A representative of black-fruited tomatoes is the Gypsy tomato, which received its unusual name for the dark, “swarthy” color of the fruit. The salad variety is endowed with a rich, sweet, refreshing tomato taste. Beautiful, chocolate-colored tomatoes appealed to Russian gardeners. Reviews talk about the attractive appearance of the tomato, good seed germination and fruit set.
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Main characteristics
The variety was officially registered in 2000. The popularity of “Gypsy” is evidenced by the availability of seeds from almost all distributors.
This is what the variety description looks like:
- the period from the first shoots to the moment of fruiting is 110-112 days;
- The variety is heat-loving, suitable for growing in greenhouses or under film covers for risky farming areas, in open ground - only for the southern regions;
- bush of determinate type, reaches a height of 90-120 cm with large potato-type leaves;
- the first flower ovary appears immediately above 8-9 leaves, the remaining clusters are formed after every third leaf;
- there are up to 5 fruits in a brush, each weighing approximately 120-150 g;
- the fruits are aligned in shape and size, look beautiful on the branch;
- tomatoes have a regular round shape and, when fully ripe, have a chocolate color with a pink tint;
- the pulp is quite juicy, sweet, with a slight tomato sourness, excellent taste;
- salad tomatoes, suitable for slicing, fresh salads, making sauces, purees;
- but there is also a negative characteristic - the shelf life of the fruit is not too long.
Varietal value includes excellent consumer indicators, including the taste and external attractiveness of the fruit, good yield and resistance of the variety to a number of common diseases. In addition, “chocolate” tomatoes are distinguished by a high content of lycopene, which functions as an antioxidant in the human body. The fruits reach a rich color by the time they are fully ripe. In order for the tomatoes to ripen, you need to follow the simplest agrotechnical practices.
Agricultural technology and care
The description of the variety by the manufacturer says that the plant is programmed at the genetic level for self-limitation in growth, after the formation of 5-6 flower clusters. This greatly simplifies growing and caring for the plant.
- Seeds are planted for seedlings in the last ten days of March.After the appearance of 2 permanent leaves, the plants are planted in separate containers or boxes with a planting pattern of 10 x 10 cm. Care consists of fertilizing, watering, and observing the temperature regime.
- At the age of 60-65 days, the plants are transplanted to a permanent place. At this point, the seedlings should have 6-7 permanent leaves. Approximately, tomatoes are transplanted into a greenhouse on May 15-20, and into open ground on June 1-5. Up to 4 bushes are placed per meter of area.
- This variety is recommended to be grown in 2-3 stems, removing unnecessary shoots as they appear. The manufacturer also advises tying up the bush and attaching the trunk to a support in the open air. In greenhouse conditions, Gypsy tomatoes can outgrow the 1.5 meter mark, which ultimately will slow down the ripening of the fruit.
- A determinate variety, even without special care techniques, is able to independently form a bush and fully set ovaries and fruits. But timely watering and fertilizing will not be superfluous. The rest of the care comes down to weeding and maintaining soil moisture in the greenhouse at 70-80% and relatively low air humidity of about 60%.
- In the greenhouse, the temperature should be maintained between 22-25 degrees during the day and 16-18 degrees at night. At temperatures above 35 degrees, tomatoes stop flowering.
These rules apply to growing most tomatoes, and Gypsy tomatoes are no exception.
The same cannot be said about the unusually tasty and attractive fruits of this wonderful variety. It differs significantly from many “red-skinned” counterparts not only in color, but also in its excellent taste.
