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Probably, not a single summer cottage or personal plot can do without growing tomatoes. And if the plot is not very large, and it is impossible to grow many varieties at once, then many lovers of these most useful vegetables often face a dilemma of which variety to choose. After all, I want it to be possible, as early as possible, to start tasting the first fruits. And I also want them to be large, fleshy and tasty. But on the other hand, every experienced gardener knows that the earliest ripe tomatoes are rarely large. And really tasty, fleshy fruits are typical mainly for mid-ripening and even late-ripening varieties. Fortunately, there are exceptions to this rule.
For example, the Kum tomato variety is early maturing, that is, it ripens in about 90-100 days from the appearance of full shoots. And at the same time, its fruits, in terms of their characteristics, may well compete with many late-ripening varieties. As you already understood, this article will be devoted to the description of the variety and characteristics of the tomato Kum.
Description of the variety
This amazing tomato variety was born thanks to the efforts of Ukrainian breeders around the beginning of the 21st century. It has not yet been entered into the State Register of Russia, remaining a popular "folk" variety.
Tomato Koum is indeterminate, but, not only does it have unlimited growth, its entire bush is striking in its strength and power. In height, it easily grows up to two meters or more, and even in open ground it can grow up to 180 cm. The leaves are quite large in size, in a traditional cut shape.
In general, this variety is positioned as a greenhouse variety, since it is under film or polycarbonate shelters that it can show itself in all its glory. It makes sense to grow it outdoors only in the southernmost regions of Russia, since with a lack of heat and sun, it can show not the best yield indicators. Still, this tomato was bred in the relatively southern climate of Ukraine.
As already noted, the maturation of tomatoes in the Kum variety can be called one of the earliest. With the traditional planting of tomato seedlings in a greenhouse in May, the first ripe fruits can be picked from mid-July.
Of course, such a powerful giant as tomato Kum needs compulsory pinching, shaping and garter. The more sun your region has, the more stems it can leave during formation. When grown in the middle lane and to the north, it is advisable to keep tomato bushes of this variety in one stem.
The yield of this variety is also impressive given its early maturity. From one bush per season, you can get up to 5-6 kg of delicious tomatoes.
According to the reviews of summer residents who planted the Kum tomato, it resists unfavorable weather conditions well. It has the properties of good fruit setting in any weather. Kum tomatoes are not prone to cracking. As for its resistance to diseases, there is not much data on this matter. Most likely, the resistance of the variety is at an average level.As for late blight, since it usually begins to spread at the end of summer with the onset of cold nights, due to their early maturity, Kum tomatoes manage to give up most of the harvest before this moment.
Characteristics of tomatoes
This tomato variety can really be proud of its fruits.
- Tomatoes have the most traditional flat-round shape. In the largest tomatoes, many folds are observed at the junction with the stalk, and the shape can become complex, branched.
- The fruits of the tomato Kum, obviously, belong to the category of large-fruited and even beef-tomatoes. And this is very rare for early maturing varieties. After all, the mass of even the smallest tomatoes of this variety is about 300-400 grams, and the largest ones can reach up to 1000 grams.
- The surface of the skin is smooth.
- The pulp of tomatoes is fleshy, dense, juicy with many seed chambers, but there are very few seeds themselves in the fruits and they are very small in size. In the first lowest fruits, there may be no seeds at all. If you want to propagate this variety by seed, then do not be upset. In subsequent, later fruits, seeds may be found.
- The color of tomatoes is deep red without a green spot at the stalk.
- The taste of tomatoes of the Kum variety is rated excellent by most gardeners. The fruits are not just sweet, but sugary, with watermelon pulp, which is also a rarity among early ripe tomatoes.
- They have a pleasant tomato flavor.
- Tomatoes have a distinctly salad purpose, which does not at all interfere with, if desired, let them into tomato juice or pasta, dry and subject to other culinary processing. But they are not at all intended for whole fruit canning.
- The preservation of the fruits is very good, especially considering their gigantic size. In cool conditions, tomatoes can be stored without losing their presentation for up to 2-3 weeks. Their transportability is average.
Advantages and disadvantages
Tomato Kum deservedly enjoys popular love due to the many advantages inherent in this variety:
- Early ripening of tomatoes combined with excellent taste;
- The ability to get high yields;
- Large, sometimes gigantic fruits;
- Good preservation of fruits for a long time;
- Resistant to weather and other adverse conditions.
Among the shortcomings, only some laboriousness in cultivation can be noted, since the tomato Kum requires regular formation of a bush and a garter, not only stems, but also fruits.
Growing features
Despite the large-fruited nature, the cultivation of Kum tomato seedlings does not fundamentally differ from other varieties. Moreover, thanks to its early maturity, it is possible to sow seeds for seedlings throughout March.
Therefore, it is recommended to start feeding within a week after the pick, as soon as the plants recover and grow. It is better to dilute the complex fertilizer twice as much as indicated by the manufacturer, but you can feed it with such fertilizer more often, for example, once a week.
On the beds in the greenhouse, no more than three tomatoes are planted per square meter. They must be planted near the trellis or any other support and immediately tied to it. Forming and tying shrubs will be one of the main procedures for tomato care, as large clusters with giant fruits require a separate garter.
Regular feeding and watering are also required. To fight weeds it is better to mulch the root system of tomatoes from the very beginning and during the summer put straw, sawdust or other organic matter under them that you decide to use as mulch.
For the prevention of the most common sores of tomatoes when planting in the ground, it is advisable to treat the bushes of the Kum tomato variety with a solution of phytosporin.
Reviews of gardeners
Those gardeners who had experience in growing Kum tomato on their plots speak of it enthusiastically. Many have written it down for a long time in the lists of their permanent varieties. There are also some negative reviews that may be related to the planting of low-quality seeds.
Conclusion
Tomato variety Kum has a rare set of characteristics that are collected in one tomato: early maturity is excellently combined with high yield, large-fruited and excellent taste. Therefore, this variety should be especially attractive to owners of small plots who cannot afford to have a wide variety of varieties with different characteristics.
