Contents
Tomato Dark chocolate refers to chokeberry cherry varieties of medium ripening. This variety was bred not so long ago, so it can still be perceived as a kind of exotic, however, the care of the variety differs little from other types of the mid-season group.
The Black Chocolate tomato was included in the State Register and adapted for growing in greenhouse conditions in all regions of Our Country in 2007.
Description of the variety of tomato Dark chocolate
Variety Dark chocolate is an indeterminate tomato type. This means that the plant is not limited in growth, although the average height of the bushes is 1,5-1,7 m. In their appearance, they resemble vines entangling supports. Such dimensions require the mandatory formation of tomatoes and garters of shoots. As a support, trellises are best suited, to which the tomatoes are attached with twine.
The fruits of the variety are small. They form brushes of 8-12 fruits each. This density of growth ensures a high yield of tomatoes, despite the fact that they themselves are small in size.
Description and taste of fruits
Translated from English, cherry means “cherry”, which is quite consistent with the appearance and size of the fruits of the Black Chocolate variety. The weight of tomatoes rarely exceeds 30 g.
The shape of the fruit is round, without pronounced ribbing. Their color is almost uniform, except for a small greenish spot at the stem. The color of the tomatoes is dark brown, with a barely noticeable purple tint.
The pulp of tomatoes of the Black Chocolate variety is juicy and dense, the fruits are two-chamber. The peel of the fruit is elastic, but tender enough, so the tomatoes should be transported carefully to avoid cracking the harvested crop.
The reviews often emphasize the pleasant taste of the fruit. Tomatoes Dark chocolate are moderately sweet, not cloying, but with a slight sourness, which is in harmony with the sugar content of the pulp. There is also a rich taste of fruits, which contains fruity notes. This is due to the unusually high concentration of sugars and acids in the pulp of tomatoes.
For harvesting for the winter, this variety of tomatoes is of little use. The skin of the fruit cracks easily in preparation for preservation, as a result of which the pulp softens and the contents of the tomatoes come out. This is a cocktail type. Most of the harvest is spent on fresh consumption and when added to salads.
Characteristics of tomato Black Chocolate
According to the information from the description of tomatoes, Dark Chocolate is a mid-season variety, the sowing of which is recommended to start from March 15th. The deadline is March 20-22. Landing in a greenhouse is carried out on average 2 months after the appearance of the first sprouts.
Tomatoes ripen in 110-120 days, if counted from the day the first shoots appear. The yield of one plant reaches 4-5 kg.
One of the key features of the variety is excellent immunity to diseases typical of tomatoes. On the other hand, disease prevention is never superfluous.
Pros and cons of the variety
Tomatoes of the Black Chocolate variety have many positive characteristics:
- exotic fruit;
- rich sweet taste and aroma;
- high yields – from 4-5 kg per plant and above with good care;
- ability to ripen after harvest;
- unpretentiousness in care;
- resistance to most diseases that are typical for tomatoes;
- good responsiveness to feeding.
Not devoid of variety and shortcomings. These include the following qualities of this variety:
- thermophilicity – tomatoes Dark chocolate is almost impossible to grow outside greenhouse conditions;
- tomatoes are unsuitable for harvesting for the winter;
- transportation of fruits provides for accurate packaging of the crop to avoid cracking the skin;
- the need to form bushes;
- mandatory tie.
Some of the cons of the variety are rather doubtful, as they involve basic procedures for caring for tomatoes, typical of many varieties.
Rules of landing and care
Growing tomatoes Dark chocolate is not much different from caring for other hybrids and varieties of medium ripening. Agrotechnics for planting and subsequent care of tomatoes provides for standard procedures:
- installation of supports;
- the introduction of dressings;
- regular watering;
- pinching;
- preventive disinfection of soil for seedlings and plantings.
Growing seedlings
Before sowing seeds, planting material is recommended to be checked for germination. To do this, you need to dip the seeds in a glass or plate of water for half an hour and watch how they behave. The floating seeds are unsuitable for sowing. Those that have sunk to the bottom are dried and then treated with substances to stimulate growth.
Growing seedlings of tomatoes Black Chocolate is produced according to the following scheme:
- The soil before planting seeds is disinfected for prevention with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
- Then the soil must be fertilized with fine-grained river sand, humus and peat, taken in equal quantities.
- Planting material is placed in the ground at a distance of 2 cm from each other.
- After that, the seeds are lightly sprinkled and watered, but moderately so as not to wash off the planting material.
- The landing procedure is completed by the placement of a shelter – glass or plastic wrap.
- When the first shoots appear (after about 4 days), the shelter is removed. The container with seedlings must be rearranged on the windowsill.
- Throughout the growth of tomatoes, seedlings are regularly watered, focusing on the condition of the soil surface. It must not dry out. Do not use cold water for irrigation.
- When the tomatoes form 3 leaves, they are seated in separate containers. In this case, the roots of the seedlings should be carefully moved, they must not be damaged.
Seedling transplant
Dark chocolate tomatoes are transplanted into the greenhouse starting from the second decade of May, when the soil warms up sufficiently. Recommended planting pattern: 3 bushes per 1 m2. Plants are placed at a distance of 45-50 cm from each other. It is not recommended to thicken the plantings, because when the tomatoes are close, they quickly deplete the soil, which affects fruiting – the tomatoes begin to shrink and lose the sugar content of the pulp. In addition, when thickening, a light deficiency can be observed, which also inhibits the growth of tomatoes.
The procedure for planting seedlings is as follows:
- Dig shallow holes with a small garden shovel.
- Fertilizer is placed at the bottom of each hole. For these purposes, nitrophoska is suitable, no more than 1 tsp. into each hole. Fertilizer is mixed with soil and watered.
- A support about 1-1,5 m high is installed near one of the walls of the pit. If you drive it into the ground after planting, you can damage the root system of tomatoes.
- Then the seedlings are taken out of the containers, carefully holding the earthen ball so that it does not fall apart.
- The seedling is lowered into the hole and sprinkled with earth. Additionally, you can dilute the soil with peat and humus with the addition of sand.
After planting tomatoes, it is recommended to leave them alone for 3-5 days. At this time, watering is not done for better survival of tomatoes. The first feeding is carried out only 3 weeks after planting.
Care of tomatoes
To grow tomatoes of the Black Chocolate variety should be subject to the following recommendations:
- Tomatoes must be tied to supports. The leaves and fruits of tomatoes should not lie on the ground, otherwise the process of decay will begin, which can lead to the death of the entire bush. Fruit branches without a garter can break under the weight of tomatoes.
- Stepchildren, except for the strongest, which is located after the first flower brush, are cut off. Tomatoes of this variety are formed in 1-2 stems. The lower leaves are cut off as the tomatoes ripen. If this is not done, the plant will expend energy on the formation of foliage and the development of stepchildren.
- Water the variety Dark chocolate with a frequency of 2-3 days. Landing should not be flooded.
- It is advisable to mulch the soil under the bushes. Mulch prevents the growth of weeds and helps retain moisture after watering.
- Feed tomatoes once a week, not more often. To do this, it is better to use organic fertilizers: bird droppings, crushed chalk, ash, superphosphate, nitroammophoska. Small-fruited varieties react poorly to feeding with mullein. A mixture of ash (1 l) and superphosphate (1 tablespoons) has proven itself well.
- Fruiting is positively affected by the introduction of a mixture of carbamide (10 tsp of carbamide is diluted in 1 liters of water) or iodine (10-12 drops of the substance are dissolved in 10 liters of water diluted with 1 liter of whey).
- It is not recommended to feed chokeberry varieties with mineral fertilizers.
- If the tomatoes have changed color to pinkish or light brown, then it is necessary to correct the acid-base balance of the soil. To do this, between the beds, you can sow peas or mustard. In addition, the condition of the soil can be improved by adding chalk and ash to the ground in a proportion of 1-2 tsp. for 1 tomato plant.
- When the tomatoes bloom, it is advisable to gently shake the bushes from time to time. This is done so that the plant sets the maximum number of fruits.
- As a preventive measure for fungal infections, plantings are recommended to be treated once every 1 weeks with a yeast solution. For this, 2 tbsp. l. sugar and 10 sachet of yeast are diluted in 1 liters of infused water. For 10 bush spend no more than 1 liter of solution. It is brought under the root or sprayed bushes.
You can learn more about the properties of black tomatoes, as well as the features of their cultivation, from the video below:
Conclusion
Tomato Dark chocolate, despite the relative youth of the variety, has already managed to win the recognition of summer residents due to its unpretentiousness and resistance to diseases typical of tomatoes. Particularly attracted by the exotic appearance of the fruit and the unusual rich aroma, due to the high concentration of sugars in the pulp. There are no pronounced shortcomings in the Black Chocolate tomato, however, it is not suitable for planting in open ground, which some attribute to the cons of the variety.