Content
Tomato Chocolate dessert belongs to the category of dark-fruited cherry varieties, characterized by a pleasant sweet taste and high content of anthocyanins. It appeared on the market relatively recently, but has already become popular. This was facilitated by the stable high yield of the variety, its unpretentiousness, and ease of care.
The variety belongs to the cocktail category
Who developed the variety and when?
The originator of the variety is the Siberian Garden agricultural company, which specializes in the breeding and sale of high-quality planting material. The company offers types of tomatoes well adapted to the climate of the northern regions of the country. And the Chocolate Dessert variety is no exception.
The purpose of its creation was to obtain a new type of cherry with an excellent sweet taste and high yield. And, judging by the reviews of gardeners, the creators completely succeeded. It is unknown which varieties became the basis. It appeared in 2017, but was not included in the State Register.
Description of cherry tomatoes Chocolate dessert
Chocolate tomato belongs to the determinant category. The height of its bushes in open ground reaches 60 cm, and in greenhouses and film greenhouses it grows up to 1.6 m. The plants are bushy, not standard, well branched, with strong shoots.
Tomato bushes Chocolate dessert need tying to a support
The leaves are medium in size, dark green in color, with a matte, slightly corrugated surface. When growing in open ground, there is no need to remove stepsons, but in greenhouses and greenhouses it is recommended to do this before the first flower cluster. The inflorescences of a chocolate cherry tomato are bright lemon in color.
The fruits are small in size, smooth, round, weighing 25-35 g. When ripe, they acquire a brownish-red hue. The tomatoes are collected in clusters of 30-40 pieces, which resemble bunches of grapes. The formation of the first fruit cluster in this dessert occurs above the fifth leaf, and subsequently every two.
Chocolate cherry tomatoes have a sweetish and pleasant taste. The pulp is dense, fleshy, and the skin is thin, dense, smooth. Two small seed chambers are formed inside each tomato. When cutting the fruits of the dessert, no juice is released abundantly.
The weight of one fruit cluster varies from 600 to 1000 g
Characteristics of tomato chocolate dessert
To compare the productivity of a variety with other types of cherry, you need to familiarize yourself with its characteristics. It is important to pay attention to what growing conditions are optimal for Chocolate dessert.
Ripening period and yield
The tomato is self-pollinating and early ripening. The ripening of the first fruits on the bushes occurs in mid-July in greenhouses and hotbeds, and two weeks later - in open ground. From a tomato bush you can get 2 kg of fruit, and from 1 sq. m - about 10 kg of harvest.
Resistance to diseases and pests
This variety is immune to blossom end rot, fusarium and brown spot. However, it does not show such resistance to late blight. Therefore, to obtain a good harvest, preventive treatments with fungicides are required.
Growing regions
The species is fully adapted to the conditions of the Siberian climate. You can grow chocolate cherry tomatoes in the central and northern regions. And in the southern regions, its productivity decreases sharply, since it does not tolerate dry air well.
Methods of application
The pleasant sweetish taste of Chocolate Dessert tomatoes allows them to be used for fresh consumption, as well as for preparing summer salads in combination with herbs. They are great for canning, pickling, freezing, and drying. If chocolate cherry tomatoes are poured with hot marinade, their skin remains intact and does not crack.
Other uses of the crop:
- lecho;
- paste;
- juice;
- vegetable mix;
- sauce;
- ketchup.
Advantages and disadvantages
The Chocolate Dessert variety has both strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, when choosing it, you need to familiarize yourself with them in advance.
The variety is resistant to temperature changes
Advantages:
- early ripeness;
- suitable for open and closed ground;
- self-dusting;
- excellent taste;
- possibility of transportation and long-term storage;
- low susceptibility to many crop diseases;
- long fruiting;
- seeds can be used for sowing;
- versatility of application;
- increased content of vitamins and minerals.
Flaws:
- reacts poorly to dry air
- bushes need good lighting;
- requires tying to a support;
- susceptible to late blight.
Subtleties of landing
It is recommended to grow chocolate cherry tomatoes in seedlings. This makes it possible to obtain stronger seedlings by the beginning of the season and speed up fruiting. The optimal period for planting is the beginning of March, since it is recommended to transfer the seedlings to a permanent place at the age of 55-60 days. To sow seeds, you will need containers 10 cm high with drainage holes. They need to be filled with a nutritious substrate consisting of turf, sand, humus and peat in a ratio of 2:1:1:1.
A few days before planting, it is recommended to water the soil mixture with a bright pink solution of potassium permanganate, and then dry it until characteristic flowability appears. The optimal depth for planting tomato seeds is 0.5-1 cm. After sowing, the soil should be additionally moistened with a spray bottle, and then cover the container with film or glass and transfer it to a dark place, ensuring a maintenance regime of +25 ° C.
After friendly sprouts appear, the container must be moved to a bright windowsill and care must be taken to supplement the seedlings with lamps in the evening. In this case, it is recommended to lower the temperature to +18 °C for a week, and then increase it by 2 °C. After the seedlings have adapted to external conditions, the film and glass can be completely removed.
Friendly shoots of tomato Chocolate dessert appear on day 5-6
At the stage of two true leaves, seedlings must be planted in separate containers. And after 10 days, the plants need to be fertilized using nitroammophoska at the rate of 30 g per 10 liters of water. You can transfer seedlings to open ground when the threat of return frosts has passed, which usually happens at the end of May, and to a greenhouse or hotbeds at the beginning of the month.
The recommended planting scheme for the Chocolate Dessert variety is four plants per 1 square meter. m. After planting, a wooden support must be immediately installed next to each bush in order to tie tomato shoots to it during the growth process.
Rules of care
Chocolate dessert needs regular basting. During irrigation, it is necessary to pour water into the root circle so that moisture does not fall on the leaves. During particularly hot periods, it is recommended to lay peat mulch up to 3 cm thick at the base of the bushes. This will prevent excessive evaporation of moisture from the soil and prevent overheating of the roots.
During the period of ovary formation and fruit ripening, it is recommended to peel chocolate cherry tomatoes from the lower leaves in order to save plant strength. The variety needs 3-4 feedings throughout the season. It is recommended to fertilize Chocolate Dessert tomatoes for the first time three weeks after planting in a permanent place.To do this, you can use chicken manure 1:15 or ammonium nitrate 30g per 10 liters of water. In the future, you need to feed Chocolate Dessert tomatoes every 2-3 weeks. For subsequent recharges, superphosphate 40 g and potassium sulfide 25 g per 10 liters of water should be used.
Tomato variety Chocolate Dessert is recommended for private cultivation
Pest and disease control
To prevent damage to dessert bushes by late blight, it is necessary to carry out preventive treatment of the bushes with fungicides. For this you can use drugs such as Quadris. Shavit, Ridomil Gold, Ordan. The recommended frequency of this procedure is every 10-14 days. During subsequent treatments, the drugs must be alternated to prevent pathogens from becoming accustomed to their action.
In case of damage to chocolate tomato bushes by spider mites, it is recommended to spray them with Fitoverm.
Conclusion
Tomato Chocolate dessert will appeal to summer residents who prefer to grow unusual types of tomatoes. However, when choosing a location, it is important to remember that the variety cannot be planted after nightshades. Otherwise, the likelihood that the bushes will not be able to fully develop and will die from late blight is very high.
Reviews from gardeners about tomatoes Chocolate dessert
https://youtu.be/8fHTQ7K_VV0?si=2_TSvRmJSVKyx-ET
