The Rocket tomato is a hybrid with a low bush on which many miniature fruits hang. It was produced by breeders not so long ago, in 2000. It received its name for its oblong shape in the form of a space rocket. The Rocket variety of tomatoes can be grown in the northern and southern regions. You need to know the rules of care, watering and planting. Many gardeners would like to plant it on their site.
Description of tomatoes
The package containing the Rocket tomato seeds contains characteristics and a description of the variety. It belongs to low-growing shrubs that do not grow more than half a meter in length.
Tomatoes ripen 3-4 months after planting seedlings in the ground. It will take a long time to wait and look after, but the many long, tasty fruits are worth it.
The fruits are juicy, sweet and sour in taste. They have an elongated oval shape and a sharp tip. They go well with other vegetables in salads and are also good for canning. The color is mainly red or yellow with different shades.
Yellow Rocket has a more sour taste and tougher skin. These vegetables are great for making sauces, pastas and pickled tomatoes. Multi-colored tomatoes pickled in a jar look especially beautiful and amazing. Tomato juice stored for the winter is very useful. It is rich in vitamins that strengthen the immune system.
For such varieties, the best planting location is the southern regions, although they can also be grown in the northern regions. There are some care nuances here.
How to plant and grow
Growing tomatoes begins with planting fresh seeds. It is better to do this in early March so that they have time to emerge and germinate sufficiently. Before planting, you can soak them in a growth accelerator. You need to cover the container with soil with film so that a certain temperature is maintained there. When the shoots sprout, remove the film and lightly loosen the soil.
In greenhouses, around May, fairly strong sprouts are planted, which have already formed at least 5-6 leaves. Seedlings can be planted not very far from each other. Plant in open ground only if the summer is hot. With proper care, there will be juicy fruits already in August.
Like any other cultivated plant, these bushes need constant watering, protection from cold and frost, and feeding. You need to constantly loosen the soil between the stems and trim off excess shoots on the stem.
Careful care is important
In order to always have high yields, tomatoes must be carefully looked after, providing them with all the conditions for favorable growth. In addition, this will provide reliable protection from pests that can attack the bushes, and from some diseases.
Due to its rapid growth, the rocket requires fertilizers and minerals. Fertilizers must be selected very wisely. If there are not enough of them or there is an oversaturation, then the tomatoes begin to die. This is important to remember.
- Spray the bushes with boric acid twice a week, after diluting it in water. Usually dilute 2 grams per 2 liters.
- Near the root you can feed with ash diluted with iodine.
- Hay and grass are infused in a bucket of pond water, then watered once a month. This is necessary to accelerate growth.
- Humus should also be added in moderation.
- Tomatoes love potassium fertilizers.
- Superphosphate is diluted in water according to the instructions, watered twice a month.
In greenhouses it is always necessary to loosen the soil with a hoe, hill it up and crush it. On loose, soft soil the harvest will always be excellent. Plant tomatoes should only be done when there are extra shoots that interfere with the normal development of the bush. Some gardeners also like to pinch off unwanted shoots. Although low bushes may not need this.
When there are a lot of fruits on the stem, it can be tied with thin ropes so that it does not fall to the ground. Experienced gardeners always see and feel what the plant is missing during growth.
Watering in greenhouses is necessary three times a week, regardless of the weather. The more tomatoes are saturated with fresh water, the more intensively they grow.
Reviews from gardeners
Those who planted the Rocket tomato are always satisfied with the harvest, because this variety has many advantages.Many people choose it for its small size and miniature shape, making it convenient to roll into small jars. After all, not everyone has a cellar; some people store everything in the refrigerator. But big jars can’t all fit in there.
Those who have studied the characteristics of Rocket tomatoes will certainly start trying to plant them in the country. Low bushes, disease resistance, long-term fresh storage, sour taste - all these are the advantages of vegetables. Some people pick them right off the branch. This way they will last longer.
They can be grown not only in summer cottages, but also on balconies and window sills due to their low size. Just keep in mind that they need all the conditions to grow. This plant is quite capricious, the homeland of the rocket is the southern lands, so where the summers are cool, it is better to plant it in greenhouses. Almost all tomatoes love warmth, but despite this, summer residents grow them without problems even in the northern zones of the country.
According to reviews, they tolerate transportation well, do not burst or rot. Vegetables can be transported over long distances in boxes. It is very good to grow such varieties for sale: they last a long time, do not wrinkle, are expensive and produce a lot of harvest.
When you choose Rocket tomatoes for planting, you always get a high yield of tasty, juicy fruits of unusual shape and color, and you forget about many tomato diseases. The main thing is to water enough and fertilize correctly. Have a good harvest.
