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Sometimes you want to experiment and plant familiar vegetables in your dacha, but of unusual sizes and colors. And often then the new product becomes your favorite variety, which you are proud of and treat your guests with pleasure.
Description
The Blueberry tomato belongs to the early ripening indeterminate varieties. The period from seed germination to ripening of tomatoes is approximately 95-100 days. The bushes grow quite tall, requiring staking and pinching. The brushes on the branches grow simple and long, with a drooping appearance. One brush can produce 6-8 round tomatoes. Blueberry tomatoes ripen dense, with shiny skin, weighing approximately 150-180 g (as in the photo).
Ripe tomatoes have a dark burgundy tint characteristic of both the skin and the pulp. They have a pleasant sweetish rich taste. A distinctive feature of the Blueberry tomato is its high resistance to diseases.
Advantages of indeterminate Blueberry tomato:
- the constant formation of buds promotes the setting of new fruits;
- a simple procedure for forming a tomato bush of the Blueberry variety;
- extended fruiting period. You can enjoy fresh tomatoes for a very long time. When growing the Blueberry variety in a greenhouse, it will be possible to harvest at the end of October;
- The growth characteristics of tomatoes can significantly save the space of a plot or greenhouse.
Some disadvantages should also be noted:
- not suitable for growing in open soil in areas with a short warm season;
- late ripening of vegetables (from late July to early August).
The Blueberry tomato variety can be considered innovative due to the unusual color of the fruit. Tomatoes have a rich dark blue color, which they acquired due to the presence of a special purple pigment, anthocyanin, in the vegetable. This substance is also found in significant quantities in blueberries, eggplants, and black currants.
Beneficial properties of anthocyanin:
- thanks to the bactericidal effect, many types of pathogenic bacteria are destroyed;
- is a powerful antioxidant;
- the walls of the capillaries are strengthened and an anti-edematous effect is manifested;
- Helps the human immune system resist viruses and diseases.
Features of cultivation
The Blueberry tomato usually bears fruit until the end of October. Therefore, in the southern regions it is possible to plant tomatoes both in open ground and in a greenhouse. And in colder regions, it makes sense to grow the Blueberry variety only in a greenhouse.
Growing seedlings
Blueberry tomato seeds for seedlings are planted on the 20th of March. The seeds are laid out on a moistened soil surface in even rows and sprinkled with a thin layer of earth (approximately 4-6 mm). To prevent the soil from drying out, it is recommended to cover the container with plastic wrap.
Until the seedlings germinate, a constant temperature should be maintained at +22-23˚ C. When the first seedlings of the Blueberry variety germinate, you can remove the film.
The procedure must be done very carefully so as not to damage the sprouts.
To harden Blueberry tomato seedlings before planting in open ground, it is recommended to lower the temperature to + 19˚ C two weeks before replanting. When transporting, it is necessary to protect the sprouts as much as possible - it is better to cover Blueberry tomatoes with film. You cannot transport tomatoes in a “lying” position.
The soil for tomatoes is prepared in advance. The best “former residents” for tomatoes are cabbage and cucumbers, beans, and corn. Blueberry seedlings are planted in specially prepared holes, at the bottom of which a nutrient composition is poured. For each hole you will need half a liter of compost, 2 tsp. superphosphate, 1 tsp. urea and potassium sulfate. After planting, the seedlings are watered.
In the future, the tomato stems will not get wet when watering, which will significantly reduce the likelihood of viral diseases.
In the row, a distance of 50-55 cm is maintained between the tomatoes, and 70 cm between the rows.
To arrange the support, trellises are formed. Pillars are installed along the edges of the row and wire is stretched between them. A stretched rope acts as a support for the tomato; a tomato stem is tied to it and it grows along it.
For the first time, the stem of a Blueberry tomato variety is tied to a rope under 2-3 leaves. As soon as the stem grows to the top wire, it is thrown over it and lowered down at an angle of 45˚, tying it to adjacent stems.
Feeding tomatoes
At different times of the growing season, different nutrient mixtures are used. Before setting tomatoes (on the first or second bunch), use potassium monophosphate.It is not recommended to use nitrogenous fertilizers, as this will lead to an increase in green mass.
And already when the tomato ovary grows, it is recommended to use nitrogen-containing mixtures. The fertilizing composition should include nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in equal quantities.
When the Blueberry fruits begin to ripen, it is advisable to change the quantitative composition of the mineral mixture. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are used in a ratio of 1:3:9.
It is necessary to feed tomatoes taking into account the condition of the plant. So, if a Blueberry tomato grows actively but blooms poorly, it is necessary to exclude nitrogen from the mineral mixture and add phosphorus fertilizers. Fertilizers are used no more than once every two weeks.
Watering
It is important to adhere to regularity when watering Blueberry tomatoes. Moreover, it is necessary to avoid getting water on the stems and leaves.
In mid-summer it is necessary to carry out more abundant watering. Due to the fact that air and soil temperatures rise, tomatoes require more water.
The volume of watering does not decrease when the fruits ripen, since the indeterminate Blueberry variety constantly blooms and bears fruit.
Bush formation
In open ground, when forming tomato bushes of the Blueberry variety, no special rules are followed, with the exception of breaking off the lower leaves. However, you can’t avoid shaping the tomato at all. Since stepsons are capable of growing from all leaf axils, you may end up with a large unnecessary mass of greenery.
At the end of August it is recommended to stop the growth of the main trunk.To do this, trim the top of the tomato. If the growth of a tomato is not stopped, the fruits may not ripen. When it is better to pinch the top of the stem is decided individually, based on the location of the site (climatic zone).
When growing the Blueberry tomato variety in a greenhouse, a different rule is followed. During the growth of the tomato, all the side branches and stepsons break off. Only the central trunk remains. These operations are carried out due to the fact that unnecessary stepsons absorb nutrients, thereby slowing down the growth of the main stem. Also, excess branches and leaves form unnecessary thickening, which can lead to fungal diseases (as in the photo).
We definitely need to grow new varieties of vegetables. This way you can get acquainted with non-standard plants and diversify the flora of your dacha. Moreover, the Blueberry tomato is grown according to the standard tomato scheme.
One of the worst varieties that have ever been grown in 10 years.