Vegetable plants such as the Andreevsky Surprise tomato are grown thanks to the resulting fruits - large, tasty, aromatic. The variety has excellent characteristics in terms of care and growing conditions. The harvest can be obtained both in open ground in the southern regions and under film covers in regions with cold climates.
Features of the appearance and taste of fruits
From tomatoes of the Andreevsky Surprise variety you can get tomatoes with the following characteristics:
- The tomatoes are flat-round in shape, with slightly protruding ribs.
- The pulp of tomatoes is juicy, fleshy, with a small amount of water.
- The taste of the fruit is truly tomato, with a sufficient amount of sugar.
- Upon reaching commercial ripeness, the tomatoes turn raspberry-pink in color.
- The weight of one fruit can reach from three hundred to six hundred grams.
- Versatile use of the vegetable. It is also good for making ketchup, tomato juice, and pasta. Delicious summer salads are prepared from fresh tomatoes.
For all its advantages, St. Andrew's surprise does not bear fruit very abundantly. Its yield is up to eight kilograms per square meter, that is, from about four bushes. This is not enough for an indeterminate, but the tomatoes are only of high quality.
Conditions for growing tomatoes
The Andreevsky tomato variety has no special requirements for planting and care. Like all tall species, they first go through a period of seedling cultivation. Planting of seeds begins in mid or late March. First, they are disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate. Sow in boxes or containers with nutrient soil, which has also been disinfected. Bury the seeds two centimeters into the soil.
A special feature of this variety is its low requirements for lighting. Therefore, if boxes with seed are placed on window sills, they do not require additional lighting. The usual care for young tomato seedlings are:
- glaze;
- fertilizing with minerals and organic matter;
- loosening the soil;
- picking seedlings during the appearance of the second true leaf.
Twenty days before planting the seedlings in a permanent place, they begin to take them out, first for a few hours, then into the open air for the entire daylight hours. Hardening is especially useful for seedlings that will be placed in open ground.
It is necessary to transfer to the greenhouse those plants whose stems are powerful and the first flower ovary has appeared on them.
Greenhouse preparation
Since St. Andrew's surprise is a very tall plant, reaching two meters, the best place for it would be a greenhouse. Do not forget that the vaults and walls of the enclosed space should be higher than the tomato stems.
Two weeks before planting tomatoes, it is necessary to warm up the greenhouse well. It is filled with fresh manure, which is poured with hot water. It is best to place the biomaterial along the walls and compact it. In the middle of the room, the manure is distributed, loosened, and nutrient soil is poured. The layer of soil on humus should be at least eighteen centimeters. Before filling the soil, you can sprinkle a layer of wood ash.
Planting tomatoes in a greenhouse
The description of the procedure for transferring tomatoes under film includes the following:
- Planting is done at the rate of four plants per square meter. The distance between tomato stems ranges from sixty to seventy centimeters, between rows of plantings - thirty to forty centimeters.
- It is better to plant Andreevsky Surprise tomatoes in a greenhouse in cloudy weather, in the evening.
- The tomato stems are buried fifteen centimeters into the soil. Long strands of seedlings are placed along the rows and covered with soil.
- Tie up the tomato stems immediately, driving pegs nearby. In the greenhouse, you can prepare a trellis in advance with wire stretched along it. Tall stems tied to it will not break and will be easy to care for.
If the planting procedure is carried out on time, the tomatoes will taste great. They will ripen sixty days after planting in closed ground.
Rules of care
Without proper care of tomatoes, you cannot get a good harvest.Growing tomatoes requires adherence to precise deadlines:
- soil moisture;
- fertilizing;
- stepsoning;
- tying;
- forming a bush into one or two stems.
In addition, pay attention to ventilation of the greenhouse and temperature control in it. Tomatoes will set better, and the characteristics of the fruits will be excellent, if the air temperature in the greenhouse is not allowed to exceed thirty degrees Celsius. It is also necessary to collect ripe tomato fruits on time, otherwise they may crack.
How do vegetable growers evaluate the variety?
You can learn about Andreevsky Surprise tomatoes from those who grew them. They note that raspberry tomatoes are very tasty; high-quality sauces, pastes, and juices are obtained from them. Many people use the vegetable as slices and cook it for the winter in gelatin and its own juice. Despite the positive reviews, those who grow tomatoes for sale believe that the variety produces little fruit. But it’s not for nothing that it’s called St. Andrew’s Surprise: although there aren’t many tomatoes, they’re very tasty. And large fruits are ideal for eating.
