The Cosmonaut Volkov tomatoes are not an example of the professional work of a group of breeders, since they were bred in a private experimental farmstead. This variety does not have high stress resistance to weather conditions and is only relatively resistant to most common diseases.
However, the wonderful taste qualities of the space vegetable and the enormous yield - about 7 kg of fruit from one bush - put this amateur specimen on a par with the most famous breeding hybrids.
Varietal features and description
Among the recommendations for growing tomatoes, there are no clear indications for what kind of soil the variety is intended, however, based on the experience of those who planted “Volkova”, we can conclude that in a greenhouse the bush feels more comfortable, produces more ovaries and suffers less from the effects of wind and temperature changes. This is due to the excessive height of the stem, reaching two meters in length and disproportionate weight for such a fragile structure of fruit clusters.
Returning to the characteristics and description of the Cosmonaut Volkov tomato variety, the following main points should be noted:
- mid-ripening in terms of ripening – within 135 days;
- characteristics of inflorescences – complex and semi-complex;
- inflorescences are formed into a raceme containing from 5 to 9 ovaries;
- all bushes, subject to the same time of planting seedlings in the ground, give simultaneous harvest;
- Fruiting lasts up to three months;
- the plant requires mandatory garter and periodic pruning;
- there is a need for constant fertilization with mineral fertilizers;
- Kosmonavt Volkov tomatoes are well transported and suitable for preservation, including in their entire form.
The fruits are described as:
- having a rounded shape, slightly flattened at the top and bottom;
- the color of vegetables when they reach maturity is dim scarlet;
- each fruit is divided into 6 or 7 chambers;
- the weight of an individual vegetable is from 300 to 700 g;
- The taste of tomato is sweetish with slight sourness.
To preserve the best shelf life of tomatoes, they are collected in an unripe form, and after ripening, already separately from the bush, the taste of the vegetable is not lost, and the amount of nutrients in the form of a vitamin set, a sugar element and theanine (an amino acid important for the body) is preserved in full.
Seed material and growing seedlings in a box
For planting tomato seeds Cosmonaut Volkov, the period of late February-early March is selected. Before putting the seed material into the seedling container, the grains are checked for quality - they are soaked in a cup of water at room temperature and after ten minutes the floating seeds are removed from the surface. Those seeds that remain at the bottom are suitable for planting. They are sanitized - kept for two hours in a manganese solution and only then planted in a box.
It is better to prepare neutral soil, always with a drainage substrate at the bottom of the box, so that excess water does not accumulate in the soil.
Seeds are introduced into the ground one for every 2 cm2, to a depth of 1.5 cm. After leveling the soil surface and once sufficiently moistening it, the box is covered with cling film to create condensation and placed in such a way as to be in the light most of the day and not overheat in direct sunlight. Germination can be assessed already on the fifth day from planting.
After greenery appears in the box, the cover is removed from the seedlings and they begin to gradually feed the plants with liquid fertilizers containing phosphorus and potassium. Two weeks before planting in the greenhouse, future seedlings begin in the conditions of the future transplant site, but no more than half an hour a day at temperatures above 9 0WITH.
Often, a housewife who has grown seedlings according to all the rules, but then planted the seedlings in a greenhouse without pre-hardening, discovers that the plants die within a few days, and the surviving bushes grow weak and do not bear fruit. All this is the result of ignoring the adaptation of a whimsical plant and, as a result, a ruined harvest.
Caring for tomatoes in a greenhouse
Gardeners who have already grown this variety have determined the optimal time for planting seedlings in the ground at approximately 55-60 days from emergence. The distance between honey bushes should be at least 45 cm, since this variety is characterized by high branching.
The Cosmonaut Volkov tomato requires increased fertilizing - twice as much as any other tomato varieties with a standard frequency of fertilization, that is, about four times during the period of development of the bush.
Watering is carried out once every seven days, and always followed by loosening the soil and removing weeds.
This variety requires pinching. The procedure is carried out using the continuous method, that is, removing all lateral shoots over 8 cm, leaving small sections of shoots (up to 2 cm) to avoid their further active growth. Thanks to this event, the bush is not burdened with extra useless weight and does not cast a shadow on neighboring plants.
By the way, shading or a short photoperiod when growing these tomatoes is not allowed at all; on the contrary, reviews left by numerous amateur owners say that additional lighting in the greenhouse is necessary. Otherwise, the bush begins to intensely reach for the light, wasting energy on intensive growth to the detriment of fruiting.
Tomatoes definitely need gartering, and it is best to do it before the inflorescence begins to transform into a full-fledged cluster with the formation of ovaries. As the fruits ripen, the fragile stem that is not tied up often breaks - this is especially true of the lower clusters, where the tomatoes ripen first and are the largest on the bush.
Sometimes, when the bush is not fully formed, gardeners completely remove the lower raceme with the ovaries so that it does not take over all the nutritious juices of the plant. This does not harm the harvest, and subsequent tomatoes fill faster.
It is also advisable to break off the top of the tomato to stop the growth of the bush in height, which is necessary for small greenhouse sizes. Almost immediately after the procedure, the plant stem begins to thicken and strengthen, and the number of ovaries increases.
And finally, the main advantage of the Cosmonaut Volkov tomato is its unpretentiousness regarding the soil. Fertilizers in this matter solve all the nuances and shortcomings of the soil, but fertilizing must be applied with strict regularity, both before the fruits begin to ripen (at least three times) and during the formation of tomatoes (1-2 times).
