Delicious juicy tomatoes are a decoration for any table: tomatoes are added to salads, used in preparing hot dishes and combined well with other products, giving them an exquisite taste. In search of the ideal variety, gardeners try many new products, not all of which become favorites, but the Grushovka tomato is one of the best-selling tomatoes.
A variety for all occasions
The popularity of the Grushovka tomato variety is due to the excellent taste of the fruit, good yield and ease of care. Breeders are so fascinated by the characteristics of the variety that they are developing new varieties:
- Moscow pear tomato;
- Pink and red pear;
- Khabarovsk Grushovka and others.
These varieties have some differences regarding their adaptability to certain climatic conditions, but their general characteristics and descriptions are similar.
The Grushovka variety is characterized by small elongated fruits, slightly expanded at the bottom. The exception is the Moscow variety, whose fruits are slightly curved and look more like pepper fruits. Depending on the variety, the color can be red or raspberry pink.
The skin and pulp are dense, the tomatoes are juicy, weighing about 100 - 150 grams, with a characteristic, slightly sour taste. On a cluster it forms 4–5 fruits of approximately the same size, ripening at the same time. The yield from one Grushovka bush can be up to 4 kilograms.
The plant itself is low, compact, and does not require pinching or staking. In a greenhouse it can become very stretched, then the bush will need to be tied to a support. The tomato is unpretentious to conditions and can grow both in open ground and in greenhouses. Tomatoes from the Khabarovsk selection are more suitable for cold regions.
The description of the variety characterizes it as a determinant mid-season with a ripening period of 100 - 120 days. Reviews about the tomato are mostly positive; among summer residents the variety is popular as a pickling variety, since the small, dense fruits easily fit in a jar and retain their shape after long-term storage and preservation. Grushovka has a long shelf life and good transportability when fresh.
You can buy Grushovka seeds at a regular gardening store or order through an online store. The sold seeds of the variety are packaged in different packages, which is explained by different manufacturing companies.
As a rule, gardeners purchase a bag from a company whose products they are familiar with and whose quality they trust. The cost of Grushovka seeds can vary greatly depending on the manufacturer, but not only. The number of seeds also affects the price, so this fact is worth paying attention to.
Variety care
Growing the plant is no different from growing other varieties of tomatoes. Sowing, as a rule, is carried out in special seedling boxes about a month and a half before planting in the ground. The soil must contain a sufficient amount of minerals, peat, sand and other components.
Seedlings are planted in the ground at the rate of 6 plants per square meter. Care consists of simple operations:
- timely watering;
- weed removal;
- protection from diseases and pests;
- feeding with fertilizers.
The Grushovka variety is resistant to diseases, but can be affected by macrosporiosis, rot or mosaic. At the first appearance of symptoms of the disease, the plant must be treated with appropriate preparations, which will protect the harvest.
Watering is carried out regularly with settled water, but do not allow water to stagnate or the soil to dry out. Systematic loosening helps maintain soil moisture levels and oxygen saturation.
It is recommended to use fertilizers once every two to three weeks. Crushed eggshells, which are poured into the hole before planting, are considered a good way to enrich the soil and fight rot. Grushovka tomatoes respond well to “natural” fertilizers: infusion, compost, etc. Compost helps mulch the soil, enriches it with organic matter and reduces the need for loosening, the roots of the plant are covered.
The fruits are collected in July-August; if the weather is good, fruiting can last until the end of September. Up to 20 kilograms of crop can be harvested from one square meter. Tomatoes are used both fresh and in various processing and canning. Due to their good keeping quality, the fruits can be picked unripe and left at home to ripen - at low temperatures this process will proceed more slowly, which will allow you to enjoy the harvest longer.
Reviews about the variety
Petr V., Yuzhnouralsk: “I have been growing the Grushovka variety for a long time, I like this tomato for its beautifully shaped fruits and good yield. By gradually removing the tomatoes, I can extend the fruiting period until the end of September. Sometimes in the fall I cover the garden bed with non-woven material and pick fresh fruits from the bush until mid-October. My whole family loves Grushovka, especially the children: tomatoes remind them of light bulbs, and food turns into a game for them.”
Alexandra S., Ulyanovsk: “I decided to try the Grushovka variety after reading the description in a magazine. I liked the variety: tasty, compact, very convenient to use for preservation, and great for salads. It bears fruit for quite a long time. It’s just important to treat the plantings in a timely manner against diseases, otherwise one year my bushes were planted densely, and macrosporiosis began to spread between them. I didn’t notice right away, and as a result I was left with almost no harvest.”
Semyon P., Krasnoyarsk: “My father also planted Grushovka, however, that variety was old, without new qualities. When I saw a new selection in the store, I immediately decided to plant it - I didn’t regret it. The taste remains the same, the flesh is juicy and elastic, with a slight sourness - you will happily eat more than one of these fruits. But I also liked the new qualities.Plants have become more productive, disease resistant and easier to care for. I enjoy sowing this variety every year along with my other favorites.”
