative treatment

"Little Red Riding Hood" is a variety that is resistant to disease. To enhance its natural immunity, prophylactic treatment is also required.

As a prevention, a whole range of measures is advocated:

• seed disinfection;
• the right choice of place;
• mulching bushes;
• spraying with Fitosporin according to the instructions;
• timely weed control.

Most often, these tomatoes are damaged by insects:

• aphid;
• whitefly;
• thrips;
• spider mite.

If the bushes have already begun to bear fruit, then chemical preparations are best replaced with natural ones: decoctions of celandine, onion, and chamomile. Also, rubbing the leaves with ammonia or warm soapy water works well.

Little Red Riding Hood will delight you with a delicious, rich harvest of sugar tomatoes. Yes, they are not suitable for canning in the form of whole fruits, but excellent sauces and salads are obtained from them thanks to the sweetish pulp.

Important! To get rid of pests, use spraying with insecticides. Processing is carried out 2-3 times with a break of 3-4 days between procedures.

Maintenance of bushes of this variety will not take much time, since for these tomatoes, top dressing and timely watering are important.