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It is difficult to find another garden crop as widespread in almost any region of Russia as the tomato. They are probably grown even in the Far North, if it is possible to install even a small greenhouse. Naturally, for such extreme conditions it is necessary to use tomato varieties with ultra-early ripening periods. One of the most popular varieties, known to almost every summer resident, is the Red Riding Hood tomato.
This variety has many advantages, which will be discussed below in its description and characteristics, but Red Riding Hood is most striking with its sweet taste, which even professional tasters rate as “excellent.” But this is very rare for early tomatoes. After all, what is required of them? The main thing is that the first tomato ripens as early as possible, so that at the beginning of summer you will be able to enjoy the taste of fresh tomatoes. And for them to still be sweet, it’s hard to imagine such happiness. But it also has other advantages; it’s not for nothing that it is so popular among gardeners, especially among beginners.
Description of the variety
This variety has another name - Rotkäppchen. Translated from German, this word means Little Red Riding Hood. Which means that the variety is of German origin and was bred in Germany for quite some time.It appeared in our country in 2010 and was registered in the State Register in 2011 with zoning throughout Russia.
The Red Riding Hood variety is not only super-determinate, but also standard. Bushes of such tomatoes, as a rule, do not require pruning, pinching, or gartering, which is very convenient for busy gardeners. Speaking specifically from Little Red Riding Hood, she really doesn’t need pruning and pinching. But regarding the garter gardeners, opinions differ, since the bushes of this variety, during ripening, are hung with a large number of tomatoes and are able to lie on the ground under the weight of the harvest.
On the other hand, the bushes of this tomato are very short and compact, reaching only 25-40 cm in height. Therefore, they can be tied only once in the middle of the bush, which will be quite enough to support the fruits and a spectacular appearance.
Tomato bushes of this variety, despite their compactness, are very strong with thick, strong stems, moderately leafy. Most often they are grown in open ground, but often, due to their early ripeness, Red Riding Hood seedlings are planted in heated spring greenhouses or film tunnels. This allows you to get the first fruits already in May. Due to the small and compact size of the bushes, this variety of tomato is a frequent visitor to window sills and balconies, where it can bear fruit if additional lighting is installed outside the usual seasonal timing. Most often it is grown indoors either in early spring or late autumn.
As has been mentioned more than once, this tomato variety is not just early ripening, but even ultra-early ripening. It can take 80-90 days from the emergence of seedlings to the ripening of the first tomatoes. Even when growing the variety in open ground in the North-Western region under weather conditions that are far from ideal for tomatoes, the ripening of tomatoes begins already in the twentieth of July. And by mid-August, the harvest can be completely harvested and processed.
The Red Riding Hood tomato also boasts productivity indicators that are also not typical for such early tomatoes. One tomato plant with proper care (watering, fertilizing, protection from weed) can produce up to 1 kg or more of fruit. On average, about 2-3 kg of tomatoes are obtained from one square meter of plantings.
The Red Riding Hood tomato variety exhibits resistance to many diseases, in particular to verticellosis, tomato mosaic virus and fusarium wilt. Bushes are also very rarely susceptible to late blight, since they manage to completely yield the crop before outbreaks of this disease at the end of summer.
Tomatoes of this variety are relatively flexible and can withstand both short-term drought and some lack of light and heat.
Fruit characteristics
It is interesting that the Red Riding Hood tomato variety got its name not because of the fruits as such, but because of the characteristics of their growth. Tomatoes are concentrated mainly in the central and upper parts of the low bush, thereby creating a kind of small red hat.
The following characteristics can be noted in the fruits of this variety:
- Tomatoes have an almost regular round shape.
- The color of the fruit when unripe is green with a pronounced spot at the base. As they mature, the stain disappears and the tomatoes acquire a bright red color.
- Tomatoes are small in size; the weight of one fruit can vary from 20 to 60 grams.
- There are few seed chambers, no more than two.
- There are usually about 4-5 tomatoes in a bunch.
- The pulp is juicy and even fleshy, and the skin is quite tender, so the variety is ideal for the first summer salads. It can be used for canning in jars of any size, due to the convenient size of the fruit, and when fully ripe, the tomatoes are not prone to cracking.
- Red Riding Hood tomatoes have very good taste, they are sweetish and very pleasant to the taste.
- The fruits are not stored for very long and cannot be transported for a long time.
Nuances of cultivation
Since tomatoes of this variety ripen very quickly, in the southern regions the seeds can be sown directly into the ground or, in extreme cases, under film covers. Well, in the middle zone, and even more so in the north, Red Riding Hood tomatoes are grown only with the help of seedlings.
Before sowing, seeds are traditionally tested for germination in salted water. The floating seeds are removed, and those that have settled to the bottom are washed thoroughly in running water to remove traces of salt and sown in prepared containers. At temperatures above +18°C, you can expect the first shoots already on the 5-6th day. In the first week after germination, it is important to reduce the temperature of tomato seedlings by 5 degrees or at least ensure a significant difference between day and night temperatures. This will contribute to additional hardening of the seedlings and the formation of a strong root system.After breaking through the first true tomato leaf, the seedlings should be pricked. Before planting in the ground, you can feed it 1-2 times, but the main thing at this stage is to provide it with enough light and water.
The first inflorescence should appear above the fifth or sixth leaf. During flowering, it is advisable to spray tomatoes with boron and iodine for successful pollination and the prevention of certain diseases. Red Riding Hood tomatoes are resistant to many diseases, so they will not require unnecessary chemical treatments against diseases.
Tomato ripening occurs relatively smoothly.
Reviews
The Red Riding Hood tomato evokes mostly positive reviews from most gardeners, although some are still dissatisfied with the small size of the fruit.
Conclusion
Red Riding Hood tomatoes can surprise and delight both a novice gardener and an experienced gardener. Their unpretentiousness, compactness, early ripeness, and most importantly, taste and productivity, can attract the attention of any person who is not indifferent to tomatoes.
