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If you have a summer cottage, most likely you have already grown tomatoes. This is one of the most common types of vegetables that almost everyone eats. The main thing in this business is to choose the right variety that suits the taste and will bear fruit well.
Varieties of tomato
There are many varieties of tomatoes. All of them are divided into 3 types:
- cherry tomatoes (mini tomatoes);
- medium-fruited;
- beef tomatoes (steak or large-fruited).
Beef tomatoes include fleshy tomatoes that reach 150–250 grams. There are even larger fruits. If you remove the ovaries on the bush as much as possible, then the weight of the tomato can exceed 0.5 kg. This type of tomato is ideal for fresh salads. They are moderately sweet and juicy. They are high in solids, sugars and beta-carotene. Inside there are not two segments, like ordinary tomatoes, but 4, so they are easier to cut.
This type includes the "Pink fleshy" tomato. Like all representatives of the steak tomato species, it has its own characteristics that must be taken into account when growing. It is also worth considering the description of the Pink Fleshy tomato variety (disease resistance, yield, unpretentiousness to conditions) in order to understand whether it is worth planting it on your site or not.
Characteristics of the variety
This tomato variety was bred by Altai breeders. It is classified as an early-ripening variety, since only 90-110 days pass from the moment of germination to full ripening of the first fruits. This factor distinguishes it from other types of tomato, and attracts more and more attention of gardeners.
Usually, these tomatoes ripen quickly and do not fall off due to their low stem. They can be safely grown outdoors. Stepchildren of standard tomato bushes ripen later and weaker than in other species. Therefore, they do not need pinning.
The height of the "Pink Fleshy" bushes reaches about 50-53 cm. So they are compact and stop growing very quickly. Usually, only a few inflorescences are formed on determinant bushes. But there is no need to worry that the harvest will be poor.
Tomatoes will not suffer from this in any way, and the yield of fruits, even in a small area, will increase significantly.
These features of the Pink Meaty variety ensure high endurance.
Fruit characteristics
If all the rules of care are followed, as well as the processing of plants to prevent possible diseases, after 90 days you can enjoy the first fruits of the tomato. From 1 m2 about 6 kg of tomato can be harvested. The shape of the fruit is round, slightly flat. Tomatoes grow large and can weigh up to 350 grams. The section shows 4 segments, which is typical for beef tomatoes. This makes slicing the tomato very easy. Due to the high content of solids, beta-carotene and sugars, the fruits are very fleshy and sweet. They have pleasant taste and are good for the body.
Most often, tomatoes of this variety are consumed raw and in salads. They can also be used for baking. Probably, the fruits are not often canned due to the fact that they are very large and simply do not fit in the neck of the jar whole. However, tomatoes are good for canning, salads and sauces. For juice, it is better to use more juicy varieties.
Growing and care
Variety "Pink fleshy" can be planted in open ground or under a film shelter.
You need to start sowing in March-April. When leaves appear, the seedlings must be transplanted into separate cups or a large box with a distance sufficient for development. After the pick, the plants are fertilized with special mineral fertilizers. Water the tomatoes carefully. If there is too much moisture, the sprouts can stretch out. One watering per day is enough, or just spray the soil to maintain moisture. Be sure to use warm, settled water. A week before planting in open ground, you can start hardening the seedlings. The purpose of hardening is to accustom tomatoes to changes in air temperature and ultraviolet rays. First, you need to take out the seedlings to the glazed balcony, and after a few days start opening the window for 15–20 minutes. The airing time increases every day. 3-4 days before planting, you need to leave the plants on the open balcony for a day. Seedlings ready for moving into open ground should have 7-9 leaves and single flowers.
Tomatoes should be planted in a sunny but sheltered place. They do not tolerate the scorching sun very well. The soil for planting should be well warmed up.
In those places where potatoes, peppers or eggplants grew, it is better not to plant tomatoes.
Variety "Pink fleshy" is planted at a distance of 40 cm from each other. Row spacing should be 50 cm. Tomatoes should be planted in the evening when the sun has already set. It is better to fertilize the soil in the fall. And just before planting, you can additionally put fertilizer in the holes. This variety needs moderate watering and regular loosening of the soil. The peculiarity of the variety is that it does not need to be pinned. The branches of the tomato are well spreading and have a large number of leaves. In addition, stepchildren can also form ovaries and bear additional fruits.
Diseases and pests
The most common disease in the Pink Fleshy tomato variety is late blight. The risk of infection of fruits is highest during rains, since spores of the phytophthora fungus are carried along with moisture. In hot weather, they quickly die. When a tomato is infected, the leaves are the first to suffer, they are covered with brown-brown spots. The fungus then spreads to the stems and fruits of the tomato. After 2 weeks, the fruits begin to rot. To save your harvest, you need to carry out prevention in advance. Advice! Usually, Bordeaux liquid or copper sulfate is used to treat infected tomatoes.
In order not to resort to poisons, you can from time to time process tomato bushes with a tincture of garlic or a solution of potassium permanganate with various trace elements. Ordinary iodine and milk whey are good for these purposes (the acidic environment will prevent the fungus from multiplying).
Treatment of plants against late blight should be started immediately after planting and repeated every week. If the plants could not be protected and the infection occurred, it is necessary to immediately remove the darkened leaves, and the bushes should be treated with special antifungal drugs. You can also use a 10% solution of regular kitchen salt.
There are a large number of tomato diseases, however, with proper care and regular prevention, they will not affect your crop. It is worth fearing viral and fungal diseases, which may appear nowhere, infecting tomato bushes.
Fruit picking
You need to harvest tomatoes every 3-5 days.
If you notice defective fruits during collection, pluck them right away. They will no longer become the best, but will only take away the strength from the bush.
By maturity levels, tomatoes are divided into:
- Green.
- Dairy.
- Brown.
- Pink.
Depending on how you use them, you can pick the fruits at each of these levels. For further ripening, it is better to pick milky brown tomatoes, and for fresh consumption, of course, pink. Remember that for ripening, the fruits must be plucked together with the stalk, since when the tomato is torn off, a wound forms on the tomato, where bacteria can easily get through.
But after heat treatment, the solanine is neutralized.
Testimonials
Let's summarize
Tomato variety "Fleshy Pink" is gaining more and more popularity among gardeners. Due to their unpretentiousness and disease resistance, it will not be difficult to grow these tomatoes. They don't need a garter or pinch. The fruits are large and have excellent taste. And thanks to its early maturity, by the end of summer you can enjoy the abundance of the harvest.