Why Cherry Tomatoes Are So Good
Small cherry tomatoes have won universal acclaim. Among their variety, it is easy to choose a variety for every taste. Oval and round, orange and yellow, black and red - in salads and canned dishes, they will be an excellent table decoration.
The content of the article
Description and characteristics
Cherry is a variety of tomatoes that includes a large number of varietiesthat have significant differences in appearance. But all varieties are united by one feature - small fruits, similar to berries. Hence the name - "cherry", which means "cherry" in English.
Varieties of varieties differ in height:
- tall (indeterminate),
- medium-sized (semi-determinant),
- undersized (determinant).
Ripening terms:
- early ripe,
- mid-season,
- late ripening.
There are fruits suitable for harvesting for the winter, and unsuitable for these purposes... Tomatoes are grown in open ground, in a greenhouse, on a balcony or in a pot on a windowsill.
Pros and cons
Like any fruit, Cherry tomatoes have qualities that are beneficial to the human body and those that can harm.
Cherry benefits
Small tomatoes contain more nutrients than fruits of large varieties of tomatoes... Cherries are rich in B vitamins, potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamins C and E. They contain antioxidants and organic acids. The energy value of cherry tomatoes is less than 15 kcal per 100 g.
Not suitable for everyone
Cherry tomatoes should be excluded from the diet or significantly limit people with metabolic disorders, gallstone disease, as well as those suffering from peptic ulcer disease (organic acids of tomatoes irritate the diseased mucous membrane). The variety is not suitable for allergy sufferers, whose body reacts to red vegetables and fruits.
How to grow a tomato
In addition to varieties planted directly in pots, caring for small tomatoes is not too different from caring for their larger "brothers"... But there are some peculiarities.
Always from seedlings
Cherry is grown in the open field only from seedlings, otherwise they simply will not have time to ripen. And for them it is the warm soil that is important.
Even when planting seeds in seedling pots, the soil should be well warmed up, especially if the soil is taken from the street - this is important for heat-loving "kids".
The main thing is warmth and light
It is recommended to sow seeds between February and the end of March. For the correct growth and development of tomatoes, warmth and light are important. If there is not enough natural light (9-10 hours in the sun), then they are provided with an artificial light source.
Seeds germinate at a temperature of + 15 ° C, but optimal for them is + 25-26 ° C.
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How to care for a tomato "Petrusha-gardener"
Watering and replanting
The ground around the tomatoes should be slightly damp... Do not allow it to dry out, crust formation. But too much watering is harmful. In April-May, seedlings are planted in hotbeds and greenhouses. It can be planted in open ground only after stable warming.
Hardening
Before replanting Cherries in open ground, they must be hardened... To do this, the seedlings are taken out in a cool environment for 1-2 hours.Thanks to this procedure, tomatoes will not only be hardened, but also become immune to a number of diseases.
Disembarkation
Tomatoes are planted at a distance of about 0.5-1 m from each other, depending on the variety... Before planting, the plants stop watering for several days, thanks to which they take root better.
If the seedlings grew in peat pots, you can continue watering. The plant is planted together with the pots, which dissolve in the soil themselves.
After disembarkation
After planting, continue to monitor watering and loosen the soilweed the weeds without allowing a crust to form. If there are few fruits on the main bunches, stepchildren and additional branches can be left, if not, removed. In this case, they simply break off the twigs before the first fruiting bunches.
Growing in a greenhouse
Growing cherry in a greenhouse is not much different from growing large varieties of tomatoes.... To be able to harvest all year round, greenhouses must be heated. They are made of glass or polycarbonate and are equipped with a heating and lighting system.
Temperature and humidity
The temperature in the greenhouse should be + 20-25 ° С during the day and + 17-18 ° С at night... After germination, the temperature is lowered. The recommended humidity is 60-65%. The room must be regularly ventilated, especially during flowering.
Priming
The soil for Cherry is renewed annually. The soil should be well heated and fertilized, for example, with peat, humus or special mineral fertilizers.
In the fall, the soil is dug up and humus or compost is introduced; norm: 6-8 kg per 1 sq. m. Spring preparation of soil includes the introduction of urea (nitrogen fertilization) - 12-15 g per 1 sq. m. m. Usually 20-30 g of potassium chloride and about 35 g of superphosphate are added to it.
Some gardeners advise leaving the prepared soil outside in frosts.... This will partially kill the pathogenic microflora.
Seed preparation
Sowing a tomato in a greenhouse is best in late March - early April... For better germination, the seeds are soaked in clean, warm water for several hours.
Sow in small holes or grooves about 1.5 cm deep, cover with earth and irrigate from a spray bottle (so as not to wash off) with warm water.
Planting material processing
Seeds, folded in a bag made of natural fabric, are dipped in potassium permanganate for 15-20 minutes... You can also use growth stimulants. To prepare them yourself, you need 1 tbsp. Mix a spoonful of wood ash with 1 liter of water. The solution should be at a temperature of + 25˚С. Planting material is placed in it for 24 hours.
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Watering and feeding
Watering is done in the same way as when planting in open ground. Tomatoes are fed both with purchased dressings and made independently.
For example, nettles and dandelions are poured with water and left to ferment, stirring twice a day. The solution is ready when it has changed in color and the grass has settled to the bottom. The infusion is filtered and the seedlings are watered, 1 liter per bush.
Support required
Most varieties preferred for the greenhouse are tall enoughso they are bound up. This will not only support the stem during fruiting, but also keep the tomato bunches from touching the ground.
Unheated greenhouse
If the greenhouse is not heated, the temperature in it for sowing seeds for seedlings should be + 20-25 ° С... The seeds are planted in special containers, covered with foil until the first shoots appear, and after 2-3 true leaves appear, they dive into the ground.
If the temperature allows, you can sow the tomato directly into the ground. The picking procedure is performed in the same way.
Prevention of diseases and pests
Diseases of cherry tomatoes are usually the same as those of other tomatoes. Here are the most common ones.
| Name of the disease | Signs | Causes of occurrence | Treatment |
| Late blight Most often affects tomatoes in the open field. |
Subcutaneous spots on fruits, leaves and stem.A white bloom forms on the underside of the leaf. | Large temperature drops and high humidity. | 20 days after planting in a permanent place, the tomatoes are treated with the "Barrier" preparation, and after another 20 - "Barrier". |
| Brown spot
Typical for tomatoes from film greenhouses (in the south it also affects ground ones) |
Brown spots with gray bloom on the leaves. | High humidity, watering with cold water, low temperature at night. | Use the same drugs as in the previous paragraph. |
| Tomato mosaic
The disease is common among both greenhouse and outdoor tomatoes. |
The leaves are covered with green-yellow spots, alternating with dark green color and curling and wrinkled leaves. | Viral infection; is transferred with infected seed material from plant debris of diseased plants. | Sick bushes are pulled out and burned. In autumn or spring, special preparations are introduced into the soil. Seeds are disinfected before planting, and for prophylaxis, the bushes are treated every 10 days with this solution: 1 liter of skim milk, 15 drops of iodine, 10 liters of water. |
Pests
The greatest the following pests are dangerous to tomatoes:
- bear. Lives in the soil, gnaws at the roots of plants. It is recommended to use the drug "Thunder" against it;
- wireworm. It also damages the roots, but also penetrates into the stems. To get rid of it, lime the soil and use the drug "Bazudin".
All tomatoes are good - choose the taste
Low and tall cherry tomatoes for open ground and greenhouses are presented on the market in a wide range... We give a photo and description of some varieties of small tomatoes.
Cherry red tomato - indeterminate, early ripening variety up to 1.8 m high.Up to 2.5 kg of fruit can be harvested from one bush. The weight of a tomato is 15-20 grams. Fruits are red, sweet, collected in a brush up to 30 pieces. Suitable for both fresh consumption and canning (you can use a whole brush).
Black Cherry Tomato - indeterminate variety. In the greenhouse, the plant reaches a height of 2-3 m, in the open field - 1.3-1.6 m. The stem looks like a vine. The yield reaches 6-7 kg per 1 sq. m. The peculiarity of the fruits in their unusual color and sweet taste.
Strawberry Cherry Tomato - determinant variety, grows up to 1-1.2 m in height. Productivity up to 1-2 kg per bush. It has excellent gustatory qualities, the taste is sweet, the skin is dense, does not crack. Suitable for canning, but, for example, juice will not work out of them - high solids content.
Cherry tomato fingers - a determinant variety intended for unheated greenhouses, balconies and open field cultivation. Height - up to 75 cm. The weight of the fruits is 10-20 g, and the yield is 2.5-3 kg per 1 sq. m. Tomatoes can be canned or eaten raw.
Tomato Octopus Cherry - indeterminate variety, height - up to 5.5 m, is able to grow and bear fruit in one place for several years. Fruits reach 50 g, 50 kg of fruits can be removed from one plant. Suitable for consumption raw, in canned form, for making juices.
There is an opinion
Here we give reviews of some gardeners about the varieties described above.
Ivan, 45 years old: For several years I have been cultivating different varieties of cherry, all of which have their pros and cons. Among the strengths of the Krasnaya Cherry variety is disease resistance. It ripens quickly. Very tasty and lovely view. The only drawback, in my opinion, is very tall bushes and many stepsons.
Anna, 35 years old, N. Novgorod: Black cherry was planted in the open field. Grew up beautiful. The fruits are delicious. The harvest was significant. I liked it. I'll plant it again.
Oksana, Belarus, Orsha: This year I planted a strawberry cherry. Bushes are a direct decoration of the site. Of all the Cherries that I have grown, they are some of the strongest, so the conservation of this cherry variety is wonderful. It doesn't taste like strawberries at all, only in shape.
Lyudmila, Novosibirsk region: For more than one year I have been growing the variety Cherry-fingers, a bush of about 50 cm. Suitable for both preservation and salads. Children generally like to eat them just like that.
Irina, Chita: Out of interest, I planted several Cherry bushes Octopus in the open field. Now I think I should have planted more! Of course the Octopus is not a tree, but the tomatoes are excellent plump, clean, of the same size. And the taste pleased. Our weather in summer is often damp and on other varieties there was rot, and on this one - not a single spoiled fruit.
Marina, Altai: In general, there is no arguing about the benefits and taste of cherry tomatoes. Of all the variety of varieties, it will not be difficult for any gardener to choose the one that suits the climate.
Conclusion
Many varieties of Cherry are unpretentious and disease resistant. And the cultivation technique is almost the same as that of large-fruited tomatoes. The choice, as always, is up to the consumer, but one thing is for sure - you should not be afraid to plant Cherry in your personal plot.