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Increasingly, gardeners prefer yellow or orange tomato varieties, and this is absolutely justified by their beneficial properties. Thus, several years ago, American scientists proved that tetra-cis-lycopene contained in orange tomatoes slows down the aging process of the human body. Such vegetables also contain a large amount of carotene, minerals and vitamins, which often exceeds the content of similar microelements in red fruits. Orange tomatoes do not cause allergies and can be consumed not only by adults, but also by children. The distinctive characteristics of yellow tomatoes have become the reason for their wide distribution. At the same time, the range of orange varieties is large, and choosing one good variety can be quite difficult.
Today we invite our readers to get acquainted with the “Orange Heart” tomato, a description of the variety and its characteristics.
Detailed description of the orange variety
Orange Heart tomatoes were bred by Russian breeders relatively recently. They quickly gained recognition among farmers due to their unpretentiousness and excellent fruit characteristics.Resistance to various climatic conditions has made it possible to grow orange tomatoes in all regions, from the south to the north of the country.
Plant information
Orange Heart tomatoes are indeterminate and heavily leafy. Tall bushes of this variety grow up to 2 meters or more, requiring careful shaping and reliable garter.
It is recommended to form “Orange Heart” tomato bushes into two stems. The experience of farmers shows that this is the method that allows you to obtain maximum crop yield. The process of such formation is described in detail in the video:
The leaves of "Orange Heart" tomatoes are powerful, dark green. They are formed in large quantities on the trunk of the plant. The lower ones must be removed every 10-15 days (3-4 leaves at a time). This will help to properly distribute nutrients in the plant’s body, increase the yield of tomatoes and reduce the likelihood of developing diseases.
The root system of tomatoes is powerful. It requires a large area for its successful development and nutrition of tomatoes, so breeders recommend planting no more than two bushes per 1 m2 land.
Tomato inflorescences appear every 2-3 leaves. The first of them is formed in the 7-8 sinuses. Each flowering raceme contains 3-6 simple flowers. The ovaries are usually formed successfully, ensuring consistently high yields of tomatoes.
Characteristics of tomatoes
It’s not for nothing that “Orange Heart” tomatoes got their name: their shape is heart-shaped and their color is orange. The correspondence of this description to external characteristics can be assessed by viewing the following photo:
The heart-shaped shape of the tomatoes is complemented by a number of ribs at the stalk and a pointed tip. The skin of these tomatoes is thin and tender. The inner pulp contains a large amount of dry matter and very few seeds. The aroma of vegetables is bright and rich. The taste of tomatoes is dominated by sweetness and there is a subtle sourness.
Orange tomatoes are heart-shaped and large. Their average weight is 150-200 g. The very first fruits ripen weighing up to 300 g. Tomatoes grown in particularly favorable conditions can reach the same record levels.
Tomatoes with excellent taste characteristics can be used in the preparation of fresh snacks, pasta and winter preparations. Vegetables are also suitable for baby food. The juice from Orange Heart tomatoes is very sweet.
It is worth noting that Orange Heart tomatoes can also be grown commercially. Slightly unripe tomatoes have good keeping quality and transportability. The presentation of such fruits is preserved for a long time.
Crop yield
The ripening period for tomatoes of the “Orange Heart” variety is 110-120 days. This is exactly how much time is needed so that from the day the shoots emerge you can enjoy ripe tomatoes. The fruiting process of the variety is long and, in favorable conditions, can continue until the onset of frost. In open ground, it will be possible to harvest ripe tomatoes of this variety within 40-60 days.
Over the entire fruiting period, each “Orange Heart” tomato bush gives the farmer from 6 to 10 kg of tomatoes.At the same time, the yield indicator can change both up and down depending on external factors, soil fertility, and compliance with growing rules. In general, it is worth noting that the “Orange Heart” variety is very grateful and always responds positively to the care shown by the farmer.
Disease resistance
One of the advantages of the Orange Heart variety is the high degree of protection of tomatoes from common diseases. And many farmers are confident that genetic immunity is able to withstand even the most powerful attacks of viruses, fungi and bacteria. In fact, this is not entirely true, because the immune defense cannot independently cope with aggressive ailments in conditions favorable to microorganisms. That is why you need to remember the following rules:
- Loosening, timely weeding, and mulching the soil are the main preventive methods of disease control.
- Tomatoes should be watered regularly, without allowing moisture to stagnate.
- When planting tomatoes, you need to take into account the recommendations of crop rotation.
- Optimal conditions for the growth and fruiting of tomatoes are temperatures at +23-+260C and humidity about 50-700C. To maintain such a microclimate, you need to regularly ventilate the greenhouse.
- To prevent diseases, you can use special biological products or folk remedies. For example, in the fight against common late blight, you can use fungicides, copper-containing preparations or iodine solution.
- To combat pests, you can use herbal infusions (celandine, wormwood), ammonia solution or soap solution.
When growing Orange Heart tomatoes, it is worth remembering that only a set of preventive measures in combination with the natural immunity of this variety will help protect plants from the most common and dangerous diseases. At the same time, regular and thorough inspection of the bushes, if necessary, will help to quickly detect the problem and eliminate it.
Advantages and disadvantages
Tomatoes of the proposed orange variety have a lot of significant advantages, which include:
- Excellent taste and aroma of tomatoes, their meatiness.
- Original appearance of tomatoes.
- High content of vitamins, acids, minerals and fiber in the product.
- Good yield of vegetables.
- Transportability of tomatoes and their suitability for long-term storage.
- Genetic resistance to diseases.
- The variety is highly sensitive to fertilizing, which allows you to further increase crop yield.
The only drawback, or rather a feature of the variety, is the need to form indeterminate bushes, regularly removing stepsons and powerful lower leaves from them. It is worth noting that this feature in care is typical for all indeterminate varieties.
Tips for farmers
Growing orange tomatoes is not at all difficult if you know exactly how to do it correctly. And the cultivation technology for the proposed variety is as follows:
- At the end of February or mid-March (for greenhouses and open ground, respectively), sow tomato seeds for seedlings, having previously treated them with disinfectants and growth stimulants.
- Seeds can be sown in a common container or individual pots. It is necessary to deepen the grains by 1-1.5 cm.
- It is recommended to water the seedlings with a spray bottle so as not to wash out the embedded seeds.
- With the appearance of 2 true leaves, young plants, if necessary, are planted in separate containers.
- 1-2 weeks after picking, the seedlings need to be fed with organic matter or complex fertilizer with a high nitrogen content.
- At the age of 60-65 days, tomato seedlings can be planted in the ground, but before that you need to feed the plants with potassium and phosphorus for the development of the root system.
- To plant tomatoes in the garden you need 2-3 bushes for every 1 m2 soil.
- 2 weeks after planting, the tomatoes need to be fed again.
- At the active growth stage, form plants into 2 stems.
The growing rules given are quite simple. They also work when cultivating not only this variety, but also all other indeterminate tomatoes with an average period of fruit ripening. It is worth remembering that orange tomatoes actively respond to fertilizing, and excessive amounts of fertilizer can harm the plants. In order not to cause harm to tomatoes, you need to monitor their condition and signals about a deficiency (excess) of a particular substance.
Conclusion
Orange Heart tomatoes deserve the attention of beginners and experienced farmers. They are very tasty, healthy and have an interesting, bright appearance. They have a lot of advantages and are practically devoid of disadvantages. They can be successfully grown in greenhouses and open beds, and the harvest in any case will be abundant. Large tomatoes can be successfully served on the table for adults and children, canned for the winter or stored. At the same time, one thing is certain: delicious vegetables will not be lost, because they have many admirers.
Simply a delicious variety of tomatoes. The first fruits weighing more than 600 grams were obtained. Very bright taste. Fleshy. They grew it in open ground, they didn’t calculate the height))) very tall! Now this is the most favorite variety. Other tomatoes seem tasteless after these.