Content
Exotic varieties of vegetable crops have always been of interest to gardeners for their unusual color, shape and taste. You always want to grow something unusual on your plot to surprise your family and friends. Among tomato crops there are also amazing varieties, which are also distinguished by good yields.
The Black Bunch tomato variety with dark purple fruits is just what you need. It meets all the requirements of exoticism, not too whimsical, but the number of fruits on one tomato can amaze even the most experienced gardeners.
Story
Black bunch tomatoes are a product of Dutch selection. The hybrid was obtained by crossing domestic varieties with wild relatives growing in Chile and the Galapagos Islands.
Scientists tried to create a tomato variety containing a large amount of anthocyanins (antioxidants) that have a positive effect on the human body. It is this element that is responsible for the purple color of tomatoes.
The work took a long time. But the result exceeded all expectations. An amazing variety of tomatoes was obtained that contained a gene that disrupted the breakdown of chlorophyll. Therefore, fruits at technical ripeness acquire a special color.For the information of consumers, this hybrid is not a genetically modified product.
The benefits of tomatoes
Tomatoes with a dark brown color with a purple tint, which appeared more than 50 years ago, have a lot of useful qualities. With regular consumption of tomatoes Black bunch F1:
- the functioning of the brain and heart muscle improves;
- blood vessels are cleansed of harmful cholesterol, skin and hair become healthy;
- the body produces antibodies that prevent the development of atherosclerosis and allergies;
- waste and toxins are removed from the body.
The Black Bunch tomato variety has not yet been included in the State Register. The seeds are produced by the Russian Garden company.
Description
Black bunch is an early ripening hybrid and belongs to tall plants. The tomato is intended for growing in greenhouses and open ground. The height of a tomato is up to 1 m 50 cm, depending on the place of cultivation. It has a powerful root system and thick, curly stems. Can be grown in 2-3 stems. Technical ripeness of the fruit occurs in 75-90 days.
The tomato has green, diamond-shaped leaf blades with obvious wrinkles. On the Black Bunch tomato, judging by the description and reviews of gardeners, simple carpal inflorescences are formed (Grozdevoy) shapes along the entire length of the stem, hence the name. Each brush has 10 or more ovaries.
The fruits are round with barely noticeable ribs. At first the tomatoes are green, then they begin to turn pink. When technically ripe, they become dark purple, like eggplants, this is clearly visible in the photo. Ripe fruits also soften a little.
Glossy tomatoes have thin and smooth skin. When cut, the fruits are fleshy, the flesh is rich red, with two chambers. Not only the color of tomatoes is unusual for Russians, but also their taste. Tomatoes are sweet and sour, somewhat similar to dark plums.
The fruits are small in size, ranging from 30-70 grams. But due to the huge number of ovaries, the yield per square meter reaches six kilograms.
Tomatoes must be collected in a timely manner, without waiting for them to completely turn black. You need to focus on the stalk: as soon as an orange speck appears at the base of the tomato, it’s time to harvest. Black bunch tomatoes that were harvested earlier can ripen, but the taste will not be as pronounced.
Gardener's opinion:
Characteristics of the variety
Without detailed characteristics, only from the description of the Black Bunch tomato variety, it is difficult to imagine the advantages or disadvantages of the hybrid. We’ll talk about them so that we can then decide whether to grow the plant or not.
Advantages
- Appearance. The black-purple color of the fruit attracts attention.
- Taste and culinary properties. Many people like sweet and sour fruits fresh and whole-fruit canned. But the fleshy fruits of the variety are not suitable for making juices.
- Productivity. Up to 3 kg of tomatoes are harvested from one bush.
- Features of care. The variety is unpretentious, ripens early, on a single cluster. Since the clusters are formed along the entire length of the stem, fruiting is extended, and the fruits can be collected before the weather gets cold.
- Storage. The tomato variety has a high shelf life. Many gardeners note that the last fruits are eaten before the New Year.
- Diseases and pests.Plants have good immunity to many diseases and pests of nightshade crops.
Flaws
Reviews from gardeners did not reveal any particular shortcomings in the variety. One of the negative qualities is perhaps the difficulty of determining the ripeness of fruits when first growing the Black Bunch F1 hybrid.
Agricultural technology
To obtain an early harvest, tomatoes are obtained through seedlings.
Growing seedlings
We will tell you about the rules for obtaining strong seedlings step by step:
- Sowing is carried out in the last days of February, then the fruits can be obtained two weeks earlier than other varieties.
- Seeds pickled in potassium permanganate are sown, dry or pre-germinated, as you wish, in pre-prepared soil. You can make the soil yourself or use a store-bought option.
- The seed is placed to a depth of no more than 1 cm in increments of about 3 cm. Thickened plantings will make the seedlings weak.
- The seeds will sprout in about five days if the temperature is maintained at 22-24 degrees.
- After germination for three days, the temperature is reduced by 4-5 degrees so that the sprouts do not stretch.
- Sufficient lighting is an important condition for obtaining strong, stocky seedlings of Black Bunch hybrid tomatoes. If there is not enough light, you need to install a backlight.
- In the phase of 2-3 true leaves, the seedlings dive into separate cups. Although it is possible to grow seedlings without diving. In this case, the seeds are sown directly in peat pots, tablets or paper cups.
- Caring for seedlings comes down to regular moderate watering and superficial loosening of the soil.
- At the stage of growing seedlings, it is recommended to feed Black Bunch tomatoes with wood ash extract.This is necessary not only to maintain nutritional balance, but also as a preventive measure for one of the nightshade diseases - blackleg.
By the time of planting in a permanent place, the seedlings of the variety are 60-65 days old. Before planting, the plants are hardened off for two weeks so that they have time to adapt to new living conditions.
Planting in the ground and care
Tomatoes are planted in a greenhouse or open ground in May or early June, respectively, when the threat of frost returns has disappeared. The time is chosen depending on the climatic conditions of the growing region.
No more than four plants are placed on one square meter. In the future, agricultural technology is not much different from caring for plantings of other varieties of tomatoes:
- watering;
- loosening;
- deletion weed;
- disease prevention;
- fertilizing with organic matter or mineral fertilizers.
Grow a Black bunch tomato with 2-3 stems. The remaining stepsons are removed as they grow. The leaves under the formed clusters need to be plucked so that they do not absorb nutrients.
Since tomatoes are tall and bear fruit abundantly, support pegs for tying are installed immediately upon planting. Moreover, not only the stems, but also the brushes are subjected to such an operation.
Diseases
Based on the description and characteristics, the Black Bunch F1 tomato has good immunity to many diseases, in particular late blight. But since less resistant tomato plants always grow nearby, preventive measures should not be neglected.
Spraying tomatoes with solutions of boric acid, iodine, potassium permanganate, and ash extract helps get rid of diseases. It is a good idea to spray with special antifungal or antiviral drugs in accordance with the instructions.
And I grow such low-growing tomatoes. They are called the Striped Gnome. Very tasty. Varietal