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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 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.
Variety history
Cherry Krasnaya tomato was obtained by breeders of the famous Russian seed-growing agricultural firm Gavrish in the early 90s of the XX century. In 1997, this tomato variety was successfully included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements of Russia. It is recommended for cultivation in any area of our country in open or closed ground.
For the Gavrish company, this variety was one of the first cherry tomatoes that they presented to the public, so its name immediately determines its belonging to this dessert group of tomatoes. From the same series from producers, you can also find yellow cherry tomato with very similar characteristics, but with yellow fruits.
And many still sometimes confuse it with various cherry hybrids, such as Winter cherry. Therefore, it should be clarified that the cherry red tomato is precisely the variety and the seeds obtained from the fruits grown with their own hands can be used in the future for sowing while maintaining all the original parental qualities.
Also, this variety should not be confused with small-fruited tomatoes, such as Balcony miracle, Pinocchio and others. Similar varieties of tomatoes are bred more for decorative purposes and for growing in rooms and on balconies. Moreover, their fruits are large - 30-40 grams, and the plants themselves have completely different characteristics than cherry varieties.
Description of the variety
Cherry red tomato seeds can be purchased in the packaging of the manufacturer, the Gavrish company: in the series "Seeds from the author" or "Successful seeds".
Plants of this variety are typically interdeterminate, have unlimited growth and, under favorable conditions, can grow up to 3 meters in height. The bushes branch to a medium degree, not too many leaves grow, the vigor of the shoots is medium. It is best to form these tomatoes in two, maximum three stems.
Small, dark green, rather smooth leaves have a traditional shape for tomatoes, there are no stipules. The inflorescence is of the intermediate type. The first flower cluster is laid above 8-9 leaves, the next inflorescences - every 2-3 leaves.
In terms of ripening, Cherry Red tomato can be safely attributed to one of the earliest cherry varieties. Fruits begin to ripen 95-100 days after full germination.
When picking tomatoes at the stage of technical maturity and ripening in room conditions, the taste of the fruit will be far from perfect.
Considering this point, the cherry red tomato has a great advantage - due to the early ripening period, almost the entire crop will most likely have time to fully ripen on the bushes, even in regions with a short summer.
Tomato's yield is rather low for conventional varieties, but cherry in general does not differ in high yield rates. On average, 1.0-1.5 kg of tomatoes can be harvested from one bush per season, with enhanced agricultural technology this amount can be increased to 2-2.5 kg.
Disease resistance in cherry varieties is quite high, but Cherry red is especially susceptible to cladosporium disease, and under unfavorable conditions can be affected by the tobacco mosaic virus and fusarium. Therefore, when growing this tomato variety, it is necessary to carry out preventive treatments. It is advisable to use for these purposes biological preparations such as phytosporin, glyocladin, trichodermin, phytolavin.
Characteristics of tomatoes
The fruits of the Cherry red tomato ripen on the bushes traditionally in the form of long clusters, each of which can contain from 10 to 40 tomatoes.
Round shaped tomatoes with smooth skin.
In a mature state, they have a rich red tint.
Despite its self-explanatory name, the size of the tomatoes is, of course, larger than the size of the cherry. The average weight of one fruit is 15-20 grams. Rather, the mature clusters of this variety resemble bunches of grapes.
The fruit contains 2-3 seed chambers, the pulp is dense and juicy at the same time.
Taste qualities are rated as "good" and "excellent".
For some reason, it is the taste characteristics of this tomato that cause the most discrepancies in the reviews of gardeners. Some consider them one of the sweetest cherry tomatoes, while others refuse to grow them precisely because of the "sour" taste of tomatoes. Either there is a large percentage of re-grading in the seeds, or the accumulation of sugars in the fruits of this variety is very much dependent on the growing conditions. Indeed, as mentioned earlier, the flavor of cherry tomatoes is heavily influenced by three factors:
- Good sunlight.
- Enough heat.
- Stability and variety of top dressing.
If at least one of these factors is not up to par, the taste of Cherry Red tomato can greatly disappoint you.
Tomatoes of this variety are often used fresh, as a treat for children, to decorate a variety of summer salads, and canning them in jars of any size.
For storage and transportation, they are of little use, since the skin of the fruit is thin, and they quickly begin to leak juice.
Reviews of gardeners
Reviews of gardeners who grew cherry red tomato on their plots are very contradictory. Some admire the taste and beauty of this variety of tomatoes, while others frankly do not recommend this variety for cultivation.
Conclusion
Cherry red tomato, despite conflicting reviews, is worthy to at least try to grow it. And then already evaluate on your own experience how much its characteristics correspond to the declared ones.
