Cherry Cherry red tomato was bred in early 1990. Included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements of Russia in 1997.
general information
Description of the variety: not a hybrid, so you can collect the seeds. Early. Cultivation takes 85 - 100 days - this is the time from the first shoots to the harvesting of the fruits. Tomatoes can be harvested from the beginning of July until frost.
Description of the bushes: high yield - up to 2 kg of tomatoes are harvested from the bush. The bushes are indeterminate, 1.5–2 m high. The leaves grow sparsely, are medium-sized, dark green, and slightly corrugated.The first brush is formed above the 8th - 9th sheet, and then every 3 sheets. Tomatoes in a bunch do not ripen at the same time.
The variety is immune to cladosporiosis. Not resistant to fusarium and tobacco mosaic. Since the variety is early ripening, it does not have time to suffer from late blight and root rot. Bushes are rarely attacked by parasites.
Characteristics of the fruits: round, small, scarlet, their weight is 15 - 35 g, externally they resemble cherry fruits. In one brush - 20 - 35 pieces. The skin is thin and cracks if the tomatoes are overripe. The fruit has 2–3 seed chambers. The content of dry substances and sugars is 10 – 12%. Great dessert taste. Strengthen the heart and blood vessels, normalize metabolic processes. Considered to prevent cancer. But the fruits of this variety are difficult to transport. Stored in the refrigerator for about a month. The fruits are eaten fresh, put in salads, canned, and salted.
Only ripe tomatoes are harvested, then the fruits retain their taste. Reviews enthusiastic about the variety. Everyone loves the sweet taste of small tomatoes. So, reviews the Smirnov family from the Moscow region: “The bushes have a wonderful appearance, we were pleased with the harvest. The grandchildren really liked the tomatoes.”
Advantages and disadvantages
Main advantages:
- Unpretentious, easy to grow.
- Tied with whole tassels.
- They ripen early.
- All Cherry tomatoes have a dessert, sweet taste.
- Immunity to diseases such as brown spot, root rot and late blight.
- The variety produces high yields.
- Parasites rarely attack.
- The variety is resistant to temperature changes.
- Can be preserved with brushes.
The disadvantages include:
- The bushes are tall.
- Growing indeterminate varieties necessarily involves tying and pinching.
- The variety requires good lighting.
- The variety is not resistant to tobacco mosaic and fusarium.
- Tomatoes are sensitive to both excess and lack of moisture.
- Tomatoes cannot be stored for a long time and should not be transported.
Sowing seeds
Cultivation begins with sowing seeds for seedlings. Seeds are sown from March 20 to April 5. Select the seeds by pouring them into a 5% salt solution. Wait 5 minutes. - bad seeds will float, and good ones will sink to the bottom. Select the seeds that remain at the bottom and rinse them with clean water.
If you purchased seeds at the market, then soak them for 30 minutes. into a pink solution of potassium permanganate, then wash and dry.
Pour fertile soil into the boxes from equal parts of turf soil, humus, and river sand. It is advised to water the soil with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or calcine it in the oven.
Water the soil. Make grooves 1 cm deep, the space between the grooves is 4 - 5 cm. Pour seeds into the grooves after 1 cm. Sprinkle with soil. Cover the plantings with film and place in a warm place. When the first shoots sprout, continue growing by removing the film and exposing the plantings to light.
When there are 2 - 3 true leaves, the seedlings are picked. They are carefully dug up, trying not to damage the roots, and then placed in cups with a diameter of 8 - 12 cm.
Seedlings require additional lighting. You can use fluorescent lamps or special phytolamps.
After 3–4 true leaves appear, you need to place the seedlings on the balcony for 15 minutes. Choose a place for the seedlings where there is no direct sunlight and no drafts. Before planting, you can leave the seedlings on the balcony overnight. When hardening, the bush may turn purple - this is a natural reaction.
Planting seedlings on the site
Planting on the site is done as soon as the threat of frost has passed.They can be planted in the greenhouse in mid-May, and on the plot in early June.
They dig holes, making an indentation of 0.6 m. As a result, 2–3 bushes grow per 1 m². A handful of humus is poured into each hole. A peg is driven into the center of the hole so that it rises 2 m above ground level. The hole is watered and the seedling is placed in it at an angle. The roots and some part of the stem are covered with soil and watered again.
There is no need to water for the first week, since during planting there is enough water for the seedlings to take root. 3 - 4 days after planting the seedlings, the seedlings are tied to pegs. Planted bushes are watered after the top layer of soil has dried so that there are no changes in humidity, as this leads to a deterioration in the taste of the tomatoes. Watering is done approximately 2 times a week.
Next, you need to loosen the ground so that a crust does not appear. If there is a lack of moisture, the tomatoes dry out and turn brownish, and if there is too much water, they become watery.
Caring for Red Cherry tomato bushes includes plucking off the shoots. This is done after the 5th inflorescence has grown. In early August, pinch off the top of the stem. By this time, 8 - 9 brushes should grow. After the last brush, leave 2 leaves, and then pinch them off.
The first time they are fed 2 - 3 weeks after planting the seedlings, the second and third times they are fertilized when they ripen. It is better to feed the first time with an infusion of grass and manure. Then pour 200 g of ash into a ten-liter bucket of water. You can feed tomatoes with yeast.
Harvest tomatoes when the bunches are 80% ripe.
Diseases and pests
To prevent diseases of fusarium and tobacco mosaic, you should not over-moisten the soil; you need to plant tomatoes in a well-lit area. Be sure to cut off the stepsons. If the tomatoes do get sick, pull out the diseased plants and burn them.
Other varieties of tomatoes Cherry
In addition to the Red Cherry tomato variety, Aelita sells Black Cherry tomato. This is also an indeterminate variety, the bush is up to 2 m in height. The variety was bred in the USA quite recently, at the beginning of the 21st century. It began to be sold in Russia in 2009. 5–6 kg of fruits are collected from one bush. The weight of the tomato is 25 g. The fruits are very dark cherry in color. They taste sweet, like candy. There are 5 – 9 pieces in one brush. The fruits are harvested 112–120 days after the sprouts appear.
True, this variety has a disadvantage - the fruits crack when fully ripe. These tomatoes are even added to fruit salads. Growing has its own difference - it is not recommended to pick stepsons from bushes. To get an excellent harvest, tie the bushes to trellises, and all the stepsons should be in the same plane. Leave 3 fruit clusters on each stepson and tear off the rest.
Reviews from the Ivanov family from the Oryol region: “The tomatoes are sweet, very tasty. The bushes were fertilized with organic matter, and when the fruits appeared, wood ash was sprinkled.”
The Gavrish company sells pink cherry tomato seeds. This is an early ripening variety, the tomatoes are very sweet. The Yellow Cherry tomato has also been bred.
To grow a Red Cherry tomato, you need to tie up the bushes, pruning, watering, feeding, and pinching the top of the stem. It must be remembered that the variety needs good lighting and constant watering, but in such a way as to avoid drought or waterlogging of the soil.
