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Who said tomatoes only have to be round and red? Although it is this image that has been familiar to most people since childhood, but in recent decades the appearance of the vegetable you have seen has not yet said anything. To understand exactly what is in front of you, you need not only to carefully look at the fetus, but it is also desirable to cut it. So, for example, recently very popular pepper-shaped tomatoes, not only outwardly, but sometimes in the context, strongly resemble their counterparts in the nightshade family – sweet peppers.
What kind of variety is this – pepper tomatoes? Or is it a separate species? And how to understand their diversity and understand what corresponds to reality and what is just a fantasy of manufacturers? You can learn about all this from this article on such an exotic and very attractive variety of tomatoes as pepper tomatoes.
Variety of varieties
The first pepper tomatoes appeared in Our Country about 20 years ago and at first were represented only by foreign varieties and hybrids. But already in 2001, the first variety appeared and was registered in the State Register of Our Country, which was called that – Pepper tomato. Soon after its appearance on the markets and in the collections of amateurs, one could observe pepper-shaped tomatoes of other colors than red – orange, yellow, pink.
Some time later, pepper-shaped tomatoes of a very attractive and original color appeared, with stripes, spots and strokes.
In the 2010s, the Cuban pepper black tomato appeared and began to be actively grown by many gardeners. Of course, such a variety of tomato was an absolute exotic at that time, since even now there are not so many varieties of black tomatoes that also differ in yield and taste characteristics.
Finally, for the harsh climatic conditions of open ground in many regions of Our Country with short and cool summers, tomato varieties of folk selection from Minusinsk have become promising. Among them, a long-fruited pepper tomato also appeared, which could not but attract the attention of both amateurs and professionals who are passionate about growing various interesting tomatoes.
Pepper tomatoes differ not only in color and appearance of the fruit. Some of them are indeterminate, while others grow no more than 70-80 cm and their growth is then limited. Yield indicators, as well as the characteristics of the tomatoes themselves, can also vary quite a lot.
But all these varieties, except for an unusual elongated shape, are not yet distinguished by the earliest ripening periods and rather dense, fleshy pulp, which can be ideal for both salads and canning.
Verified and registered varieties
For beginners in gardening, it is very difficult to understand all this endless variety of even only pepper-shaped tomato varieties and understand which of them is suitable for its growing conditions.
First of all, we can proceed from the fact that not all popular varieties of pepper tomatoes are registered in the State Register of Our Country.
Therefore, a review of the most popular tomato varieties will begin with those that have currently received official registration.
The table below shows the main characteristics of all registered pepper cultivars.
Variety name | Year of registration in the State Register | Bush growth features | Terms of maturation | Average fruit weight, grams | Fruit taste evaluation | Average productivity (kg) from one square. meters |
Peppermint | 2001 | Indeterminate | medium ripe | 75 – 90 | good | 6 – 6,5 |
Pepper Giant | 2007 | Indeterminate | medium ripe | 150 – 200 | great | About 6 |
Pepper Yellow | 2007 | Indeterminate | medium ripe | 65 – 80 | great | 3 – 5 |
Pepper Orange | 2007 | Indeterminate | medium ripe | 135 – 160 | great | About 9 |
Pepper Red | 2015 | Indeterminate | medium ripe | 130 – 160 | good | 9 – 10 |
Pepper Stout | 2014 | Determinant | medium ripe | 140 | great | 4 – 5 |
Pepper Raspberry | 2015 | Determinant | mid-early | 125 – 250 | great | 12 – 15 |
Peppermint
This variety of tomatoes was obtained by the specialists of the agricultural company “NK.LTD” and was one of the first registered back in 2001. As the first pepper-shaped tomato, it is, of course, worthy of attention, although in some of its characteristics it is inferior to its later counterparts. The variety can traditionally be classified as mid-season, like most pepper tomatoes. Tomato ripening occurs approximately 110-115 days after germination.
Pepper tomato belongs to indeterminate varieties. With proper agricultural technology, the yield can reach 6,5 -8 kg per square meter. meters. On average, tomatoes are small in size, but in good conditions they reach 100-120 grams.
They are also good for whole-fruit canning, as they easily fit into jars of any size.
Giant
Already in 2005, the Siberian breeders Z. Schott and M. Gilev created the Pepper Giant tomato variety. In 2007, it was registered by the Demetra-Sibir agricultural firm from Barnaul. The name of this variety already speaks for itself. But its giant fruits can only be called in comparison with the previous variety. In terms of its characteristics and appearance of tomatoes, it really resembles the Pepper tomato variety.
True, the average weight of its fruits is about 200 grams, and with good care it can reach 250-300 grams. The color of tomatoes in the stage of full ripening is rich red. In length, tomatoes can reach 15 cm. The taste of tomatoes is sweet, rich tomato. Tomatoes are very good to use in salads, for drying and for stuffing.
Reviews
Summer residents and gardeners unanimously appreciated the Pepper Giant tomato variety and are happy to grow it on their plots.
Yellow
In 2005, the assortment of yellow tomatoes was replenished with a new pepper-shaped tomato variety. The author of the variety and the originator was L.A. Myazina.
The variety belongs to indeterminate and mid-season. The tomatoes themselves grow small, medium density and have a bright yellow hue. Like most yellow tomatoes, they have excellent taste.
Resistant to many diseases, including tobacco mosaic virus, root rot and tip rot.
Among other interesting yellow pepper tomatoes, the following varieties can also be mentioned:
- Roman candle;
- Midas;
- banana legs;
- Golden fang.
Orange
At the same time, the specialists of the Agros agricultural firm bred the Pepper Orange tomato variety. Plants of this variety are also indeterminate, therefore, they need to be pinched and gartered.
Tomatoes are larger than their yellow counterparts and average 135-160 grams. The fruits are characterized by excellent taste and good yield, which can be more than 9 kg per square meter. meters. It is interesting that tomatoes of such an amazing look and taste can stand growing in the open field of the middle lane. Although it is easier to achieve record yields in greenhouse conditions.
Reviews
According to reviews, this variety of tomatoes is considered one of the best orange tomatoes in terms of a combination of indicators.
Red
Tomato Pepper red was obtained by the breeders of the agricultural company “Aelita” in 2015. In general, this variety is not particularly remarkable. All its characteristics are very similar to the orange pepper tomato. Only the color of the tomatoes is closer to the traditional red, and the average yield may slightly exceed pepper orange.
In general, varieties of pepper-shaped red tomatoes are best known and among them the most popular are:
- Scarlet Mustang;
- Banana;
- Italian spaghetti;
- Peter the Great;
- Roma;
- Chuhloma.
Crimson
Another interesting tomato variety was obtained by breeders from Novosibirsk quite recently, in 2015 – Raspberry Pepper. Unlike other varieties, it is determinant, that is, it is limited in growth and the bushes grow quite compact.
Tomatoes are quite large in size, their average weight is from 125 to 250 grams. In the stage of full maturation, they acquire a beautiful crimson hue. And they do not ripen for so long – about 100 days, so they can be classified as early ripening varieties. Well, and most importantly, they have an excellent, sugary taste that can compete even with well-known salad meaty varieties, such as “Bull’s Heart”.
Mighty
This variety of pepper tomatoes also appeared relatively recently, in 2014, but has already managed to gain popularity among gardeners. The explanation for this popularity is quite simple – the variety is not only determinant, but also standard. In height, the bushes reach only 40 cm and grow very strong and squat, which is reflected in the name of the variety. It is very easy to grow outdoors, it easily adapts to different weather conditions and has good resistance to various diseases. The variety belongs to early ripening and ripens in 100-110 days from germination.
The fruits form a beautiful pink color, although a green spot may remain on the stalk, which does not affect its taste at all. Krepysh pepper tomato tomatoes are very tasty, sweet, with an average weight of about 150 grams. The yield of this variety is not too high, about 4 kg per square meter. But unpretentiousness and taste characteristics justify this shortcoming.
Other Popular Pepper Varieties
Many varieties of tomatoes, despite the fact that they did not have time to get into the state register, are grown with pleasure by summer residents, but, unfortunately, their characteristics can vary greatly among themselves, depending on the manufacturing company.
Striped
The appearance of the Pepper-shaped striped tomato immediately fascinates an inexperienced gardener – yellowish stripes and stains of various sizes are indistinctly distinguished against a red-orange background.
The variety is medium early, that is, it ripens within 105-110 days. The opinions of gardeners who grow it vary greatly about its growth power. Most argue that it is determinate and does not grow above 70 cm.
Tomatoes are quite large, 100-120 grams, tied in clusters on the bushes. In one bunch there can be 7-9 fruits, and up to 5-6 pieces are formed on the bush.
Tomatoes have a dense skin, so they are ideal for canning. Due to their good taste, they are quite suitable for salads, but here the opinions of gardeners differ. Many people think that they are ideal for canning, because they look very nice in jars, but fresh varieties are more juicy and tastier. In addition, against the background of general unpretentiousness, they are unstable to tomato blossom end rot.
Long minusinsky
This variety of popular selection is indeterminate, it can be carried out in 2 or a maximum of 3 stems. It does not ripen very early, 120-130 days after germination. Tomatoes are elongated, with a spout at the end, fleshy, contain very few seeds. Weight varies from 100 to 200 grams. Subject to proper agricultural practices, they can produce up to 4-5 kg of fruit from one bush. At the same time, for 1 sq. meter should not be placed more than 4 plants.
Tomatoes are well stored, in a cool place they can lie almost until December.
Cuban black
This tomato variety has many different names – Cuban Pepper, Pepper Black, Brown Cuban. It ripens quite late, in greenhouses it can grow up to 3 meters. In open ground, bushes are usually more compact – a little over a meter.
Good results in yield are obtained when grown in two stems. Productivity in good conditions can be up to 10-12 kg per bush.
The fruits themselves are of a very original shape, not very elongated, but corrugated, the color when fully ripe is closer to brown, it does not reach black. The taste is very good, although many criticize the rather dense skin. The average weight is 200-350 grams, but may exceed 400 grams.
Conclusion
Thus, the variety of pepper-shaped varieties of tomato allows, if desired, to grow on the site the entire palette of colors and sizes, with different ripening periods.
