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Everyone loves tomatoes. The variety of varieties and hybrids makes it possible to choose the one you like best. There are varieties specifically designed for canning. But today we’ll talk about a salad vegetable with a telling name: Honey. This tomato is for those who prefer delicious summer salads to all preparations, in which the tomatoes should be sweet. And if caring for the plant is not particularly difficult, then the tomato variety has been chosen correctly. To make sure of this, let’s give a characteristic and description of the Honey variety tomato, reviews of which are not just positive, but sometimes even enthusiastic, and look at the photo of this beauty.
Characteristics and description
This tomato variety was included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements in 2007. Its originator is the Siberian agricultural company “Demetra”, which is located in Barnaul. The tomato variety was created, as they say, “for yourself.” Therefore, it is perfectly adapted for the difficult Siberian conditions. It will feel even better in a milder climate. Manufacturers believe that it can be grown in all regions of our country. In the south it grows well in open ground; to the north it is better to plant the Honey tomato in a greenhouse. There, its yield will correspond to the declared one, and the fruits will grow large, as in the photo.
Many seed companies are engaged in the production of tomato seeds of the Honey variety.You can find seeds for sale from SEDEk, Search, Aelita. The main varietal characteristics of all producers are the same.
What is good about the Honey variety tomato:
- In terms of ripening, it is mid-season. The first harvest can be harvested after 105 days, and in cool summers - after 110.
- Tomatoes of the Honey variety are classified as indeterminate tomatoes. They cannot limit their growth on their own. Therefore, the gardener will have to form the bushes.
- In terms of height, the Honey tomato is a medium-sized variety. He will be comfortable in a low greenhouse for tomatoes, which almost every gardener has.
- Heavy fruits can break off the shoots of the plant, so a garter is required for it. With good care, all the tomatoes on a bunch can grow large; not only the stems, but also each bunch will have to be tied up.
- Tomato variety Honey is usually grown in two stems; for this, one stepson is left under the first flower cluster, all the rest are removed. In regions with short summers, it is better to grow this tomato in one stem so that all the clusters that have started have time to form.
- The fruits of the Honey tomato variety are remarkable. They have a beautiful round, slightly flattened shape, a rich pink-raspberry color and considerable weight - up to 400 g. Noticeable ribs are clearly visible on the surface. The fruits of the first cluster are always larger than the subsequent ones.
- The purpose of the fruit is salad. This does not mean that these tomatoes cannot be pickled - a large fruit simply will not fit into a jar, but these tomatoes are good in pickling, although due to their size they take a long time to salt. They make excellent salads, both summer and prepared for the winter, and the aromatic thick juice tastes amazing.The taste of Honey variety tomatoes is recognized as excellent, and this is not surprising - their sugar content reaches 5%.
- Honey variety tomatoes store well and can be ripened if picked unripe. They can be transported, since the dense, but not rough skin does not allow the fruits to wrinkle.
- Different manufacturers claim different yields. Most believe that up to 3.5 kg of tasty tomatoes can be harvested from one plant.
The description and characteristics of the Honey variety tomato will not be complete without noting its resistance to the main diseases that affect tomatoes.
To enjoy a harvest like the one in the photo, you need to provide the plants with good care.
How to grow seedlings
The timing of planting tomato seedlings in each region will be different. Namely, the time of sowing seeds for seedlings depends on them. For the middle zone, this is early to mid-March. In other regions, the deadlines will have to be adjusted.
Rules for growing Honey tomato seedlings:
- Before sowing, all seeds, both store-bought and collected independently, must be treated with a disinfectant and growth stimulant. The first is needed to destroy pathogens that are contained on the surface of the seeds, and the second not only increases the energy of germination, but also strengthens the immunity of future plants. The easiest way to do this is to use aloe juice. He will cope with both tasks at once. To soak fresh seeds, the juice is diluted with water in half; for stale seeds, it is better not to dilute it. The residence time of the seeds in the juice is no more than 18 hours.
If the seeds have already been prepared by the manufacturer, they do not need to be processed. - If you are confident that the seeds will germinate, you can sow them immediately after soaking. If in doubt, it is better to germinate the seeds.This is done in wet disks placed in a plastic bag at a temperature of about 25 degrees. Keep the seeds until they bite.
To prevent the seeds from suffocating, they need to be ventilated a couple of times a day, removing the bag for half an hour. - For sowing, you can buy ready-made soil for growing nightshade crops. Many gardeners prepare soil for seedlings in their own garden. If it has been well frozen during the winter and has not been taken from beds where nightshades were already growing last season, it is quite suitable for sowing. To prevent planted seedlings from stopping their growth, the soil in the garden bed must be no worse than the soil for seedlings.
- Sow the seeds in a warm soil mixture to a depth of about 1 cm with a distance of 1-2 cm between them.
You cannot sow more often - the roots may be damaged when picking. - Keep the container with Honey tomato seeds in a warm place, putting a bag on it.
- As soon as some of the plants have sprouted, they are placed on a bright windowsill, slightly lowering the air temperature. This will stop the seedlings from stretching. In cool conditions, the roots grow better, rather than the above-ground part.
- After 4-5 days, the temperature is raised and maintained at about 18 degrees at night and 22 degrees during the day.
- The seedlings are regularly watered with warm water, but without overflowing.
- There is no need to feed it before picking, which is done when a pair of true leaves appear.
- Seedlings are planted in separate cups, choosing the most developed plants. For several days it is shaded from the bright sun.
- In the future, the plants will need 2 feedings. They are carried out with a weak solution of complex mineral fertilizer.
- If the seedlings stretch out, they do not have enough light, they will have to be illuminated with phytolamps.
Care after disembarkation
For the Honey variety tomato, the recommended planting pattern is: 40x60 cm.What does it need for successful development in a greenhouse:
- Enough light. The greenhouse must be lit all day.
- Stable air temperature: at night not lower than 18 degrees, during the day – not higher than 22-24. In hot weather, you need through ventilation to prevent the plants from overheating. At temperatures below 14 degrees, tomatoes stop growing. If it exceeds 30 degrees, the pollen becomes sterile and flower pollination does not occur.
- Sufficient, but not excessive watering. Before fruiting, plants are watered once a week with such an amount of water that the root layer is completely moistened. With the beginning of fruiting, the amount of watering is doubled. Water the Honey tomato only with heated water. It should not be colder than the air in the greenhouse.
Watering should be carried out in such a way as to have time to ventilate the greenhouse well. You cannot leave humid air in it overnight. - Mulching the soil. Mulch is an invaluable assistant to the gardener. Under it, the soil and plant roots do not overheat, moisture is retained much better than without it. The soil will not have to be loosened, which means that the roots of the tomatoes, located superficially, will not be disturbed. They will not grow in a greenhouse and weeds. For mulching Honey variety tomatoes, cut and dried grass, straw, and dry hay are suitable. The mulch layer should be no thinner than 10 cm. It needs to be added from time to time.
- Feeding. Tomato loves food. Foliar feeding for this plant is done only as a last resort - it is not advisable to wet the leaves of tomatoes. Root feeding begins when the seedlings take root. They are made once a decade, using a complex soluble fertilizer with microelements, of which tomatoes especially need boron, magnesium and calcium.
- Formation.The peculiarities of the formation of the Honey variety tomato have already been described above. You can add that the stepsons on plants need to be removed weekly so that the plant spends energy on the growth of fruits, and not vegetative mass. Pruning should not coincide with watering. At the beginning of August, you need to pinch the tops and remove excess inflorescences - they will not have time to produce a full harvest. In regions with warm autumns, this date can be postponed to the end of August. The bush will also need to be lightened: as soon as the fruits in the cluster have completely reached the desired size, all underlying leaves are removed. They do this in several steps.
If you follow all the rules of agricultural technology and carry out preventive treatments against late blight, the harvest of tasty large fruits will please any gardener.
More information about the Honey tomato can be seen in the video:
