Gardeners are actively growing spherical raspberry tomatoes. The Purple Candle tomato attracts with its unusual shape of the fruit. In the garden the plant looks elegant. The sugary taste and juiciness attract hardworking summer residents.
Why is it necessary to plant?
Breeders of the Aelita agricultural complex propose to grow Purple Candle in open ground. In the middle zone, the maximum yield is obtained when grown in film greenhouses.
Characteristic features of the variety:
- indeterminate tomato (in open ground height up to 1.7 m);
- early ripening period (from loops to tasting 105 days);
- not prone to growing green mass;
- the leaf is bright green, medium-sized;
- forms 5–6 clusters on each stem;
- the first brush is formed above the 7th leaf;
- There are up to 12 fruits in a brush.
The purple candle overloads itself with fruits: it requires a garter to the support. To obtain well-aligned tomatoes, it is recommended to form a bush with one or two stems.
Proper agricultural technology allows you to get about 8.5 kg/sq. m. Disease resistance is still being studied.
What do the berries look like?
Tall bushes are hung with oblong raspberry tomatoes. The beds look decorative: they serve as decoration for the garden.
Description of tomatoes:
- thick skin;
- weight up to 110 g;
- dessert, sugar taste;
- 4 chambers with small seeds;
- juicy pulp;
- elongated shape with a “drop” at the bottom;
- size – 12–15 cm;
- diameter up to 4 cm;
- bright crimson color;
- matte, smooth to the touch.
The Purple Candle tomato is ideal for making assorted whole-fruit canned goods. The skin prevents the pulp from spreading. Gardeners noted the sweetish taste of the juice and paste. Substandard tomatoes are used to prepare winter salads.
Collected unripe fruits ripen quickly in a warm place. During transportation, marketability is preserved.
Secrets of a good harvest
Gardeners know: the yield of the Purple Candle tomato directly depends on strict adherence to the growing rules. Advice from agronomists:
- it takes 2 months to prepare seedlings for planting in beds;
- Seeds should be sown on March 15–20;
- the field of regrowth of the real leaf of the plant is pricked down to the cotyledons;
- the bushes should be sprayed with an anti-stress drug;
- it is necessary to apply fertilizers for seedlings;
- it is necessary to harden and ventilate tomatoes;
- plant in open ground in early June;
- Place in greenhouses after returning cold weather;
- add nitrogen to the soil once (in autumn);
- Before planting, fill the ridges with mineral complexes;
- place 3-4 plants per square area;
- requires feeding with nitrogen (one time);
- after planting, plants should be shaded for 3–4 days;
- shaping, gartering and pinching are required;
- water in the morning (water should not get on the leaves and stems);
- mulch the soil with straw, rotted sawdust, and non-woven material.
The purple candle is responsive to the addition of calcium nitrate during planting. You should pour a tablespoon into the hole (under each bush). Cover the top with a layer of soil. This will strengthen the plant and accelerate the growth and ripening of fruits.
Gardeners' opinion
Gardeners give positive reviews about the yield of the Purple Candle tomato. They noticed: to obtain 8.5 kg/sq. m. of sugar tomatoes, it is necessary to form the plant into 1–2 stems, regularly remove the stepsons. Lightening the plant to the ripening cluster speeds up the ripening of tomatoes.
Summer residents like transportability and shelf life for 2 weeks. The color and taste of the decorative plants are attractive. The fruits are used in salads and canned whole.
Seed germination rate was positively assessed: almost 100%. If the growing rules are followed, the seedlings will not stretch.
One drawback was identified: plants planted in open ground are difficult to cover when it gets cold.
