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More than 2,5 thousand varieties and hybrids of tomatoes are registered in the State Register. There are standard round-shaped tomatoes with a sweet and sour taste, and completely exotic options, the taste of which resembles fruit, and the appearance is more like an amazing tropical berry.
Among all this variety, lettuce-type tomatoes stand out. These fruits are intended specifically for fresh consumption.
What is the difference between lettuce varieties of tomatoes from the rest, how to grow them correctly and what varieties to choose for your garden – this is the article.
Classification of tomatoes
You can divide tomatoes into groups endlessly: by the type of pollination, by the height of the bushes, by the method of planting, according to the ripening time, and so on and so forth. Most people are interested in the taste of vegetables grown on their plots.
On this basis, tomatoes can be divided into:
- salad – those that are delicious fresh;
- pickling, having a well-permeable peel through which the marinade passes, and dense pulp;
- tomatoes intended for canning are often small in size, because they must crawl through the neck of the jar;
- cocktail tomatoes are small, neat fruits that decorate ready-made meals, snacks or desserts;
- cherry – dessert tomatoes of small sizes, often having an uncharacteristic flavor for a tomato (fruit or berry);
- it is good to make sauces from sauce tomatoes, because they have very few seeds;
- stuffing fruits are convenient to stuff and bake or stew in this form.
What is special about lettuce tomatoes
Salad varieties are easy to distinguish by the indescribable aroma of fruits – this is the smell of fresh grass, greenery, summer. These tomatoes must be eaten fresh, only plucked from the bush. It is in this form that the fruits contain the maximum amount of nutrients and vitamins.
Do not pick lettuce tomatoes unripe – this method is not for them. The fruits must necessarily fully ripen on the branches in order to absorb the maximum of microelements, to be nourished with aroma and taste.
It is tomatoes of lettuce varieties that contain the highest amount of vitamins and nutrients.
Moreover, none of those who have tried such a mix will guess that there are no other ingredients in the salad, except for various tomatoes.
Salad varieties of tomatoes, in turn, are also divided into several subspecies:
- Sweet – have a harmonious content of sugar and acid. On the break of such a tomato, small grains, similar to sugar, are even visible.
- fleshy tomatoes are very nutritious, they are even consumed as a separate dish. They are especially popular with vegetarians and dieters. During cooking, a salad of meaty tomatoes can not be seasoned with oil or mayonnaise, their taste is already quite rich.
- pink tomatoes This is a salad classic. Tasters say that even by smell they can determine the color of the fruit. It is pink tomatoes that smell like summer and sun more than others. There are a lot of such fruits among salad tomatoes, they are considered the most delicious, contain the maximum amount of vitamins and useful trace elements.
“Beefsteak”
The bushes of this variety are quite high, so they need to be strengthened with supports and remove lateral processes. There are very few seeds in the pulp of tomatoes, they are juicy and fleshy. The weight of each fruit is approximately 0,4 kg. Spherical tomatoes have a slightly flattened shape, painted scarlet.
The peel of the fruit is very thin, the tomatoes do not crack. The taste of tomatoes is excellent, but it won’t be possible to store them for a long time – they are too tender and juicy. It is better to use the harvest immediately after harvest for making salads or juice.
“Crimson Giant”
The variety is one of the earliest – the growing season of tomatoes is very short. Tomatoes are large, weighing from 0,6 to 1 kilogram. The color of the fruit is unusual – bright crimson.
The height of the bushes is average – about 0,7 meters. Bushes must be strengthened with supports, pinch the lateral processes. The fruits taste great in salads, these tomatoes make excellent vitamin juices.
“Mikado”
Also quite large tomatoes, weigh about 0,5 kg. The color of these tomatoes is bright scarlet. Their peel is thin, the pulp is few-seeded. These tomatoes differ from other varieties in their unusual sweet and sour taste.
Plants are considered indeterminate, they are tall and sprawling. That is why the bushes need to be strengthened, tied up, and also the removal of lateral processes.
Those tomatoes that ripen first can weigh about a kilogram. The following fruits will be smaller – weighing from 600 grams.
Each tall bush gives a good harvest – about eight kilograms of tomatoes. The fruits, like most salad tomatoes, are poorly stored, but they have an excellent taste.
“Bull Heart”
Another variety of tomato for salads, known to most summer residents and gardeners. These tomatoes are grown everywhere, their bushes reach 180 cm, have powerful stems and large fruits.
The mass of each such tomato is 0,5 kg. The color of the fruit is rich, with a raspberry tint. The shape of the tomatoes corresponds to the name – they look like a heart.
The yield of tomatoes is so high that the bushes may not withstand such a number of fruits, so it is very important to regularly monitor the condition of the branches and tie them up if necessary.
“Sugar Bison”
The variety is similar to the previous one: the same tall bushes, a good harvest, large heart-shaped tomatoes. The mass of fruits is about 0,4 kg, they are painted scarlet, have a thin skin and do not crack.
With proper care, more than seven kilograms of tomatoes can be removed from each bush of the Sugar Bison variety.
“Black Prince”
The black fruits of this variety differ from red-fruited tomatoes in the absence of sourness – the tomatoes are absolutely sweet, sugary, very fragrant.
Tomatoes are painted in brown-scarlet color, sometimes there are almost black tomatoes. Such a fruit weighs about 250 grams; in the context of a tomato, you can see seed chambers of a greenish tint.
The variety is very productive, suitable for cultivation in most regions of the country. The color of juices or sauces made from these tomatoes will be very unusual, which allows you to experiment with dishes.
“Wild Rose”
Raspberry-colored tomatoes weigh about 0,4 kg. The bushes of these plants are very high, they can reach 250 cm. The stems must be strengthened with supports, pinching the lateral processes.
“Persimmon”
This is a variety intended for the south of Our Country, but in the northern regions, tomatoes can also be grown by planting them in greenhouses. The bushes are determinate, grow up to one meter, have a limited number of lateral processes.
Fruit ripening occurs on the 110th day after planting the seeds in the soil. The surface of the tomato is slightly ribbed, the shape is flattened, the peel is thin, painted in an orange tint.
Tomatoes weigh about 300 grams. From a square meter of beds, you can collect up to seven kilograms of tomatoes. The fruits are very tasty fresh, contain a large amount of B vitamins, as evidenced by the color of the tomatoes.
“Marissa”
Low bushes belong to medium early varieties, tomatoes ripen on the 115th day. The fruits are smooth, rounded, painted scarlet, with an average weight of about 130 grams.
The culture is protected from most diseases characteristic of tomatoes. The fruits are suitable not only for making fresh salads, thanks to their small size and strong peel, tomatoes can be salted or canned.
“Gina”
An ideal salad-type tomato that performs equally well in greenhouses and open beds. The growing season of a tomato is average – tomatoes ripen 100 days after planting.
Plants are low, determinant type. Mature fruits have a slightly noticeable ribbing, a slightly flattened shape, and are painted red. The average weight of tomatoes does not exceed 200 grams.
The taste of the fruit is balanced: the pulp has an excellent combination of sour and sweet flavors. Tomatoes are high in healthy sugars and are delicious in salads, juices, and sauces.
The yield of the variety is decent – up to six kilograms per meter.
“present”
Tomato with a short growing season – the fruits ripen within three months after sowing in the ground. Bushes of medium height (slightly more than 70 cm) are of the semi-determinant type, that is, a large number of ovaries appear on the plants, which makes it possible to classify the variety as high-yielding.
Medium-sized tomatoes, round and red, each weighing 150 grams, on average. From a meter of beds or greenhouses, you can get up to 15 kilograms of tomatoes. The taste of tomatoes is high, they make excellent salads, juices and mashed potatoes.
“Pink Raisin”
Tall bushes reach 170 cm. The fruits on them ripen early, have a perfectly even and regular shape – an elongated cream. The shade of tomatoes is pink, they are very tasty, have a strong aroma. Tomatoes are suitable for both fresh salads and canning.
“Banana Legs”
The bushes of this plant are low – only 60 cm. These tomatoes are distinguished by an unusual appearance – a bright yellow hue and an elongated shape with a small process at the end of the fruit. The taste of “Banana Legs” tomatoes is also interesting, it is sweet, absolutely without sourness.
Not everyone likes such a fresh tomato, however, after salting, the tomatoes acquire a very piquant and unusual taste, they absorb the marinade well. Tomatoes are also delicious in salads and sauces.
“Ilyich F1”
An excellent variety for those who grow tomatoes for the purpose of sale. All fruits have the same size and regular shape. Plants give consistently high yields, they can be both salted and consumed fresh.
“Pink Pearl”
Determinate type bushes do not grow much in height, but this does not prevent the variety from being very productive. Tomatoes of this variety can be planted both in garden beds and in an unheated greenhouse.
In addition to the listed qualities, there is another important feature – the plant is not afraid of late blight, Pink Pearl tomatoes rarely get sick with this fungal disease.
“Renette”
A very resistant plant that can acclimatize in almost any conditions. The bushes are very compact, rarely exceeding 40 cm in height. The vegetation period of the variety is short, it belongs to the super-early ones.
The yield of tomatoes is stable – with any vagaries of the weather, the gardener will receive a good harvest of salad tomatoes. The average fruit weight is about 100 grams.
“Fairy’s Gift”
Culture with early ripening, determinant type, with low and compact bushes.
The fruits of this variety are very beautiful – their shape resembles a heart, and the color is orange. The yield of orange salad tomatoes is relatively high.
“Geisha”
Tomatoes that can be planted both in the garden and in the greenhouse. The fruits have an amazing pale pink hue, rather large sizes – about 200 grams. Tomatoes are considered very tasty, great for making salads.
Tips for growing lettuce tomatoes for the first time
As a rule, the best varieties of salad-type tomatoes are distinguished by large fruits, and it is precisely because of this that certain rules for growing such tomatoes arise:
- More plentiful watering of bushes. You need to water salad tomatoes every day or every other day so that they are large enough and juicy. To prevent cracking of fruits due to excessive moisture, it is necessary to choose varieties whose peel is not prone to cracking.
- Frequent feeding is also very important. After all, not only the fruit itself will be large in order to withstand its weight, and the bushes must be powerful and strong enough. Therefore, tomatoes are fed several times a season, using nitrogen and mineral fertilizers.
- Due to the abundant foliage and frequent watering, late blight can threaten salad tomatoes. To protect the bushes, it is necessary to use preventive antifungal agents, monitor the condition of the leaves and fruits, and, if possible, mulch the soil around the bushes.
- You need to harvest as the fruits ripen – these are not the tomatoes that can be “grown” on the windowsill.
- Careful tying of the bush, which must be supplemented as the stems grow. If the branches are not strengthened with supports, they can break off under the weight of the fruit.
This tactic will help increase productivity, and the gardener’s family will be provided with fresh vegetables all season.
If the gardener also dreams of salted, canned tomatoes, you will have to take care of buying tomato seeds intended for pickling. Salad fruits are not very suitable for these purposes, their peel is too thin, it will easily crack under the influence of boiling marinade. And the pulp of these tomatoes is not very dense, so they can become even softer, lose their shape, as they say, “bloom”.
For each purpose, it is necessary to choose certain varieties of tomatoes. Salad-type tomatoes are suitable only for fresh consumption or processing: making juices, mashed potatoes, sauces.
To diversify the menu and surprise guests, you can plant tomatoes with fruits of different colors on your plot – a mixture of bright vegetables will look quite impressive on plates, and guests will not immediately understand what the dish is made of.
