Secrets Of A High Yield Of Vegetables Of The Romanov Family

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

The Romanov family turned a swampy piece of land into a blooming and fruitful oasis with high yields of vegetables

For over two years I have not been to this site. And finally, such an opportunity appeared. Immediately I noticed that, as before, it contrasted pleasantly with all the surrounding plots of this swampy area near Kolpino.

The site stood out for its flowering and well-groomed appearance, greenhouse and greenhouse buildings, in which, through man-made holes in the film, numerous tomatoes and peppers, ripening and ripe, were drawn with bright spots. Despite the end of summer, numerous annuals, perennials and ornamental shrubs still flourished on the flower beds.

After talking with the hospitable hosts, I made the second and main conclusion: the Romanov family - Boris Petrovich and Galina Prokopyevna - still adheres to two seemingly opposite principles: stability and change. Their adherence to a high culture of agriculture, the constant increase in fertility of the now far from swampy soil (this is the result of almost three decades of hard and hard work), as well as the refusal to use chemical fertilizers and preparations, remain unchanged.

Organic farming and healthy crops have been linked as cause and effect for many years. And the Romanovs are not going to retreat from them.

At the same time, changes can be noticed everywhere: here is a new greenhouse design, which is installed in a different place, and here there are various elements of consciously formed landscape design. Crops in the beds have changed places - strict crop rotation. And also new species and varieties of plants, new technologies in the beds and greenhouses …

You can list the changes for a long time, but when you look closely at everything, talk with the owners, you understand - this is a purposeful strategy developed and implemented in a once swampy area, the soil of which is now similar in properties and quality to black earth.

I remember two years ago, also at the end of the season, Boris Petrovich said that he would no longer strive to master many new varieties, to expand plantings. Just from those varieties of plants that have shown themselves well on his land - from the best tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, potatoes, and other crops - he will choose the best ones and will try to collect the same or even higher yield with fewer plantings.

As if confirming the correctness of those statements, now he shows a small greenhouse with peppers and explains that last year 32 sweet pepper bushes grew there, this one - there are only 20, and the harvest is no less. Even, perhaps, much more.

And indeed: yellow, red, green juicy peppers of various shapes and sizes literally crowd on the strong bushes of this southern plant. Hybrids Gypsy F1, Rubik F1, Marinade F1 have passed the test of time and were highly appreciated by the owners of the site.

It is difficult to describe in words the wondrous picture of their harvest. Readers can see for themselves by looking at the photo taken in this greenhouse. True, it snatches out only one fragment of the garden, on which all the plants are hung with bright fruits, like a Christmas tree with toys. In general, the greenhouse simply mesmerizes with its yielding splendor.

According to the owner, last year they began to harvest the first ripe fruits of peppers only in August, and this year in the first ten days of July. "We have been eating them for almost two months," says Boris Petrovich, "and even for the winter preparations at the end of July, Galina Prokopyevna took three baskets of peppers." And they all grow and mature, grow and mature … This is the result not only of high agricultural technology, but also of some change in the previous technology.

I must say that Boris Petrovich is constantly improving technology, and not only when growing peppers, but also all other crops, especially heat-loving ones. So this season, he decided to leave the film, which covered the beds in the spring to warm the soil, even after planting the seedlings. It is not integral here, but consists of several pieces. Of course, when watering the peppers, I had to bend over and raise it so that the moisture got to the roots, and then carefully laid it down again, but these additional costs of time and labor had their effect: we managed to reduce watering, because the water does not evaporate so quickly, the humidity in the greenhouse became below, which means that the danger of diseases has disappeared. And, what is important, the peppers began to ripen earlier.

He applied this technology in all other film shelters. Including in the largest greenhouse where tomatoes grow… Preparing for the end of the season, Boris Petrovich, for the convenience of harvesting, tonsured unnecessary branches and leaves on the plants there. And now garlands of round, pepper-shaped, cocktail garlands hung freely in the greenhouse (the abundance of these small fruits simply rippled in the eyes) and God knows what other tomatoes of various colors. Yellow, pink, red, orange and … what a miracle! I couldn’t believe my eyes: in the corner of the greenhouse, black tomatoes glittered with their sides! How can I describe them? I have seen and tasted Black Prince tomatoes before. But there was still a dark brown color. And here the ripe fruits were completely black. Those who have seen ripe black nightshade berries can imagine this, only they need to be increased in size 20-30 times. And what is remarkable, they shine like shoes polished to a shine. Galina Prokopyevna suggested,that this is a new cocktail hybrid for them Black bunch of F1. The Romanovs were also pleased with other hybrids this season: Orange Date F1, Striped Kishmish F1, Yellow Peach F1, Pinkrise F1. In short, I observed the real kingdom of tomatoes.

For those gardeners who are accustomed to picking one or two buckets of unripe fruits in their greenhouses from season to season, it is difficult to believe in this, but it is so.

And in the film shelter heated by the sun, there was an amazing, southern aroma of truly ripe tomatoes. In the store, alas, they do not smell like that. Moreover, in this greenhouse, as in the other - smaller, the owners managed to place, in addition to tomatoes, several plants of watermelon, melon, cucumber. And they all bore fruit! And idle people say that tomatoes and cucumbers cannot grow in the same greenhouse. As much as they can. Moreover, a whole corner of it was occupied by vines. Weighty bunches of Ilya Muromets grapes were hanging on them, 5-10 cm from the ground. Moreover, the berries were very large, and, as I was later convinced, tasty and very aromatic.

And again I remembered the trip to the site of the Romanovs two years ago. Then they were just starting to deal with grapes. In one of the greenhouses I saw a pretty, but very modest bunch and mentioned it to Boris Petrovich. He calmly replied that he was not expecting anything from these vines yet: their main task was to develop, to form a powerful root system. “When they are four years old, we will pick grapes in buckets,” the owner of the site said confidently. I immediately believed that it would be so. Because more than once I was convinced that everything is always calculated and thought out with him. And this season, if you collect the entire harvest of grapes ripening on several vines at once, you will probably need more than one or more buckets.

I am proud that our magazine once opened the Romanov family to its readers. Then their article on growing watermelons and melons in the open field in a high warm garden bed made a splash. By the way, Boris Petrovich also used such a bed when growing vegetables. Now we can confidently say that melon growing in our northern climate has been brought to perfection by him. This summer they took the first ripe watermelon on July 20. And then, for almost a month and a half, watermelons of the Jubilee, Portion Red, Gift of the North, Lezhebok, Dune melons, Joker, Gerda varieties regularly decorated their table. Moreover, in the current rather difficult season, the watermelons also gave the second layer of the harvest: some fruits were removed for eating, and at this time new ones were tied on the plant, which also had time to ripen by the end of summer.

Boris Petrovich and Galina Prokopyevna are quite happy with the ending season. Almost all crops pleased with their harvest: cucumbers - hybrids Marinade F1, New nezhensky F1, Foothill grapes F1 - yielded a lot of fruits, they were tied and tied on special high beds designed by Boris Petrovich until autumn.

The potatoes were also good - this spring there was no frost, and they planted the tubers of the Timo and Scarlett varieties early - on May 8, and then from June 20 they could pick out the formed tubers in the loose soil with their hands. And their own young potatoes were added to lightly salted cucumbers. At the end of July, the tops were mowed to avoid late blight, and in August they dug up potatoes. We are happy with the harvest, and the taste of the potatoes is excellent, I can confirm this.

The Romanovs are proud that the former purely garden plot is gradually acquiring the features of a summer cottage. By reducing the area of vegetable plantings (without losing the harvest due to changes in the cultivation technology), Boris Petrovich and Galina Prokopyevna create new elements of garden design there: arches, pergolas, flower beds. The most impressive new addition is an open gazebo under a sprawling willow tree. Benches and compact tables made of small round logs fit so organically under this tree that it seems that they have always been here. And now, almost all day long, you can find a cozy place sheltered from the sun and heat.

Walking around the entire plot, we sat in a film gazebo for tea drinking, which the owner also rebuilt, expanding it, and talked about agriculture, the problems of our owners of large and small plots.

- Native land is not an empty word for me, - says Boris Petrovich. - Since ancient times, she has been a support for the Russian people. Remember, even epic heroes like Ilya Muromets gained strength from her. And now, unfortunately, many people, even those working in agriculture, are cut off from the earth. There is no real owner, and without him the land is an orphan. And how many fields are now overgrown with weeds! People must be taught to work on the land, to cultivate love for our wet nurse. And now you only hear: business, business … It turns out that the main thing is to take from the land, and you need to give it so much so that fertility is not lost. Otherwise, soil degradation begins. I heard that this is already happening in the Far East on land leased to the Chinese. She's a stranger to them …

We used to think that our example would captivate many other people, we even wanted to create a school for farmers and gardeners on the basis of our site. I remember that the former governor, having seen and tasted our watermelons grown in the open field at the exhibition in the Harbor, said: it is necessary to teach this to others, even offered to publish a special brochure with this experience. Alas, it all ended with words … People in the offices are far from the land, and therefore vegetables and fruits are bought in little Holland or, for example, in Poland, although much can be grown in abundance on their native land, you just need to create conditions for a normal life and work on her.

For the Romanov family, this small plot has long become their native land, generously watered by their labor sweat. Every piece of her knows the warmth of their hands. For decades, they created her fertility, and the land fed the family and even healed, gave strength and energy. They needed clean, eco-friendly vegetables for their grandson - and they learned to grow them without any chemistry; he had problems with his spine - they built a small reservoir so that he could improve his health there. Now the grandson Sasha is stretched out, has grown stronger and is already equal in height to his grandfather, has become an assistant on the site.

Finishing bypassing the site, I found myself near a distant fence, behind which a willow tree had already begun to grow. The end of summer was generous with moisture, besides, the area here is marshy. Now there was reddish water under this fence. And it was hard to believe that the last melons of this season were ripening on an inclined bed just a dozen meters away from him. These are the contrasts.

Returning to St. Petersburg in a cramped minibus, I recalled everything I saw on the site of the Romanov family. And one could not help thinking that we still do not have prophets in our fatherland. The Austrian self-taught farmer Sepp Holzer came to Russia - how much noise was there around his visit. Both the horticultural societies and agricultural leaders have organized expensive paid seminars across the country so that he can promote his theory of permaculture - environmentally friendly, self-sustaining systems in agriculture.

But if you look deeper, then the Romanov family is doing the same. Boris Petrovich has enormous experience in growing healthy, clean vegetables, including heat-loving ones, and grapes in our northern climate, he has the necessary theoretical knowledge, and also, which is very important, peasant flair. Probably, it was passed on to him by genes from the peasant ancestors. And although almost all mass media of St. Petersburg, including television, and even central TV channels have already told about his experience of growing vegetables, and especially watermelons and melons in the open field, for some reason no one thought of involving Boris Petrovich in teaching future agronomists and vegetable growers. But this is not so difficult: you can create, for example, a special course at the Agrarian University, or organize seminars for farmers.

Other famous gardeners can also be involved in training. It is a pity that their rich experience, which is applicable specifically to our region, is not used. And so far only the clubs of gardeners willingly invite the Romanovs to their classes, and some gardeners even agree to travel to the site near Kolpino to see everything there with their own eyes. And they are surprised, and ask about everything, and try to understand and apply their experience. But this, as they say, is a drop in the ocean … It turns out that foreign prophets are still dearer to us.

Evgeny Valentinov Author's photo