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Luckily, there are such versatile vegetables that are good both fresh and cooked. Tomatoes can be used as a main dish, as a side dish, and as a juice. Tomato Cow’s heart is distinguished not only by its yield, but also by the impeccable taste of the fruit.
Variety description
The variety appeared not so long ago. And although the Oxheart is not a hybrid, its characteristics are quite impressive. The tomato is zoned in the southern regions, but in protected greenhouse and greenhouse conditions it can be grown in any region. The variety belongs to the indeterminate type, that is, it has unlimited growth. The bush is medium leafy, the shape and structure of the leaves is usual for tomatoes. In open ground conditions, bushes grow at least one and a half meters high, in a greenhouse – up to two.
The root system is powerful, branched, from 1 to 2 m. The crop ripens about 4 months after emergence. The yield depends on growing conditions: up to 7 kg in open ground and more than 10 kg in greenhouses and greenhouses. Each brush produces up to 5 fruits. On average, the fruit weighs about 400 g, while the lower tomatoes are always larger, by weight they can be up to 1 kg. The upper fruits are smaller, the weight of which rarely exceeds 200 g. Thanks to the shape of an elongated ribbed oval and raspberry-red color, which resemble a heart, the tomato got its name.
The dense peel of tomatoes allows them to be transported over long distances and eliminates cracking of the fruit, and the tasty aromatic pulp with a slightly sugary structure can be used for fresh consumption, pickles, etc. However, the fruits are not stored for long, both appearance and taste suffer from overexposure quality. The variety is resistant to most diseases of tomatoes, including late blight. The fact that the Cow’s Heart does not belong to hybrid forms allows you to collect seeds and grow seedlings at home.
Video “The best varieties of tomatoes”
From this video you will learn which varieties of tomatoes are considered the best.
Subspecies
Cow’s heart cannot boast of a wide variety of varietal subspecies. However, in this case, the issue is not quantity, but quality. Today, the tomato is represented by two varieties: Minusinsk and striped.
The Minusinsk Oxheart was bred not by professional breeders, but by amateurs. The fruits of this variety ripen faster (the variety is mid-ripening), but the tomatoes are not so large – the maximum weight of the fruit is up to 400 g. The number of seeds in the fruit is also much less. Grow a bush in 2-3 stems.
The striped Cow’s heart differs not only in color, but also in the size of the fruit. The fruits are small, 150–200 g, pink in color with golden stripes.
Mid-season variety. It is recommended to grow in greenhouse conditions.
And although the size of the fruits of varietal varieties is much smaller, but the degree of yield is higher. As for the taste characteristics of tomatoes, they are not only not inferior to the base variety, but also have their own attractive features.
Advantages and disadvantages
Like most varietal vegetable crops, the Cow’s Heart tomato has its pros and cons. And although there is no consensus among gardeners, reviews indicate the high popularity of culture.
Advantages:
- good resistance to common tomato diseases;
- excellent presentation and taste characteristics of fruits;
- the possibility of transportation over long distances;
- high degree of productivity with adequate care and optimal growing conditions.
Disadvantages:
- the need for constant, well-chosen care;
- late ripening of tomatoes, which is not suitable for all regions;
- the variety is quite demanding on the temperature conditions of cultivation and does not tolerate temperature fluctuations;
- short shelf life of fruits.
Features of agricultural technology
The fact that Cow’s heart belongs to indeterminate (with unlimited growth) varieties leaves its mark on the mandatory presence of certain agrotechnical measures. Tomato is demanding in care, so you should not forget about the following basic necessary actions:
- Select or grow seedlings that will be strong and healthy for both greenhouse and outdoor growing. If you intend to grow seedlings yourself, you need to calculate the sowing time so that from sowing to transfer to the soil is about 60 days (plus or minus 5).
- Before planting in open ground, seedlings must be hardened off.
- Adhere to the tomato planting scheme, which will allow the bushes to develop in normal mode. The distance between the bushes should be at least half a meter, and the depth of the pit – no more than 20 cm.
- Since the tomato has unlimited growth, you must immediately take care of strong pegs for tying the bushes.
- Form a bush (depending on the variety) in 1, 2 or 3 stems.
- Extra stepchildren are removed, fruit clusters and ovaries are thinned out. Otherwise, the fruits will be small and not so tasty.
- The bush needs top dressing 3-4 times during the growing period. Mineral fertilizers (potassium-phosphorus compounds) and organic mixtures are optimally suited. A small amount of nitrogenous fertilizing is allowed.
- Frequent and plentiful watering. Water the tomato every three days with warm settled water. To reduce the risk of fungal infections, the soil is mulched and the leaves thinned out. The lower ones can be cut off completely.
- Preventive treatment with Bordeaux liquid or other copper-containing preparations will not be superfluous.
Based on all of the above, we can conclude: you must definitely grow a few bushes of the Cow’s Heart in your garden.