Contents
Vegetable salad is a favorite dish in the heat of summer, but it won’t taste as good without tomatoes. Chocolate stripes, or Tomato Striped chocolate will add originality, piquancy to the dish. An unpretentious plant gives a bountiful harvest, which allows you to enjoy the fruits fresh and canned.
Description of the variety of tomatoes Striped chocolate
In 2010, American breeders, including J. Saigel, crossed two species – Shimmeig Creg (Shimmeig Kreg) and pink beefsteak. The result is called “Striped Chocolate” due to the appearance of the fruit. The tomato has not yet been entered into the State Register of Our Country, but has already spread throughout the country.
Manufacturers give the following description of the tomato variety Striped chocolate: a plant of indeterminate type of development, grows up to 1,5 m in open ground and up to 2 m in greenhouse conditions. Variety Striped chocolate has a thick, strong main stem with a moderate amount of foliage. A strong root system is branched, grows in a horizontal plane.
The leaf plate is medium in size, has clearly defined wrinkles. The color of the leaves is dark green, it can fade under ultraviolet rays, the foliage does not have fluff. Inflorescences form above the 9th leaf, then every 3. They are of the usual type, each can set 5-6 large fruits. Grow a tomato in 1 or 2 stems.
Description of striped chocolate tomato: the variety is mid-ripening, the fruits begin to ripen on the 100th – 110th day. The countdown starts from the moment the first shoots appear. The duration of fruiting is good – you can harvest until the last days of September; fruits ripen together, plentifully. Most of the tomatoes are marketable and in size.
Brief description and taste of fruits
Tomatoes belong to the maxi category with an average diameter of 15 cm. Most of the crop is 500 – 600g, but there are specimens up to 1 kg. The fruits have a rounded shape, flattened at the bottom, top. Features of the variety – the presence of stripes on the surface.
The pulp is dense, but not watery, has a dark color. Inside there are 8 spacious chambers with a small amount of fairly large seeds. It is not for nothing that producers call the variety Striped chocolate a beef tomato: these are really large tomatoes with a lot of juicy pulp.
The technically ripe fruit is red or burgundy in color with dark red or green stripes evenly distributed over the surface. The peel is dense, shiny. Tomato Striped chocolate is consumed fresh, which allows you to feel its pronounced aroma. The taste of the fruit is sweetish, with a spicy sourness.
The variety is used for making salads, preserves or grown for sale. However, it is not suitable for making juice, whole-fruit canning. Green tomatoes can also be rolled into glass jars with seasonings.
Characteristics of tomatoes Striped chocolate
From 10 to 16 kg of fruits of large and medium sizes are harvested from a square meter of area. Fruiting in greenhouse conditions begins in June, in open ground – in July, and ends in mid-September. In some particularly warm areas, you can observe the vision of tomatoes until the end of the month.
Tomato yield is affected by:
- illumination of the landing area;
- fertilizer balance;
- regularity of feeding;
- sufficient soil moisture;
- timely loosening, weeding;
- soil fertility.
The plant is immune to viral diseases, only isolated cases of infection have been recorded. Pests do not like the taste of new tomatoes, so they prefer other varieties. In the description of the Striped Chocolate tomato, you can find a mention of late blight, but most often the plant resists it well.
Pros and cons of the variety
Tomato Striped chocolate was enjoyed by connoisseurs of original products. Ease of care, cultivation allowed the variety to become popular among ordinary gardeners. He was also loved for other virtues:
- resistance to diseases, pests;
- long-term fruiting in compliance with agricultural technology;
- original taste;
- unique aroma;
- high, stable yield;
- marketable condition;
- the predominance of large fruits;
- beautiful coloring.
As a drawback to striped chocolate, gardeners note that at elevated temperatures the fruits crack, which is why they begin to rot. This also includes the need to tie bushes on strong supports that do not always withstand the masses. The complexity of transportation is also a minus.
Rules of landing and care
In order for the Striped Chocolate tomato variety to show maximum characteristics, you need to make a little effort. Caring for the plant is easy. For this you need:
- to loosen the earth;
- weed;
- to feed;
- pinch;
- to dive.
Seeding for seedlings
The preparation of seed material begins in March, if the plant is intended for greenhouse conditions, or in April – for open ground. Seedling containers are disinfected with boiling water, a weak solution of manganese, or washed with soapy water. Tomato seeds Striped chocolate is checked for germination by soaking in warm water for 10-15 minutes. and removal of pop-ups.
In order for the Striped Chocolate tomato to rise faster, it is recommended to soak the planting material in a growth stimulator, following the manufacturer’s instructions. A mixture of earth from the site, sand, peat in equal parts is poured into a small container and, having made holes with a finger, seeds are planted at the rate of 2 – 3 pcs. by 1 cm.
All this is sprinkled with peat, covered with a transparent material – it can be glass, food or ordinary film. The containers are sent to a warm place with an air temperature of 25 degrees.
After 6 – 8 days, when the sprouts hatch, the temperature in the room is reduced to 18 – 20 degrees. The film or glass must be removed, providing air access to the soil. A place for young tomatoes is chosen sunny. The picking is carried out not earlier than 2 – 3 full-fledged leaves appear on the Striped chocolate.
Seedling transplant
Young sprouts are planted in open ground in June, in a greenhouse – in early May. A week before transplanting, seedlings are hardened off so that they grow well further. To do this, the containers are taken out into the street, increasing the time every day. In order for the tomato variety Striped Chocolate to take well, they are waiting for the soil to warm up to 15 – 16 degrees.
The seat is chosen illuminated, but without drafts, direct sunlight. Ideally, if a shadow from a bush, a small tree falls on the seedlings. Having planted Striped chocolate in the ground, it is recommended to cover it with a film for the first week.
In the open ground, 50 cm are left between the holes, in the greenhouse – 60 cm. Per 1 sq. m. in greenhouse conditions, 2 – 3 plants are planted, in open ground – 4. Keeping a distance will allow the plant to grow. This will also simplify the implementation of agrotechnical activities, such as weeding, loosening, fertilizing.
Care of tomatoes
Pasynkovanie is recommended to be carried out only in the conditions of greenhouse growth for the formation of the main stem. To do this, every 2 weeks, small shoots are removed that have not reached a length of 4 cm. In open ground, the tomato does not need pinching. According to reviews, the Striped Chocolate tomato variety looks especially impressive on the table; the photo clearly shows the unique striped color of the fruit, which makes it difficult to confuse the fruits with other varieties.
Tall tomatoes must be tied up using only synthetic materials. For this variety, it is recommended to regularly apply mixed-type top dressing, alternating organic and mineral. It can be rotted manure, wood ash, potassium and phosphorus compounds. Nitrogen fertilizers can not be used: the variety bears large fruits without them.
Mulching the ground around the stem of the tomato will help prevent pests from entering the bush. This is a kind of barrier that earthly species of parasites cannot overcome. It is recommended to water the seedlings with water at room temperature 3 times a week in the evening, and loosen the soil the next morning.
Conclusion
Tomato Striped chocolate tolerates slight temperature fluctuations well, loves lighted places, undemanding to the composition of the soil. Fertilizers increase productivity, and regular watering affects the taste and size of the fruit. The variety is suitable for fresh consumption, cooking, canning, sale.
Reviews about the variety of tomatoes Striped chocolate
