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Original fruits often attract everyone who grows tomatoes and is constantly looking for super new items. This happened with the chocolate-covered Zephyr tomato. The plant immediately became popular. According to reviews from those gardeners who have already tried this variety, the name, taken from two types of exquisite confectionery delicacies, fully justifies the taste of the new tomato. The variety was included in the State Register only in 2015, but the online community of vegetable growers has already highly appreciated the achievement of breeders near Moscow.
Characteristics of the variety
The tomato variety Zephyr in chocolate is of interest due to the unusual color of the fruit and its excellent taste. Tomatoes can be grown in all light zones of the country. In the south, the tomato will grow in open ground. In regions with more severe weather conditions, it is recommended to grow this variety in greenhouses. Tall mid-season tomato will delight you with its unique fruits 111-115 days after germination. Tomato is a high-yielding variety. During the season, a tomato bush can produce 6 kilograms of fruit.
The tomato plant Marshmallow in Chocolate is resistant to common fungal diseases of the nightshade family, which makes it popular among gardeners.
Tomatoes of this variety are for salad purposes.Juicy tomatoes are excellent fresh; they can be frozen for preparing sauces with a mild, mild taste in winter. Tomatoes are rich in vitamins, so it is best to eat the fruits fresh.
Features of dark-colored tomatoes
Connoisseurs of fresh tomatoes believe that varieties with dark-colored fruits have the highest percentage of sugars. And they taste best on the day they are picked. They do not last long due to the structure of the delicate pulp.
When cut, the chocolate-covered Zephyr tomato fruits have lighter parts, as can be seen in the photo. Do not assume that these are traces of a large amount of nitrates. Serious research has proven that this opinion, which is still widely held, is erroneous. Lack of lighting, as well as irregular watering, are the reasons for the appearance of hard white streaks.
Description of the variety
Zephyr tomatoes in chocolate are indeterminate varieties. In a greenhouse, the plant rises to a height of 160-170 cm. In open ground, the bush grows a little lower. A tall plant is usually grown in two trunks. Several fruit clusters are formed on them. Five to seven fruits of impressive size are formed in the inflorescence.
The fruits are round, slightly ribbed, large, weighing 120-150 g. The skin is dark, brown, shiny, thin. Near the stalk, characteristic blurry greenish stripes of a dark tone stand out, which reach almost to the middle of the fruit. The pulp is tender, juicy, delicious taste, sweet. The shade of the pulp repeats the light brown color of the skin. The fruits contain 3-4 seed chambers. Dry matter content is average.
Advantages of tomatoes
The salad tomato variety Marshmallow in chocolate is spreading in summer cottages thanks to its bouquet of positive qualities.
- Excellent taste and tempting appearance;
- The absence of such a sign of soft varieties of tomatoes as wateriness;
- High yield;
- Quite fast ripening time;
- Plant resistance to fungal pathogens.
The disadvantages include the following properties:
- Short shelf life of fruits;
- Unsuitable for long-term transportation. Fruits must be carefully packed in thick cardboard boxes to avoid dents.
How not to make a mistake when choosing seeds in the store
In online stores, as well as in regular retail chains, there are packages with seeds on which the name is indicated: tomato Zephyr f1. A similar variety, even if it was bred in any experimental plot, has not yet been included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements approved for use in the country.
Advertisements talk about the Zephyr tomato variety with fruits that are white and pink in color or the usual red. Their mass is stated to reach 300 g. Among the properties of tomatoes, it is said that there is no acid in the fruit. If such a hybrid or variety exists, it is not the red-brown chocolate-covered Marshmallow tomato.
Growing tall tomatoes
Tomato seedlings Marshmallow in chocolate should be planted at two months of age or a week, ten days earlier. Each gardener calculates the sowing time himself. They are guided by the fact that a plant of this variety will produce fruits in a little less than 4 months from the moment the grain germinates. The seeds germinate within a week and are traditionally sown in March for planting in unheated greenhouses.
- For sowing, prepare nutritious, light soil: garden soil, humus, sand, peat;
- The seeds are laid out to a depth of 1-1.5 cm, the containers are placed in a warm place, covered with film on top;
- When shoots have appeared, the containers are placed on the windowsill or under a phytolamp. Sprouts need lighting for 10 hours;
- The first week the temperature should not exceed 18 degrees. The next month the seedlings develop at a temperature of 21-25 0WITH;
- Water with warm water, fertilize twice with complex fertilizers;
- They dive in the phase of 2-3 true leaves. After diving, feed for the first time after 10-12 days.
Tomatoes in a greenhouse
In May, hardened seedlings are placed in the greenhouse at the required distance: 40 x 60 cm. Fertilizer is poured into each hole, according to the instructions.
Agricultural technology for growing tomatoes Marshmallow in chocolate requires careful attention to the plant, as with all tall tomato bushes. The soil is regularly moistened, loosened, and mulched.
- Plants of this variety are formed from one or two stems. If they lead into two stems, the yield increases;
- The second stem is launched from the lowest first stepson;
- It is necessary to remove the lower leaves under the racemes if the ovaries have already formed into fruits;
- Plants are regularly reviewed and stepsoned: the shoot that begins to grow from the stem in the axil of the leaf branch is removed;
- Tomato bushes Chocolate covered marshmallows need to be tied up;
- Tomatoes are fed 2-3 times per season.
Pest Control
Chocolate-covered Zephyr tomatoes are highly disease-resistant, but in a greenhouse they can be attacked by harmful insects. A frequent uninvited guest is the whitefly, which thrives in humid air. As a preventative measure, the greenhouse must be constantly ventilated. If the pest is already present, the plants are treated with insecticides. Boverin, Confidor, Fufanon, Aktellik and others give good results. Plants should be sprayed before the fruits ripen.
You can use effective folk remedies to fight whiteflies.
Finely rub laundry soap, dissolve in warm water, maintaining a ratio of 1:6. The resulting solution is used to treat bushes with insect colonies;
At night, mosquito coils are lit, which have a detrimental effect on whiteflies.
Harvesting. Freezing tomatoes
The first fruits of the chocolate-covered Zephyr tomatoes ripen in the second ten days of July. For ovaries from the last upper clusters, the time for harvesting will come towards the end of August.
If the harvest is too abundant, which happens when growing a bed of Marshmallow in Chocolate tomatoes, it can also be used for preparations. Frozen tomatoes will be especially useful. Large fruits are cut and placed in small containers for the freezer. After 48 hours of maximum freezing, the product is transferred to storage containers.
As needed, the fruits are thawed and used for dressings, sauces, omelettes or pizza.
The new tomato variety, although it requires careful attention, rewards with delicious fruits.
