The pink elephant tomato is an original variety of tomatoes, which during its existence has earned only positive reviews from gardeners. It is quite tasty, large and beautiful. Growing it is as easy as all other varieties of tomatoes.
Purpose
The pink elephant tomato variety was bred by Russian breeders twenty years ago. It was created for growing in glass or polycarbonate greenhouses.However, over time, vegetable growers living in the southern regions of the country began to grow such tomatoes in open ground.
Tomatoes are of the salad type, so they are most often eaten fresh. You can also extract the juice from them to make homemade ketchup or sauce.
general description
To grow this variety, you need to read the description of the pink elephant tomato.
Tomatoes are not often used in industry, as they are very demanding on watering and are large in size. More often they are planted by vegetable growers who grow exotic tomatoes.
These tomatoes are mid-season varieties, so the first harvest can be harvested 115 days after germination of the seedlings.
The bush of the plant is medium-sized and medium-deciduous. If grown in the right conditions, it can grow up to 130 cm in height. The leaves on the bushes are colored rich green and have a potato-type shape.
The yield of raspberry elephant tomatoes is quite high. From one square meter you can collect up to 7 kg of fruit. If you grow bushes in stationary greenhouses or film greenhouses, the amount of harvest can increase to 10 kg.
Description of fruits
The characteristics of the fruits of this variety will help distinguish them from other types of tomatoes.
On average, each plant bush has about 5-7 tomatoes. The fruits are quite heavy and the weight of each of them is 300-400 g. Some tomatoes from the first bunch can weigh more than a kilogram.
The fruits are pinkish in color and have an oval shape. At the top the surface of the tomato is smooth, and near the stalk it is slightly ribbed. Tomatoes are covered with a thick, glossy skin, under which there is a fleshy pulp. It has a slightly sweetish and rich taste, which is devoid of characteristic sourness.
Features of growing seedlings
It is necessary to sow seeds to obtain seedlings at the end of February or early March. However, before this you should prepare the soil and containers for sowing.
Preparatory work
When choosing the most suitable containers for planting seeds, you should pay attention to containers with special lids that will ensure a greenhouse effect. Before planting, the containers should be filled with pre-prepared soil. You can buy it at the store or prepare it yourself. In the second case, you will have to start disinfecting the soil.
To disinfect the soil, you need to water it with a solution of potassium permanganate. You can also disinfect the soil with boiling water.
Seeds also need to be treated before planting. To do this, they are dipped for half an hour in a container with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. The seeds that sink to the bottom of the vessel are suitable for planting.
Sowing seeds
Before sowing tomatoes in containers, several holes are made with a depth of no more than 3 cm. After this, you need to add 2-3 seeds to each of them, cover them with soil and water them. When watering, it is better to use a sprayer so as not to disturb the integrity of the soil coma.
It is better to grow seedlings in a warm and well-lit place. Therefore, containers with seedlings can be placed on a sunny windowsill. If the most optimal conditions are created during seedling cultivation, the first seedlings will appear in just a week.
Picking
Seedlings need to be replanted only after several true leaves appear on the bushes. This must be done very carefully so as not to damage the root system of the plant.Seedlings should be planted in peat-humus cups. After picking, the seedlings must be periodically taken outside so that they gradually get used to the new conditions.
Planting in open ground
It is necessary to plant seedlings in open ground in the first weeks of summer.
Site selection
The optimal place for growing raspberry elephant tomato seedlings is in sunny, illuminated places, protected from the wind. The soil on the site must have a neutral acidity level of 7 pH. To check it, you need to purchase a special test. If during the test it was revealed that the indicator is too low, then a little lime will have to be added to the soil. If the level is elevated, the soil should be mixed with sulfur.
Soil preparation
You need to start preparing the soil in the fall, immediately after removing the remains of previous plants. First, the area is dug up to a depth of 25 cm, and then fed with fertilizers. For this, it is recommended to use compost, as it attracts earthworms, which are excellent at loosening the soil. During autumn feeding, about 5-8 kg of compost is applied per square kilometer of plot.
Planting
Pink elephant tomatoes should be planted in open ground on a cloudy day or in the evening. In this case, it is recommended to use a square-cluster planting. This method is popular among many vegetable growers, as it makes it easier to care for tomato bushes, increases illumination and improves the absorption of nutrients.
During planting, one tomato bush is planted in each hole. The distance between rows and holes should be 70 cm.
To protect young seedlings from frost, they must be covered with plastic wrap.
Care
Any plant needs to be properly cared for and the raspberry elephant tomato is no exception.
Watering
For irrigation, it is recommended to use settled water at room temperature. The bushes need to be watered once a week. After the first fruits appear, this should be done more often - every 2-3 days. Water should be poured under the root so that it does not fall on the leaves of the tomatoes.
Hilling tomatoes
Some vegetable growers believe that hilling is not a mandatory procedure, but this is not the case. It stimulates root growth and helps saturate the soil with oxygen. You need to hill up the bushes several times a season.
Mulching
In order for the fruits to ripen faster, it is necessary to mulch the soil. For this, it is recommended to use green manure. They are laid out between the rows in a layer of 1-2 cm. When using green manure, you can completely abandon chemical fertilizers.
Conclusion
Even a beginner who has never tried to plant vegetables can start growing raspberry elephant tomatoes. To do this, it is enough to study the description of the variety in detail and communicate with the person who previously planted it.
