Among the varieties bred for cultivation in the northern regions of Russia, Snowdrop tomato is one of the most versatile and popular among gardeners. The name itself characterizes its main features - high frost resistance, unpretentiousness. Growing tomatoes Snowdrop allows you to get high yields in areas where, due to difficult climatic conditions, this crop has not been grown recently.
The variety was bred for the northern regions by breeders of the Siberian region in 2000, and a year later it was already listed in the State Register. Seed producer of agricultural company "Biotechnika". Recommended for cultivation in Siberia (heated greenhouses), in the Urals (in hotbeds), in the middle lane (on open ground). Unpretentious and resistant to frost and drought, this variety, bred for cold climatic conditions, is unsuitable for the southern regions - hot conditions are dangerous for it.
Variety fruits and their quality
This variety is ripe, tomatoes ripen on 80-90 days after germination of sprouts, which is very important for the northern regions with a short summer. The fruits of the Snowdrop are rounded, with a juicy, fleshy pulp, smooth, crack-resistant peel, rich red color.
In the brushes are 5 pieces, weighing 90-150 g - the largest grow on the first lower branches, the higher the brush, the smaller the size of the tomatoes. It tastes good, sugar. Suitable for fresh and canned foods. For a long time you can store the harvest.
Advantages and disadvantages of tomato variety Snowdrop
Gardeners who grow Snowdrop tomatoes note many of the benefits of this variety:
- The main one is unpretentiousness, thanks to which it is possible to obtain stable crops with almost minimal costs for caring for plants.
- The ability to tolerate frost, while maintaining high productivity. Therefore, in those areas where there are return cooling, unlike other varieties, Snowdrop can be grown in open ground.
- Good tolerance of drought, allowing less time spent on watering. For this variety, even excess moisture is harmful, which can lead to rotting of the roots, damage to late blight.
- With proper agricultural technology, it is resistant to diseases and pests.
- It does not require pinching. But you need the formation of bushes, garter. Usually grow 3 branches, which do not grow much and leave them all to get more yield.
- They grow well even on depleted soils. This feature distinguishes Snowdrop from other varieties. Because most tomatoes are very demanding on the composition of the soil.
- It can be grown in any conditions - open ground, greenhouse, greenhouse.
- High yield - 45 fruits from a bush, 6 kg and even more from one square meter.
- Very pleasant sweet taste, fleshy juicy pulp. Universal application. Great for fresh salads and slices, as well as pickling and preservation.
- High-performance characteristics - beautiful fruits, long shelf life, are well preserved during transportation. Filmed in the stage of milk ripeness, stored for about 2 months. And if they are removed in green, then under special conditions it can be stored even for up to 6 months, and, if necessary, to ripen, select the right amount and place for several days in a warm, bright place.
There are very few drawbacks:
- the largest - increased susceptibility to top dressing, does not tolerate both a lack of fertilizers and their overabundance;
- bush formation and garter required.
Features of cultivation, planting and care
Planting dates and method of cultivation depend on the region, they are adjusted relative to local conditions.
If in the northern regions cultivation is possible only in greenhouse conditions, then in the central regions of Russia it can be planted in open ground. This variety is grown in seedlings and self-sowing on beds.
Growing seedlings
In the middle climatic zone, snowdrop tomato seeds are planted in a greenhouse or in an unheated greenhouse. Landing time in early April or it is chosen according to local weather conditions.
The earth is not recommended to be overly fertilized with organic matter, because then the plants will grow, and fewer fruits will be tied. Seedlings are grown in the usual way for all tomatoes. In the open ground planted in early June.
Seed cultivation
If you plant the seed immediately in a permanent place where the tomatoes will grow, you can get strong hardy bushes and high productivity.
Advantages of planting tomatoes Snowdrops in a non-seedling way:
- plants harden better;
- bushes do not outgrow - therefore fruits are better tied;
- such tomatoes are well adapted to the conditions of the garden;
- the roots are more deeply buried in the ground, due to which the aboveground parts develop better.
Description of the sequence of work:
- prepare a bed, experienced gardeners recommend making a width of 1m;
- pave two longitudinal furrows, the depth of which should be about 20 cm;
- the bottom of the furrows is rammed and watered with a potassium permanganate solution for disinfection;
- cover with a film for a week to warm the soil;
- if it gets warm early in the spring, then the seeds can not be soaked, with late heat they must first be germinated;
- seeds are mixed with sand and sown in furrows, slightly sprinkled with earth and covered with a film;
- the first seedlings appear in a week when they grow up, the plants thin out, leaving the strongest, the distance between them should be 30-50 cm;
- with the growth of bushes, the film is raised higher, periodically removed for ventilation and hardening of plants, in early June it is removed;
- such tomatoes at first grow slowly, but then even overtake planted seedlings.
Problems encountered during the cultivation of the variety Snowdrop and their elimination
When growing even such an unpretentious variety, some difficulties may arise with improper agricultural technology. Timely measures help restore normal growth and fruiting of tomatoes.
| Problem | Cause | Elimination method |
| Leaf fall | Leaves twist and turn yellow at the edges, followed by falling with high humidity and lack of sunlight. | In this case, watering is completely stopped until the top layer of the earth dries out, and then it is moderately moistened as necessary. To improve lighting in greenhouses, daylight lamps are turned on, and in open beds they clear the space from excess vegetation around them. |
| flying around flowers | This problem arises from stress in plants during sudden changes in temperature. | To prevent the falling of inflorescences, the soil is mulched - at night, the root system is protected from hypothermia, and during the day from moisture evaporation. |
| Fruit fall | Appears during the milk maturity of tomatoes due to damage to the junction of the fetus with the stem rot. | Rotting occurs due to excessive watering - its reduction solves the problem. |
| Cracking tomato | They appear at the stalk and can spread throughout the skin. The reason is abundant watering during drought. | To avoid this problem, water the plants sparingly, but more often, preventing the soil from drying out. |
Mr. Dachnik informs: a comparative analysis of tomato Snowdrop and some other early frost-resistant varieties of tomatoes
| Grade | The mass of fruits (g) | Productivity (kg / per sq.m) | Regions and growing conditions |
| Snowdrop | 90-150 | 6-10 | Everything except the southern ones (the hot climate does not tolerate, but is perfectly adapted to even the harshest northern conditions). In greenhouses, hotbeds, open ground. |
| Winter cherry | 30 | 9-10 | Northern, Central, North Caucasian. It tolerates adverse conditions, it was created for the northern and middle climatic zones. In greenhouses, open ground (even in the northern regions). |
| Snow flake | 25-30 | 3 | All regions. Maintains good yields even in low light or cold snap. In the open ground, indoor conditions. |
| Leningrad chill | 60-90 | 3 | All regions. Cold-resistant unpretentious variety, bred for cultivation in the Northwest region, Karelia in open ground under short summer conditions. |
| Far North | 60-80 | 2 | All regions. In open beds. In the southern regions, those who have little time to care for plants prefer to grow it, because this variety is very unpretentious, minimal care is required. In the northern latitudes, the fruits have time to ripen in a short summer. |
| Rose of Wind | 140-160 | 6-7 | All regions. In open beds, under film shelters. Suitable for areas with changing weather conditions. Resistant to short-term cooling, high humidity and other adverse conditions. |
Characteristics of the characteristics of the varieties of tomato Snowdrop and reviews of gardeners show that these plants have enough advantages over other frost-resistant varieties.
Compared with some mid-season varieties intended for the middle zone and southern regions, they yield inferior yields. But among those bred for the northern regions they are distinguished by abundant fruiting, ability to grow even on scarce soils, resistance to adverse conditions, unpretentiousness in leaving.
