Someone grows tomatoes exclusively for fresh consumption in order to enjoy their exceptional tomato flavor. For someone, fresh taste and the suitability of tomatoes for harvesting are equally important. And someone is happy to grow tomatoes of different colors, shapes and sizes, in order to then enjoy their variety and prepare colorful cocktails and salads from them.
In this sense, the direction in the selection of tomatoes called cherry tomatoes is very interesting. These tiny tomatoes, weighing no more than 20-25 grams, taste more like fruits than vegetables, it's not for nothing that they are often used to decorate various dishes and prepare desserts. Cherry tomatoes contain two to three times more sugars and solids than regular tomatoes. But only their exactingness to the growing conditions is also at the level of exotic fruits - cherry tomatoes adore the sun, warmth and increased nutrition. In the conditions of the middle lane, these tomatoes will most likely acquire their unique sweet taste only in greenhouse conditions. One of the most typical varieties of Russian-made cherry tomatoes is the Cherry red tomato, a description of the variety and characteristics of which you can find in this article.
General description of the variety
This tall variety is not a hybrid, as many mistakenly think, confusing it with a hybrid analogue - Winter cherry tomatoes. Has high yield rates. From the moment of planting to harvesting, an average of 85-100 days pass, which allows this species to be attributed to early maturing crops.
The shape of the bush is non-standard, indeterminate, can grow up to 2 m and more. Fruit weight usually does not exceed 25-35g. The taste is sweet, because, like all cherry tomatoes, it has a high content of sugars dissolved in the extracellular juice. Fruiting is amicable, the ovaries are formed not one by one, but by tassels, which greatly facilitates harvesting. It has a long shelf life without losing its shape, taste and appearance, but does not tolerate transportation very well.
Cherry tomatoes are considered the most useful for strengthening the cardiovascular system and normalizing metabolic processes. They are the prevention of the development of oncological neoplasms.
Characteristics of cherry tomato
This variety has the following advantages:
- high yield (yield from one bush from 1.5 to 2 kg);
- early maturation;
- excellent taste;
- sugar content 12%;
- resistance to temperature changes;
- can be preserved with brushes;
- high resistance to diseases;
- beautiful appearance.
The disadvantages of this variety include:
- high bush;
- the need for a garter;
- crack when overripe;
- poor transportability;
- not suitable for storage;
- increased demand for moisture, light and fertilizers.
High yield of red cherry red Cherry weight red
Possesses the following positive qualities:
- Early ripening;
- Excellent taste characteristics;
- Resistant to temperature fluctuations;
- Immunity to major diseases;
- Possibility of using for whole-fruit canning with brushes;
- Decorative appearance;
- Unpretentiousness;
- Good yield.
All tomatoes of the Cherry tomato variety are very decorative, especially such as Cherry, Honey Drop, White Currant, Black Cherry and others. They are simply meant to decorate dishes. But the excellent taste of all tomatoes allows you to make from fruits: salads, juices, winter preparations. Canned food in cans turns out beautiful, especially if you take tomatoes of different colors.
CHERRY TOMATO CHERRY the sweetest tomatoes (yellow, red, amber)
Tomatoes (tomatoes) Cherry varieties Black Cherry / Harvesting / 27 August 2016
Proven tomato variety: "Red Cherry"
Advantages and disadvantages
The pluses of the variety certainly prevail over the minuses. The main ones are:
- Excellent taste with a pleasant sweet note.
- Fast ripening.
- Decorativeness.
- Unpretentiousness in relation to weather conditions.
- Resistant to pests, rot and common diseases.
- High keeping quality.
- Suitability for whole-fruit canning.
Among the shortcomings, it can be noted:
- Demanding for sunlight.
- Tall, which can make it difficult to grow at home.
- The need for regular pinning and garter.
- High sensitivity to moisture content in soil.
The best regions for growing Red Cherry tomatoes are Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova and the middle strip of the Russian Federation.
Gardeners reviews
Anton, 35 years old:
“This year, for the first time, I decided to plant a Cherry Tomato and I can say that I was satisfied. I was surprised by the quick germination of seeds and the yield of this variety. The fruits formed quickly and there were a lot of them on each bush. To be honest, this is the most productive variety that I have grown in my country house. The only negative I encountered was the poor preservation of the tomatoes. "
Olga, 30 years old:
“I have been growing Red Cherry for several years now, and therefore I know all the advantages and disadvantages of these tomatoes. Among the advantages of the variety, I would like to highlight its pleasant taste, insect resistance and ripening speed. The decorative look of the bushes is also pleasing to the eye. However, I don't like the height of the bushes at all. It seems to me that two meters is too much for tomatoes. "
Features of agricultural technology
Like all tomatoes, they require growing by the seedling method. Let's consider the basic requirements at this stage.
Humidity and temperature
Seed material must be thoroughly and properly dried. Only in this case you can get fast and friendly shoots. After this, regular moderate moisture is required, it is advisable to avoid overflow. Requirements for the air temperature in the room for keeping seedlings - at least 25-28C. If these conditions are met, the shoots should appear on the 6-8th day.
Lighting
Tomatoes are plants for a long sunny day, so in the spring they require additional lighting. These can be ordinary fluorescent lamps or special phytolamps. Keeping trays of tomato seedlings on the windowsill, as is usually customary, is not always justified. Cold air enters not only through the mini-cracks in the frame, but at a close distance it is also felt from the window panes, which, in combination with direct sunlight at lunchtime, creates not the best conditions for growth.
It is better to arrange additional lighting, but put the containers in a more comfortable place.
Soil requirement
The culture is responsive to nutritious fertile soil with neutral acidity. The ready-made composition offered in specialized retail outlets is also quite suitable. But the land can be prepared on your own by adding 1-2 parts of clean river sand to ordinary black soil. It is advisable to take the usual preventive measures in order to exclude infection - watering with a weak manganese solution, calcining or freezing the soil prepared for sowing seed material.
Seed preparation
Healthy, full-weight tomato seeds should be chosen for planting. A day before disembarkation, it is advisable to treat them with a weak manganese solution, immersing them in it for 5-10 minutes. Then drain the solution, and dry the seed material well, after which it is ready for planting.
The prepared seeds should be placed in moistened grooves, covered with a layer of soil no more than 0.5 cm, then gently tamp the surface and water very carefully, preventing the seeds from washing out.
Seedling hardening
By the time it is ready to be transferred to the open ground, it is advisable to take measures to harden the plants so that it, as they say, gets sick. After 3-4 true leaves are formed on the stem, you should gradually begin to take the trays outside, starting from 15-20 minutes. To do this, you need to choose a place protected from direct sunlight and drafts.
On the second day, the plants can "walk" for an hour, and just before the transplant, you can try to leave them overnight if it does not promise to be cold.
When hardened, the tomato bush will change its color and may acquire a purple hue. There is no need to be afraid - this is the expected reaction.
Sowing seeds
Tomatoes of these varieties are suitable for cultivation in the middle zone of the country and in the southern regions. In mid-March, soil and seed are prepared, which can be branded or their own. The soil consists of garden soil, wood ash, sand and rotted mullein.
You can also cut a couple of aloe leaves and place them on the bottom shelf in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. Then squeeze out the juice so that it does not come into contact with metal dishes. Dilute 1: 1 in warm water and soak seeds. The seed is soaked for 6 hours or overnight.
The containers are filled with soil and, slightly dried, the seeds are laid out on its surface. They are covered with a layer of about 1 cm and irrigated with warm water. Cover the planting with plastic wrap and put it in a warm place.
In northern areas, it is best not to put seedling containers on the windows. In any case, each window may have cracks that allow cold air to pass through. And for the full development of seedlings, a stable temperature is required.
All other seed sowing procedures are similar to previous Cherry varieties. After the containers are covered, they are placed in a place where additional lighting can be turned on. The temperature should be within 25g for good seed germination.
Good seedlings can only be obtained from quality seeds. Before planting, it is recommended to soak the seeds in a saline solution for 15 minutes. Floated seeds should be thrown away, and those that have settled to the bottom should be rinsed under running water. To enhance immunity and suppress viral bacteria, the seeds are soaked in a strong solution of manganese for 30 minutes, washed, dried and planting is started.
Seeds are planted in the last days of March.
Growing begins with sowing seeds for seedlings. Seeds are sown from March 20 to April 5. Select the seeds by sprinkling them in a 5% salt solution. Wait 5 minutes. - bad seeds will float, and good seeds will sink to the bottom. Select those seeds that remain at the bottom, rinse them with clean water.
Pour fertile soil into the boxes from equal parts of sod land and humus, river sand. It is advised to water the soil with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or heat it in the oven.
Water the soil. Make grooves 1 cm deep, space between grooves 4 - 5 cm. Pour seeds into grooves every 1 cm. Sprinkle with soil. Cover the planting with foil and place in a warm place. When the first shoots sprout, continue growing by removing the film and exposing the plantings to the light.
Seedlings require additional lighting. You can use fluorescent lamps or special phytolamps.
After the appearance of 3 - 4 true leaves, it is required to place the seedlings on the balcony for 15 minutes.Choose a place for the seedlings where the direct rays of the sun do not fall and there are no drafts. Before planting, you can leave the seedlings on the balcony overnight. When hardened, the bush can turn purple - this is a natural reaction.
Landing in open ground
Plants should be transferred to unprotected soil after the risks of repeated frosts have been removed, and the average daily temperature is set within 22-24C. In mid-latitudes, this is usually mid to late May. By this time, 4-6 true leaves should have formed on each bush.
Planting by the seedless method is possible in more southern latitudes when the average daily temperatures are set at least 20C and the topsoil warms up at least 15C (April-May).
Important! Cherry tomatoes Red cherry require more distance between bushes than other varieties - not 20-30 cm, as usual, but not less than 50 cm!
Read on: What to put in the hole when planting a tomato?
Sweet Cherry
Another well-known variety is the Sweet Cherry tomato variety. Many consider him to be the best of his kind. In Central Russia, it is grown in greenhouses. Of course, the highest assessment of its characteristics is given on the websites of companies engaged in the production of planting material, but in this case they are not far from reality.
Sweet Cherry variety description
Tomatoes weighing 20-30 grams are collected in a brush. One can contain up to 50 tomatoes. As the name suggests, they have a great sweet taste. Fruiting is ultra-early, begins on the 75-83 day from the moment of germination. In addition, it is very long-lasting, until frost. Better keeping quality than Red Cherry. The purpose is the broadest.
It is an interminant hybrid that must be pinched to stop growth. It is resistant to disease and generally grows easily. Plants of a non-standard type, very elegant, especially during the fruiting period. They are planted at intervals of 50 centimeters between bushes and 70 centimeters between rows.
Seeds of the described variety are marked with the code Sweet Cherry F1. This means that you have to buy them from manufacturers every time. They take care of him in the same way as for other similar varieties.
Care and feeding
Caring for cherry tomatoes of both this and other varieties, basically does not differ from the general activities for this culture. This is weeding, watering, aeration of the soil. But, unlike the undersized varieties, in this case, pinching and timely garter are required. In this case, the height of the props should be calculated immediately at least 2 m.
Fertilizers are used as usual for a given crop. You can also use yeast and boric acid as a top dressing. This will reduce the risks of infectious lesions, in particular - late blight disease.
Seedling
After setting up for germination, they monitor the condition of the soil and irrigate it as needed. After the appearance of the second pair of leaves, the seedlings can be dived. To make the plants easier to withstand the stress of transplanting, they need to be sprayed with Zircon, diluted according to the recipe on the package. A couple of citric acid crystals can be added to the water, which will prevent the destruction of the drug in an alkaline environment.
The seedlings are in containers for about 2 months, during which they need to be fertilized three times. For fertilizers, they take chemicals or organic extracts. Prepare organic matter as follows: take 1: 1 water and organic matter (manure, bird droppings), set for two weeks for fermentation. The finished composition is diluted 1:10 with water and watered at the root.
The official description states that after two months, the seedlings, which are intended for planting in the ground, are hardened for a week. Every day containers are exposed to the sun, first for half an hour, and then more and more.Tomatoes Black Cherry and other Cherry Cherries, if they are planted in greenhouses, then they do not need to be hardened.
Planting and leaving
Tomatoes are powdery mildew resistant
A large and healthy seedling tomato Cherry, planted in rows when the threat of frost passes. In this case, the distance between the rows should be at least 40cm, and in a row, between plants up to 25cm, for Winter Cherry. And for other varieties, the distances should be: in a row about 40 cm, and between rows 60 cm.
The holes are filled in size, into which you can add rotted, several years old, mullein or bird droppings. The description of the requirements for care includes the following rules: each hole is poured with warm water and, if these are indeterminate species, then they put supports and tie the plants to them, cutting off all the stepsons, and pinching the growing point, at the required level. For determinate plants, no garter is required and they do not give rise to stepchildren.
Aftercare for all tomatoes is similar.
- Timely watering, like tomatoes, is a moisture-loving plant.
- Weeding and constant loosening of the soil, as a means of air access to the root system.
- Plant feeding.
- Fighting viruses and diseases.
Watering and weeding tomatoes is necessary when there is a need for it. Fertilize by foliar feeding before the first brush is formed. Chemicals and organic fertilizers are used. How organics are prepared has already been said above.
Cherry cherry tomatoes are practically not affected by diseases and are resistant to powdery mildew. Before late blight appears on the beds, they have time to give the crop. In greenhouses, to prevent the development of diseases, boric acid solutions can be used, which also destroy aphids and scare away other, small, insects.
Diseases and pests
Compared to other tomatoes, the variety is more resistant to root rot, brown spot (cladosporium) and late blight due to its early maturity. It is also rarely attacked by harmful insects. Diseases to be feared are tobacco mosaic and fusarium. In case of infection, there is no point in treating diseased bushes - they must be quickly removed and destroyed (preferably burned) in order to avoid further spread of the infection. However, with proper care and timely implementation of the necessary agrotechnical measures and preventive measures (weeding, moderate moisture, removal of diseased plants from the garden), the risks are usually small.
Harvesting and application
The ripening of the first fruits begins in July, but due to the fact that the Cherry red variety forms fruit clusters, it is recommended to harvest only after at least 80% of the tomatoes on one cluster have ripened. This will significantly improve their taste. This variety is a dessert, it can be used not only in salads, but also in desserts.
The decorativeness of the fruits allows them to be used as decoration for dishes. Perfect for whole fruit canning.
After being removed from the bush, cherry tomatoes ripen much slower than in the garden, and are inferior to them in taste!
Cherry tomatoes Red cherry is grown without any problems even by novice gardeners. And experienced farmers are also satisfied with the fruitful results. And children are very fond of sweet small-fruited tomatoes. Therefore, this variety is definitely worth trying to grow it on your site.
Growing rules
Cherry tomato was bred by domestic breeders in 1990. The variety is intended for cultivation in the southern and central regions of Russia. Tomatoes produce the same yield both in open beds and in greenhouses.
Among the varieties of tomato, gardeners like Black Cherry. Gardeners often plant multi-colored tomatoes of this variety, for example, yellow ones, as well as the Winter cherry tomato f1. Cherry variety (any color) requires a lot of sunlight.This means that the windows in the greenhouse must always be kept open on sunny days. This is one of the features of cultivating the variety.
Cherry tomatoes Cherry are demanding for regular watering and feeding. They also dislike low ambient temperatures.
Germinating tomato seeds Pink cherry, like any other, start seedlings in March - early April. This period depends on the local characteristics of the climate. Seedlings of yellow or other cherries are planted in the ground in mid or late May.
Stealing is required on a regular basis. Leave nine brushes on each medium-branching bush. When an eighth or ninth brush appears, trim off the top of the stem. It is trimmed in such a way that two sheets remain above the last brush.
Tomato cherries need moderate but regular watering. Water each bush at least twice a week.
Before the ovary appears, feed the soil twice with nitrogen fertilizers. After the ovaries appear, do the same, but using phosphorus fertilizers. Combine top dressing with watering. During active maturation, do not fertilize the soil.
Important Tips
Gardeners who have grown the seeds of small tomatoes for seedlings advise the following. Sort tomato seeds before planting seedlings. To do this, pour the seeds into a container with salted water, mix. After 15 minutes, collect any seeds that have not drowned and discard as they are empty. Rinse the rest of the seeds with running water and dry.
It will not hurt to hold the seeds in a manganese solution for half an hour before planting. This time is enough for the destruction of pathogenic bacteria that may be present on the planting material. After that, rinse the treated seeds again with clean water and dry.
Sowing seeds for seedlings begin in mid-March. The sowing container should be in a warm, lighted place. Experienced amateur gardeners, cherry tomato seedlings are additionally illuminated with neon lamps.
Water the crop using a spray bottle only.
Place the sprouts in separate cups after two or more leaves have formed on them.
The diameter of the seedling cup should be at least 10-12 cm. Use peat cups. In this case, when planting seedlings in the ground, you will not damage the roots of the plant.
Start hardening the seedlings 10 days before planting in the ground. To do this, take it out into the open air, increase the time it is there every day. Two days before planting, the seedlings should remain outdoors during daylight hours.
Landing in the beds
Transplant the seedlings into an open ground or greenhouse after the outside air temperature settles at 22-24 degrees.
Plant the seedlings in holes, the distance between which is 65 cm. The same distance should be between the rows. Before planting the cups on the bottom of the wells, pour a little manganese solution. In addition, without fail, pour a little humus on the bottom of each hole, pour it abundantly.
Plant cherry tomato seedlings at a slight angle, while sprinkling a part of the stem with earth. After planting, water the seedlings without fail.
Carry out the next watering no earlier than a week later. Subsequently, water as the soil dries up, in moderation. Waterlogging of the soil harms the plant. The fruits from this become watery and tasteless. At the same time, a lack of moisture leads to drying out of the fruit. Worse, they take on an unsightly brown color. Whether it is a ripe tomato Black cherry!
Loosen the soil around each bush after each watering. Do not forget to do this, as the roots quickly become sick from a lack of oxygen.
Make the first garter of the branches when the bushes reach a height of 35 cm.Prepare for this in advance strong supports with a length of at least two meters. Then do the garter as the branches grow.
Harvesting
The first tomatoes ripen 90 days after planting seeds for seedlings. Harvesting of small cherry tomatoes begins in July. From 20 to 40 small tomatoes are formed on each cluster, they all ripen at the same time. You can pick ripe tomatoes one at a time or cut off the entire brush.
It is noteworthy that on each brush of the Red Cherry ripening does not occur at the same time. Thanks to this feature, the ripening period of fruits on one bush is extended until the first cold weather.
This variety of tomatoes can be grown even by inexperienced gardeners. It is enough to follow the rules of agricultural technology.
Olga Danilina
