Content
The Chocolate Block tomato is a tall chokeberry variety, positioned by sellers as early and high-yielding. It is resistant to major tomato diseases and is well adapted to changeable weather conditions.
When and how did it appear
This tomato belongs to relict varieties that do not have a hybrid nature and have been used for at least 50 years. Despite this, it is not included in the State Register of the Russian Federation, and the name of its author remains unknown.
Description and characteristics of tomato Chocolate block
The plant is a compact tall bush of indeterminate type. Its powerful stems stretch up to 1.5-1.7 m and are covered with large leaves, painted dark green.
Tomato varieties are collected in clusters of 3-5 pieces
During the fruiting period, the bush is covered with large tomatoes with a smooth, rich chocolate skin, under which a multi-chambered fleshy pulp is hidden.
Ripening and fruiting
The Chocolate Block tomato is classified as an early-ripening variety. Tomatoes ripen in just 90-100 days from the moment of mass pipping of seedlings. The fruiting period is extended and lasts from June to September.
Tomato yield Chocolate block
The variety is classified as highly productive. With proper care and favorable growing conditions, you can harvest up to 10-15 kg of ripe tomatoes from each bush.
Resistance to adverse factors
The tomato is highly adaptable to temperature fluctuations and has good immunity. It is resistant to most typical "tomato" diseases and pests.
Where is it grown?
The Chocolate Block tomato easily adapts to different growing conditions. It is grown in greenhouses almost everywhere, in open ground - in the north and in the regions of the middle zone.
Methods of application
The Chocolate Block tomato is considered a universal variety from a culinary point of view. Tasty, juicy, beautifully cut tomatoes are consumed fresh and used for preparing preparations. They make rich juices, aromatic sauces and various salads.
Advantages and disadvantages
The Chocolate Lump tomato is a black-fruited relict variety suitable for growing in open and protected ground. It is valued for its long fruiting and excellent taste.
Large chocolate block tomatoes are not suitable for whole-fruit canning
Pros:
- keeping quality;
- pleasant taste;
- early maturation;
- strong immunity;
- transportability;
- high productivity.
Minuses:
- need for support;
- the need to pinch the tops.
Planting dates and scheme
Like most other varieties, the Chocolate Lump tomato is grown in seedlings. In February or March, tomato seeds are sown in suitable plastic containers with moistened store-bought substrate or turf soil mixed with humus. Before this, the planting material is disinfected for half an hour in a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate (10 g/l of water), washed and immersed in a jar with a growth stimulator for at least 30-40 minutes. The prepared seeds are evenly distributed over the soil surface, sprinkled with a layer of earth no more than 10 mm thick and covered with a transparent film to create a greenhouse effect.
After the first shoots appear, the cover is removed from the container, and the air temperature in the room is slightly lowered. When the plants have 3-4 true leaves, they are dropped into individual plastic cups. The seedlings are watered regularly and hardened off 14 days before transferring to the garden bed.
Chocolate block tomato seedlings are planted 50-60 cm apart from each other so that there are a maximum of three bushes per 1 m2
Transplantation is carried out approximately two months after sowing the seeds, when the soil has warmed to a sufficient depth and the threat of return frosts has passed. In an open, well-lit area with loose, nutritious soil, shallow holes are dug. The seedlings are carefully removed from the cups, trying not to disturb the integrity of the earthen coma, planted in prepared holes and buried.The soil in the tree trunk circle is lightly compacted and watered abundantly with settled water at room temperature.
Care instructions
In order for the Chocolate Block tomato to produce a good harvest, it needs to be provided with proper care, which includes:
- Watering. The Chocolate Block tomato is a moisture-loving variety. The soil under the bushes should always be slightly moist. To water tomatoes, use settled water at room temperature. It must be poured at the root, avoiding drops falling on the foliage.
- Fertilizer application. Like other tall varieties, the Chocolate Block tomato needs a lot of nutrients. For the first time, tomatoes are fed two weeks after being transferred to a permanent place of growth. At this stage, nitrogen and phosphate additives are added to the soil to stimulate the growth of green mass. During the flowering period, the bushes are fertilized with potassium and phosphorus compounds, which activate fruit set. At the fruiting stage, tomatoes are fed with potassium sulfate, ash, mullein, iodine solution or boric acid.
- Soil treatment. The soil under tomatoes is regularly loosened to ensure the flow of oxygen to the root system and to prevent stagnation of moisture, which provokes the occurrence of fungal infections. Also, weeds are constantly plucked around the bushes, drawing nutrients and moisture from the ground.
- Formation of plants. The bushes are formed into one stem, periodically tearing off wilted leaves, dried out and excess shoots. When the stems grow to 50 cm, they are tied to a support with non-rotting synthetic material, twisting them under each internode. Every 10 days, tomatoes are planted, removing side shoots emerging from the leaf axils.
- Hilling.Tomatoes tend to form additional roots that need to be covered with soil. Plantings are earthed up twice per season: when root rudiments form on the shoots near the soil surface and when the lower part of the stem turns slightly blue.
Disease and pest control
Although the Chocolate Block tomato has good immunity, under unfavorable conditions it becomes susceptible to gray spot. It affects only the leaves, without affecting the fruits. Small brown-black spots appear on the plates of a diseased plant, quickly increasing in size. They gradually turn gray and may crack. Fitosporin is used to combat the disease.
With extensive damage to gray spotting, the leaves turn yellow and crumble
Conclusion
The Chocolate Lump tomato is a tall chokeberry variety that belongs to the relict category. It is valued for its high productivity and produces large, multi-chambered, fleshy fruits suitable for squeezing juices and preparing various preparations.
Reviews of summer residents about the Chocolate Block tomato
