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Tomato Bull's Heart can be called a well-deserved favorite of all gardeners. Probably, in the middle lane there is no such person who does not know the taste of this tomato. The Bull Heart variety earned its popularity precisely because of its special taste: the tomato pulp is very sweet and fleshy. These tomatoes have many advantages, but there are also disadvantages, features and requirements for growing conditions - the gardener should know about all this even at the stage of buying seeds.
Feature tomato bovine heart and a detailed description of the variety can be found in this article. It will also talk about agricultural technology and the stages of growing these tomatoes.
Features of the
As already mentioned, these tomatoes are loved for their great taste. Indeed, no matter how hard the breeders fought, they could not bring out a richer, aromatic and sweet tomato. Bovine heart is a great option for fresh consumption. This tomato is tasty by itself, you can eat fruits with salt and sunflower oil, they are good with sour cream or mayonnaise, excellent salads and aromatic sauces are prepared from heart-shaped tomatoes.
The characteristics of the Bull Heart variety are as follows:
- the tomato belongs to the determinant type, that is, the bushes stop their growth on their own, they do not need to be pinched. Typically, tomato growth is limited to three to four shoots with an ovary.
- Bovine heart tomatoes are tall, the bushes are powerful, well-branched. Sometimes the height of tomatoes exceeds 170 cm, while the standard height of the bushes is about 100-120 cm.
- The ripening period of the tomato can be called late, since the fruit needs three to three and a half months for full maturity (120-135 days after the first sprout appears).
- Agricultural technology of the Bull Heart variety is usual. You can grow these tomatoes both in the greenhouse and in the open field. Tomatoes are planted by seedling method.
- The shape of the fruit is elongated, it can be flat. They are painted in a raspberry color, the pulp of the tomato is also bright crimson. There is little water in the fruits of the Oxheart, which is why they are so sweet, their taste is concentrated. The weight of the fruits can be different, but they are all large enough, often reaching a weight of 400 grams.
- The bull's heart variety cannot be called unpretentious. Still, this tomato loves the sun and heat, it does not tolerate high humidity, in many regions the fruits of the late variety do not have time to ripen. To grow large and tasty tomatoes, you will have to fertilize the soil well, as well as regularly water the tomato beds.
- The yield of the variety is highly dependent on the growing conditions. So, in the open field it turns out to collect up to five kilograms of tomatoes from each bush, and in a greenhouse you can harvest up to 12 kg of crops from one plant.
To date, several varieties of the Bovine Heart are known., because breeders are trying in every possible way to diversify this extraordinary variety. New hybrids are divided according to the appearance of the fruits into:
- black;
- pink;
- yellow;
- white.
The above description indicates that the bull's heart tomato variety deserves the attention of every gardener. The rave reviews of those who have already planted these tomatoes in their garden also speak of this.
Growing
To grow a decent harvest of tomatoes, it is not enough to take into account all the features and properties of a particular variety, you also need to follow the rules of agricultural technology. This is not to say that Bovine Heart is a particularly capricious variety, but this tomato has its weak points, and this must be taken into account.
The disadvantages of the Bull Heart include the following nuances:
- The need to tie up bushes due to their high growth and large mass of fruits.
- For the reason that the bushes are very spreading, they often do not have enough air, therefore, in the open ground, the Bull's Heart is planted with an interval of at least a meter between the bushes, and the greenhouse must be ventilated.
- The variety is able to withstand many diseases, but the Bovine heart is often infected with late blight, therefore, it needs to prevent this fungal disease and adhere to the rules of cultivation.
- The ripening period of tomato is late, not in all climatic conditions the fruits will have time to ripen before the onset of autumn cold weather. The way out of this situation is greenhouses and hotbeds.
Preparing seeds for planting
Like all late tomatoes, the Bull Heart is sown for seedlings in early March. Tomato seeds need to be prepared for planting, then their germination will be higher, and the seedlings themselves will be healthier and stronger.
Preparation of Oxheart seeds is as follows:
- soaking seeds in melt water to stimulate growth. It's easy to get melted water: tap water is poured into a plastic bag and frozen for several hours. When most of the liquid has turned to ice, you need to drain the remaining water. The ice is melted and the tomato seeds are placed in the resulting water. They are kept for 12-14 hours at room temperature.
- To disinfect tomato seeds, they are placed in a solution of potassium permanganate. The solution should be weak, pinkish. The seeds are kept here for a short time - 15-20 minutes, after which they are washed with running water.
- If you bought expensive seeds, you can use growth stimulants or feed them with special mineral complexes - this will significantly increase the number of sprouted tomatoes.
Prepared bull heart seeds are laid out on a moistened cloth or cotton pad, cover the container with a lid and put in a warm place. After a few days, the tomatoes should sprout - the seeds will sprout.
Planting seeds for seedlings
It is recommended to plant tomato seeds in a special purchased soil intended for seedlings. It is likely that there is soil in the store, the composition of which is ideal for the Oxheart tomatoes - you need to ask the seller about this.
The soil is heated to room temperature, laid out in plastic cups so that the soil layer is uniform and is about 3 cm. Now the earth is watered with settled water at room temperature. Take tweezers and place the Oxheart seeds in each cup. Sprinkle the seeds with a thin layer of dry soil.
Containers or cups with tomato seeds are covered with foil or airtight lids and placed in a warm place for germination. When the first shoots appear, the lid is removed - this should be done gradually. Tomatoes are transferred to a cooler and brighter place (a windowsill on the south side is perfect).
Dive tomatoes
When two real leaves appear on tomato seedlings, it is time to dive, that is, to plant it in separate containers. Diving has a beneficial effect on seedlings: plant roots are strengthened, tomatoes become hardened, they are prepared for subsequent transplantation to a permanent place.
Before diving, the seedlings need to be watered. After a couple of hours, the sprouts are carefully removed and transplanted into large containers with the same soil composition.
Planting bull heart seedlings to a permanent place
If you plan to grow the Bull Heart in a greenhouse, you need to plant seedlings already in early May. The height of the tomatoes by this time should be 20-25 cm, there should be 7-8 strong leaves on the bushes, the first buds of the inflorescences can be observed.
When growing a Bovine Heart outdoors, it is worth considering the climate of a particular region. As a rule, only gardeners of the south of the country grow this variety in the beds, in other areas it is better to prefer a greenhouse, since the tomato may not ripen.
The distance between the holes is at least one meter. The depth of the hole should be such that 3-4 cm remain from the ground to the first leaves. It is better to water the seedlings less often, but more abundantly. Use mulch or cardboard to trap moisture in the ground.
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Conclusion
Bovine heart is an excellent variety that has been cultivated in the country's gardens for many years and has established itself as one of the most delicious and fruitful tomatoes. The fruits of this tomato are very tasty, but they cannot be canned, since they are quite large. Oxheart juice is also not made, since these tomatoes contain a lot of sugary pulp.
Considering all of the above, a few bushes of these tomatoes will be enough for their own needs for the gardener and his family to get enough of fresh and tasty fruits.
