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More than 2.5 thousand varieties and hybrids of tomatoes are registered in the Russian State Register. There are standard round-shaped tomatoes with a sweet and sour taste, and completely exotic options, the taste of which is reminiscent of fruit, and the appearance is more like an amazing tropical berry.
Among all this diversity, salad-type tomatoes stand out. These fruits are specifically intended for fresh consumption.
How salad varieties of tomatoes differ from others, how to grow them correctly and which varieties to choose for your garden - this is the article about this.
Classification of tomatoes
Tomatoes can be divided into groups endlessly: according to the type of pollination, according to the height of the bushes, according to the planting method, according to the ripening period, and so on and so forth. Most people are interested in the taste qualities of the vegetables grown on their plots.
Based on this criterion, tomatoes can be divided into:
- salad - those that are tasty fresh;
- pickling, having a well-permeable skin through which the marinade passes, and dense pulp;
- intended for canning tomatoes often differ in small size, because they must fit through the neck of the jar;
- cocktail tomatoes are small, neat fruits that decorate ready-made dishes, snacks or desserts;
- cherry – small-sized dessert tomatoes, often having a flavor uncharacteristic for tomatoes (fruit or berry);
- sauce tomatoes are good for making sauces because they have very few seeds;
- Stuffed fruits are convenient to stuff and bake or stew in this form.
What is special about salad tomatoes?
Salad varieties are easily distinguished by the indescribable aroma of the fruit - the smell of fresh grass, greenery, summer. These tomatoes must be eaten fresh, just picked from the bush. It is in this form that the fruits contain the maximum amount of nutrients and vitamins.
You should not pick salad tomatoes that are not ripe - this method is not for them. The fruits must be fully ripened on the branches in order to absorb a maximum of microelements and be saturated with aroma and taste.
It is salad tomatoes that contain the highest amount of vitamins and nutrients.
Moreover, no one who has tried this mix will guess that the salad contains no other ingredients except various tomatoes.
Salad varieties of tomatoes, in turn, are also divided into several subspecies:
- Sweet – characterized by a harmonious content of sugar and acid. At the break of such a tomato, small grains similar to sugar are even visible.
- Meaty tomatoes are very nutritious, they are even eaten as a separate dish. They are especially popular with vegetarians and those on a diet. During preparation, a salad of fleshy tomatoes does not need to be seasoned with oil or mayonnaise; their taste is already quite rich.
- Pink tomatoes - This is a classic salad variety. Tasters say that even by smell they can determine the color of the fruit. It is pink tomatoes that smell of summer and sun more than others. There are quite a lot of such fruits among salad tomatoes; they are considered the most delicious and contain the maximum amount of vitamins and beneficial microelements.
"Steak"
The bushes of this variety are quite tall, so they need to be strengthened with supports and lateral shoots removed. There are very few seeds in the pulp of tomatoes, they are juicy and fleshy. The weight of each fruit is approximately 0.4 kg. The spherical tomatoes have a slightly flattened shape and are colored scarlet.
The peel of the fruit is very thin, the tomatoes do not crack. Tomatoes have excellent taste, but they cannot be stored for a long time - they are too tender and juicy. It is better to use the crop immediately after harvesting to make salads or juice.
"Crimson Giant"
The variety is one of the earliest - the growing season of tomatoes is very short. Large tomatoes, weigh from 0.6 to 1 kilogram. The color of the fruit is unusual - bright crimson.
The height of the bushes is average - about 0.7 meters. The bushes must be strengthened with supports and the lateral shoots must be pinched.The fruits taste great in salads; these tomatoes make excellent vitamin-rich juices.
"Mikado"
The tomatoes are also quite large, weighing about 0.5 kg. The color of these tomatoes is bright scarlet. Their skin is thin and the flesh has few seeds. These tomatoes differ from other varieties by their unusual sweet and sour taste.
The plants are considered indeterminate and are tall and spreading. That is why the bushes need strengthening, tying, and also the removal of lateral shoots.
Those tomatoes that ripen first can weigh about a kilogram. The following fruits will be smaller - weighing from 600 grams.
Each tall bush produces a good harvest - about eight kilograms of tomatoes. The fruits, like most salad tomatoes, do not store well, but have an excellent taste.
"Bull's Heart"
Another tomato variety for salads, known to most summer residents and gardeners. These tomatoes are grown everywhere, their bushes reach 180 cm, have powerful stems and large fruits.
The mass of each tomato is 0.5 kg. The color of the fruit is rich, with a crimson tint. The shape of the tomatoes corresponds to the name - they look like a heart.
The productivity of tomatoes is so high that the bushes may not be able to withstand so many fruits, so it is very important to regularly monitor the condition of the branches and tie them up, if necessary.
"Sugar Bison"
The variety is similar to the previous one: the same tall bushes, good harvest, large heart-shaped tomatoes. The weight of the fruit is about 0.4 kg, they are painted scarlet, have a thin skin and do not crack.
With proper care, you can remove more than seven kilograms of tomatoes from each Sugar Bison bush.
"Black Prince"
The black fruits of this variety differ from red-fruited tomatoes in the absence of sourness - the tomatoes are absolutely sweet, sugary, and very aromatic.
Tomatoes are colored brown-scarlet, sometimes almost black tomatoes are found. This fruit weighs about 250 grams; in the cross section of the tomato you can see the seed chambers of a greenish tint.
The variety is very productive and suitable for cultivation in most regions of the country. The color of juices or sauces made from these tomatoes will be very unusual, which allows you to experiment with dishes.
"Wild Rose"
Raspberry-colored tomatoes weigh approximately 0.4 kg. The bushes of these plants are very tall, can reach 250 cm. The stems must be strengthened with supports, pinching the lateral shoots.
"Persimmon"
This is a variety intended for the south of Russia, but in the northern regions tomatoes can also be grown by planting them in greenhouses. The bushes are determinate, grow up to one meter, and have a limited number of lateral shoots.
Fruit ripening occurs on the 110th day after planting the seeds in the soil. The surface of the tomato is slightly ribbed, the shape is flattened, the peel is thin, colored orange.
Tomatoes weigh about 300 grams. From a square meter of garden bed you can harvest up to seven kilograms of tomatoes. The fruits are very tasty fresh and contain a large amount of B vitamins, as evidenced by the color of the tomatoes.
"Marissa"
Low bushes belong to mid-early varieties; tomatoes ripen on the 115th day.The fruits are smooth, round, scarlet in color, with an average weight of about 130 grams.
The crop is protected from most diseases characteristic of tomatoes. The fruits are suitable not only for preparing fresh salads; thanks to their small size and durable peel, tomatoes can be salted or canned.
"Gina"
An ideal salad-type tomato that performs equally well in greenhouses and open beds. The tomato growing season is average - tomatoes will ripen 100 days after planting.
Plants are low, determinate type. Ripe fruits have subtle ribbing, a slightly flattened shape, and are colored red. The average weight of tomatoes does not exceed 200 grams.
The taste of the fruit is balanced: the pulp has an excellent combination of sour and sweet flavors. The tomato contains a large amount of healthy sugars and is delicious in salads, juices and sauces.
The variety's yield is decent - up to six kilograms per meter.
"Gift"
A tomato with a short growing season - the fruits ripen within three months after sowing in the ground. Bushes of medium height (slightly more than 70 cm) belong to the semi-determinate type, that is, a large number of ovaries appear on the plants, which makes it possible to classify the variety as high-yielding.
Tomatoes are medium-sized, round and red, each weighing 150 grams on average. From a meter of beds or greenhouses you can get up to 15 kilograms of tomatoes. The taste of tomatoes is high, they make excellent salads, juices and purees.
"Pink raisins"
Tall bushes reach 170 cm. The fruits on them ripen early, have a perfectly even and regular shape - elongated cream. The tomatoes are pink in color, they are very tasty and have a strong aroma.Tomatoes are suitable for both preparing fresh salads and for canning.
"Banana Legs"
The bushes of this plant are low - only 60 cm. These tomatoes are distinguished by their unusual appearance - a bright yellow tint and an elongated shape with a small shoot at the end of the fruit. The taste of “Banana Legs” tomatoes is also interesting; it is sweet, absolutely without sourness.
Not everyone likes this kind of tomato fresh, however, after salting, the tomatoes acquire a very piquant and unusual taste, they absorb the marinade well. Tomatoes are also delicious in salads and sauces.
"Ilyich F1"
An excellent variety for those who grow tomatoes for sale. All fruits are the same size and regular shape. Plants produce consistently high yields; they can be either salted or eaten fresh.
"Pink Pearl"
Bushes of the determinate type do not grow very tall, but this does not prevent the variety from being very productive. Tomatoes of this variety can be planted both in garden beds and in an unheated greenhouse.
In addition to the listed qualities, there is another important feature - the plant is not afraid of late blight; Pink Pearl tomatoes are extremely rarely affected by this fungal disease.
"Renet"
A very resistant plant that can acclimatize in almost any conditions. The bushes are very compact, rarely exceeding 40 cm in height. The growing season of the variety is short, it is classified as super early.
The tomato yield is stable - no matter the vagaries of the weather, the gardener will receive a good harvest of salad tomatoes. The average weight of the fruit is about 100 grams.
"The Fairy's Gift"
A crop with early ripening, determinate type, with low and compact bushes.
The fruits of this variety are very beautiful - their shape resembles a heart and their color is orange.The yield of orange salad tomatoes is relatively high.
"Geisha"
Tomatoes that can be planted both in the garden and in the greenhouse. The fruits have an amazing soft pink hue and are quite large in size - about 200 grams. Tomatoes are considered very tasty and are great for making salads.
Tips for those who are growing salad tomatoes for the first time
As a rule, the best varieties of salad tomatoes are distinguished by large fruits, which is why certain rules arise for growing such tomatoes:
- More abundant watering of bushes. Salad tomatoes need to be watered every day or every other day so that they are large enough and juicy. To prevent fruit cracking due to excessive moisture, it is necessary to choose varieties whose skin is not prone to cracking.
- Frequent feeding is also very important. After all, not only the fruit itself will be large in order to support its weight, but the bushes must be powerful and strong enough. Therefore, tomatoes are fed several times a season using nitrogen and mineral fertilizers.
- Due to abundant foliage and frequent watering, salad tomatoes may be at risk of late blight. To protect the bushes, it is necessary to use preventive antifungal agents, monitor the condition of the leaves and fruits, and, if possible, mulch the soil around the bushes.
- You need to harvest as the fruits ripen - these are not the tomatoes that can be “grown” on the windowsill.
- Careful tying of the bush, which must be supplemented as the stems grow. If the branches are not supported with supports, they may break off under the weight of the fruit.
This tactic will help increase productivity, and the gardener’s family will be provided with fresh vegetables all season.
If a gardener also dreams of salted, canned tomatoes, he will also have to take care of purchasing tomato seeds intended for pickling. Salad fruits are not very suitable for these purposes; their peel is too thin, it will easily crack under the influence of boiling marinade. And the flesh of these tomatoes is not very dense, so they can become even softer and lose their shape, as they say “leave”.
For each purpose, it is necessary to choose certain varieties of tomatoes. Salad tomatoes are suitable only for fresh consumption or processing: making juices, purees, sauces.
To diversify the menu and surprise guests, you can plant tomatoes with fruits of different colors on your plot - a mixture of bright vegetables will look quite impressive on the plates, and guests will not immediately understand what the dish is made from.
