Greenhouse tomato Orange Banana has gained popularity in central Russia. It was bred through selection for this climate zone. The tomato has a rich color, pleasant taste with slight sourness. It got its name due to the similarity of the cluster of ripened fruits with a bunch of bananas in shape and color.
Banana tomatoes are an indeterminate plant, up to 1.5 meters high. A plant with a strong stem and leaves similar to a tomato. Not bushy. Forms inflorescences above 8-9 leaves, each of which contains about eight fruits.
The characteristics and description of the variety describe the fact that the plant begins to bear fruit 90-100 days after the seeds germinate.Elongated, uniform vegetables of pearl-orange color have a pleasant honey taste, and there is a slight tomato sourness. The fruits weigh up to 100-150 grams each, 5-7 cm long, fleshy, with a small number of seeds. The yield per bush reaches 3.5 kilograms.
The fruits are used raw, added to hot dishes, and valued for making juices and pastes. The thin peel that is not subject to cracking and the small size of the fruit make the use of tomatoes for canning effective. Heat treatment does not lead to a decrease in the amount of vitamins in the final product.
Advantages of growing a variety
The laboratory-bred Orange Banana has special characteristics that set it apart from others:
- differ in average yield per bush;
- bears fruit throughout the warm season;
- has a rich taste;
- attracts with colors;
- resembles the shape of a plum;
- resistant to common tomato diseases - late blight, cladosporiosis, fusarium;
- stored for a long time after being removed from the bush, can ripen in a dark, cool place;
- fruits on bushes planted at the same time also ripen together, which makes them convenient for canning. At one time you can pick up to 30-40 fruits from a bush;
- in more favorable climatic zones it is grown in open ground; in the warm summer, with a slight loss in yield, it is also grown in central Russia.
Tomatoes of this variety are well used for sale, as they have a long shelf life, uniform ripening, and pleasant taste. During transportation, they do not rot or wrinkle, maintaining their marketable appearance.For home use, they can also be preserved for a long time without creating special storage conditions.
Features of plant care
Tomato seeds with good germination are planted in mid-March to obtain seedlings. They must be treated with a solution of potassium permanganate or Zircon. The soil chosen is not acidic, previously disinfected with potassium permanganate. It can be purchased in a store or prepared in advance from a mixture of earth with humus, sand, peat, and ash.
For seed germination, a container up to 2 cm deep is sufficient. Having received the first well-developed leaf, the plant should be transplanted. A peat or paper container with a diameter of 15 centimeters is best suited for seedlings. If you planted the seeds in individual containers, replanting is not required.
Planting in a greenhouse is carried out when the seedlings are about 65 days old, by mid-May. When used in open ground - when the threat of cold weather has passed. The variety tolerates transplantation well and hardly gets sick. The checkerboard planting order is most often used due to the extensive development of the root system. For the same reason, you should maintain a distance between plants of 50 centimeters, and between beds - from 60 cm. You can also plant seedlings in a two-row manner.
The tomato bush should be formed with one stem, removing the stepsons every ten days. Be sure to tie plants to previously prepared supports.
These requirements are often applied to tomatoes and will not create any special problems in caring for the plant.
Prevention of plant diseases
Plants of the Orange Banana tomato variety should be protected from pests in advance by spraying with copper sulfate. For the purpose of prevention, the regime of ventilation of the greenhouse, watering and loosening of the soil is observed.This is evidenced by the reviews of those who planted.
The plant is initially protected from fusarium and cladosporiosis. They are not afraid of late blight, in which parasites spread to the entire plant. To prevent the spread of aphids, tick beetles, and wireworms, special preparations are used.
The variety requires regular feeding of the plant, approximately once every 10-15 days. By using different preparations or folk infusions, you can improve the volume and quality of the harvest. Particular attention should be paid to plants during flowering and fruit ripening.
The Orange Banana tomato variety is popular for use indoors. It has a stable yield. The fruits have an original taste, color, and shape. The plant does not require any special skills to care for; it is not demanding. In warmer climates, it was grown in open ground with virtually no loss of yield.
