The Altai Orange tomato is an indeterminate mid-season variety that can be grown not only in the southern regions of our country, but also in the middle zone and Altai. This tomato has many positive qualities that vegetable growers should know about before growing Altai Orange on their plots.
In addition, there are several varieties of this variety, differing in the color of the ripe fruits - they can be red, pink or orange.These varieties differ only in color, but their taste and other qualities are approximately the same.
Description and main characteristics
This mid-season variety is characterized by high yield and average fruit ripening. Almost four months pass from the appearance of the first shoots to the ripening of the fruits.
The bushes of these tomatoes should be shaped - pinch the tops of the shoots so that the tomatoes do not waste nutrients only on their growth. Since the weight of ripening fruits is quite large, the shoots should be tied up. The best support for them will be trellises. It is better to form these vegetable plants into one stem in order to achieve better ripening of the fruits. The shoots usually reach a height of 1.3-1.4 m.
The description of the variety should begin with a description of the foliage and inflorescences. The foliage of tomatoes is large, simple, dark emerald green. Inflorescences are collected in brushes (5-6 pieces in each). The lower racemes appear after the second permanent leaves, each subsequent one after 2 leaves. Usually the largest fruits ripen on the lower clusters - their weight can reach 350-450 grams.
Tomatoes that ripen in the upper part of the bushes are usually of medium size and weight - about 200-250 g.
The ripening fruits are slightly flattened and round in shape, slightly ribbed at the stalk. The pulp is fleshy, melting in the mouth. Each tomato has up to 6 chambers filled with seed material. The skin of ripe fruits is hard and less than average in thickness.
Ripe tomatoes of this variety have a beautiful orange color, are not prone to cracking, and tolerate transportation well. They include:
- lycopene;
- beta-carotene;
- amino acids;
- sugar content is high.
The characteristics of the variety will not be complete without mentioning what its yield is.If the bushes of these tomatoes are formed into one shoot, then from each bush you can collect up to 4.5 kg of ripe tomatoes per season. And from each m², 11-12 kg of tomatoes are usually harvested. The fruits of this vegetable crop begin to ripen in the second decade of July, and the last fruits are usually harvested in the fall before frost.
Altai Orange tomato variety has a pleasant sweetish taste with a light fruity aroma. These tomatoes are great for fresh consumption, as well as for making tomato juice or puree.
Positive and negative qualities of the variety
Experts have summarized the reviews of vegetable growers who grew this variety, and based on the data collected, note the following positive qualities of Altai Orange tomatoes:
- good taste of grown fruits;
- the ability to transport the grown crop over fairly long distances without spoiling the fruit;
- beautiful appearance of ripe tomatoes;
- tomatoes of this variety are not prone to cracking;
- high productivity.
The disadvantages include the extended time of fruit ripening - from mid-summer to the first frost.
The nuances of growing the Altai orange variety
You can grow this tomato only by first growing seedlings at home. But in the southern regions, Altai Orange can be grown directly in open ground.
Vegetable growers say that growing seedlings of this variety at home is no different from growing seedlings of other varieties. But it is better to immediately plant the seeds in peat cups, which you then immediately plant in open ground or a greenhouse, and also do not pick growing seedlings.
Grown seedlings (at about 45-50 days old) can be transplanted into garden beds (or indoor soil).
Care after planting seedlings in beds
Basic care for it comes down to regular watering, loosening the soil, weed control and fertilizing (preferably complex).
