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Who said tomatoes should only be round and red? Although this image is familiar to most people since childhood, in recent decades the appearance of the vegetable you see does not mean anything. To understand exactly what is in front of you, you need to not only take a close look at the fruit, but also preferably cut it. For example, the recently very popular pepper-shaped tomatoes, not only in appearance, but sometimes in cross-section, strongly resemble their fellow members of the nightshade family - sweet peppers.
What kind of variety is this - pepper tomatoes? Or is this a separate variety? And how to understand their diversity and understand what corresponds to reality and what is just the fantasy of manufacturers? You can learn about all this from this article dedicated to such an exotic and very attractive variety of tomatoes as pepper tomatoes.
Variety of varieties
The first pepper tomatoes appeared in Russia about 20 years ago and at first were represented only exclusively by foreign varieties and hybrids.But already in 2001, the first variety appeared and was registered in the State Register of Russia, which was called the Pepper-shaped tomato. Soon after its appearance in markets and in amateur collections, pepper-shaped tomatoes could be seen in colors other than red - orange, yellow, pink.
After some time, pepper-shaped tomatoes appeared with very attractive and original colors, with stripes, spots and streaks.
In the 2010s, the Cuban black pepper tomato appeared and was actively grown by many gardeners. Of course, this variety of tomato was absolutely exotic at that time, since even now there are not many varieties of black tomatoes that also differ in yield and taste characteristics.
Finally, for the harsh climatic conditions of open ground in many regions of Russia with short and cool summers, tomato varieties of national selection from Minusinsk have become promising. Among them, a long-fruited pepper-shaped tomato also appeared, which could not help but attract the attention of both amateurs and professionals who were passionate about growing various interesting tomatoes.
Pepper tomatoes differ not only in the color and appearance of the fruit. Some of them are indeterminate, while others grow no more than 70-80 cm and their growth is limited after that. Yield indicators, as well as the characteristics of the tomatoes themselves, can also vary quite significantly.
But all these varieties, except for their unusual elongated shape, are distinguished by their not very early ripening and fairly dense, fleshy pulp, which can be ideal for both salads and canning.
Verified and registered varieties
For beginners in gardening, it is very difficult to understand all this endless variety of even just pepper-shaped tomato varieties and understand which of them is suitable specifically for its growing conditions.
First of all, we can proceed from the fact that not all popular varieties of pepper tomatoes are registered in the State Register of Russia.
Therefore, the review of the most popular tomato varieties will begin with those that have currently received official registration.
The table below shows the main characteristics of all registered pepper varieties.
Variety name | Year of registration in the State Register | Features of bush growth | Ripening time | Average weight of fruits, in grams | Evaluation of fruit taste | Average yield (kg) per square meter. meters |
Pepper-shaped | 2001 | Indeterminate | Mid-ripe | 75-90 | good | 6-6,5 |
Pepper Giant | 2007 | Indeterminate | Mid-ripe | 150-200 | excellent | About 6 |
Pepper Yellow | 2007 | Indeterminate | Mid-ripe | 65-80 | excellent | 3 — 5 |
Pepper Orange | 2007 | Indeterminate | Mid-ripe | 135-160 | excellent | Around 9 |
Pepper Red | 2015 | Indeterminate | Mid-ripe | 130-160 | good | 9-10 |
Pepper-shaped Sturdy | 2014 | Determinant | Mid-ripe | 140 | excellent | 4-5 |
Pepper Raspberry | 2015 | Determinant | Mid-early | 125-250 | excellent | 12-15 |
Pepper-shaped
This tomato variety was obtained by specialists of the agricultural company NK.LTD and was one of the first to be registered back in 2001. As the first pepper-shaped tomato, it is, of course, worthy of attention, although in some of its characteristics it is inferior to its later brothers. The variety can traditionally be classified as mid-season, like most pepper tomatoes. Tomato ripening occurs approximately 110-115 days after germination.
Pepper tomato belongs to the indeterminate varieties. With proper agricultural technology, yields can reach 6.5 -8 kg per square meter. meters. On average, tomatoes are small in size, but in good conditions they reach 100-120 grams.
They are also good for whole-fruit canning, since they easily fit into jars of any size.
Giant
Already in 2005, the Siberian breeders Z. Schott and M. Gilev created the Pepper Giant tomato variety. In 2007, it was registered by the agricultural company Demetra-Sibir from Barnaul. The name of this variety speaks for itself. But its fruits can only be called gigantic in comparison with the previous variety. In terms of its characteristics and appearance of tomatoes, it really resembles the Pepper-shaped tomato variety.
True, the average weight of its fruit is about 200 grams, and with good care it can reach 250-300 grams. The color of tomatoes at the stage of full ripening is deep red. Tomatoes can reach 15 cm in length. Tomatoes have a sweet, rich tomato taste. Tomatoes are very good to use in salads, for drying and for stuffing.
Reviews
Summer residents and gardeners unanimously appreciated the pepper-shaped giant tomato variety and are happy to grow it on their plots.
Yellow
In 2005, the range of yellow tomatoes was replenished with a new variety of pepper-shaped tomato. The author and originator of the variety was L.A. Myazina.
The variety is classified as indeterminate and mid-season. The tomatoes themselves grow small in size, medium in density and have a bright yellow tint. Like most yellow tomatoes, they have excellent taste.
Resistant to many diseases, including tobacco mosaic virus, root rot and blossom end rot.
Among other interesting yellow pepper-shaped tomatoes, the following varieties can be mentioned:
- Roman candle;
- Midas;
- Banana legs;
- Golden Fang.
Orange
At the same time, specialists from the Agros agricultural company developed the Orange Pepper variety of tomatoes. Plants of this variety are also indeterminate, and therefore require obligatory pinching and staking.
Tomatoes are larger in size than their yellow counterparts and reach an average of 135-160 grams. The fruits are characterized by excellent taste and good yield, which can amount to more than 9 kg per square meter. meters. It is interesting that tomatoes of such amazing appearance and taste can easily be grown in open ground in the middle zone. Although record yield figures are easier to achieve in greenhouse conditions.
Reviews
According to reviews, this variety of tomatoes is considered one of the best orange tomatoes in terms of all indicators.
Red
The Red Pepper tomato was obtained by breeders of the Aelita agricultural company in 2015. In general, this variety is not particularly remarkable. All its characteristics are very similar to the orange pepper tomato.Only the color of tomatoes is closer to traditional red, and the yield on average may be slightly higher than orange pepper.
In general, the varieties of red pepper-shaped tomatoes are most known and among them the most popular are:
- Scarlet Mustang;
- Banana;
- Italian spaghetti;
- Peter the Great;
- Roma;
- Chukhloma.
Crimson
Another interesting tomato variety was obtained by breeders from Novosibirsk quite recently, in 2015 - Pepper Raspberry. Unlike other varieties, it is determinate, that is, it is limited in growth and the bushes grow quite compact.
Tomatoes are quite large in size, their weight on average ranges from 125 to 250 grams. When fully ripe, they acquire a beautiful crimson hue. And they do not ripen for so long - about 100 days, so they can be classified as early ripening varieties. Well, most importantly, they have an excellent, sugary taste, which can compete even with the well-known meaty salad varieties, such as “Bull's Heart”.
Sturdy
This variety of pepper tomatoes also appeared relatively recently, in 2014, but has already gained popularity among gardeners. The explanation for this popularity is quite simple - the variety is not only determinate, but also standard. The bushes reach only 40 cm in height and grow very strong and squat, which is reflected in the name of the variety. It is very easy to grow in open ground, it easily adapts to different weather conditions and has good resistance to various diseases. The variety is an early ripening variety and ripens in 100-110 days from germination.
The fruits develop a beautiful pink color, although the stalk may retain a green spot, which does not at all affect its taste. Pepper tomatoes Krepysh are very tasty, sweet, with an average weight of about 150 grams. The yield of this variety is not too high, about 4 kg per square meter. But its unpretentiousness and taste characteristics justify this drawback.
Other popular pepper varieties
Many varieties of tomatoes, despite the fact that they did not manage to get into the state register, are grown with pleasure by summer residents, but, unfortunately, their characteristics can vary greatly, depending on the manufacturing company.
Striped
The appearance of the Pepper-shaped striped tomato immediately fascinates the inexperienced gardener - yellowish stripes and stains of different sizes stand out clearly against a red-orange background.
The variety is mid-early, that is, it ripens within 105-110 days. Gardeners who grow it have varying opinions regarding its vigor. Most claim that it is determinate and does not grow higher than 70 cm.
The tomatoes are quite large, 100-120 grams, and are tied in clusters on the bushes. One cluster can contain 7-9 fruits, and up to 5-6 clusters are formed on the bush.
Tomatoes have thick skin, making them ideal for canning. Due to their good taste, they are quite suitable for salads, but here the opinions of gardeners differ. Many believe that they are ideal for canning, since they look very beautiful in jars, but when fresh there are varieties that are juicier and more tasty.In addition, against the background of general unpretentiousness, they are not resistant to blossom end rot of tomatoes.
Long Minusinsk
This variety of folk selection is classified as indeterminate; it can be grown in 2 or a maximum of 3 stems. It does not ripen very early, 120-130 days after emergence. Tomatoes are elongated, with a spout at the end, fleshy, and contain very few seeds. Weight varies from 100 to 200 grams. If proper agricultural practices are followed, they can produce up to 4-5 kg of fruit from one bush. At the same time, for 1 sq. No more than 4 plants should be placed per meter.
Tomatoes store well; in a cool place they can last almost until December.
Cuban black
This variety of tomatoes has many different names - Cuban pepper, Black pepper, Brown Cuban. It ripens quite late; in greenhouses it can grow up to 3 meters. In open ground, the bushes are usually more compact - a little more than a meter.
Good results in yield are obtained when grown in two stems. The yield in good conditions can be up to 10-12 kg per bush.
The fruits themselves have a very original shape, not very elongated, but corrugated, the color when fully ripe is closer to brown, not quite black. The taste is very good, although many people criticize the rather thick skin. The average weight is 200-350 grams, but can exceed 400 grams.
Conclusion
Thus, the variety of pepper-shaped tomato varieties allows, if desired, to grow the entire palette of colors and sizes on the plot, and at different ripening periods.
