It is difficult to find another garden crop as common in almost any region of Our Country as a tomato. They are grown, probably, even in the conditions of the Far North, if it is possible to put at least a small greenhouse. Naturally, for such extreme conditions, it is necessary to use ultra-early ripening tomato varieties. One of the most popular varieties known to almost every summer resident is the Little Red Riding Hood tomato.
This variety has many advantages, which will be discussed below in its description and characteristics, but Little Red Riding Hood most of all impresses with its sweet taste, which even professional tasters rate as “excellent”. But for early tomatoes, this is a rarity. After all, what is required of them? The main thing is that the first tomato ripens as early as possible, so that at the beginning of summer you can enjoy the taste of fresh tomatoes. And for them to be sweet at the same time, such happiness is hard to imagine. But he also has other advantages, it is not for nothing that he is so popular with gardeners, especially beginners.
Variety description
This variety has another name – Rotkappchen. Translated from German, this word means – Little Red Riding Hood. Which suggests that the variety is of German origin and bred in Germany for quite a long time. In our country, it appeared in 2010 and was registered in the State Register in 2011 with regionalization throughout Our Country.
Variety Red Riding Hood is not only superdeterminant, but also standard. Bushes of such tomatoes, as a rule, do not require pruning, pinching, or garters, which is very convenient for busy gardeners. Speaking specifically from Little Red Riding Hood, then she really doesn’t need pruning and stepsoning. But regarding the garter, the opinions of gardeners differ, since the bushes of this variety are hung with a large number of tomatoes during ripening and are able to lie on the ground under the weight of the crop.
On the other hand, the bushes of this tomato are quite low and compact, reaching only 25-40 cm in height. Therefore, you can tie them up only once in the middle of the bush, which will be quite enough to support the fruit and a spectacular appearance.
Tomato bushes of this variety, despite their compactness, are very strong with thick, strong stems, moderately leafy. Most often they are grown in open ground, but often, due to early ripeness, Little Red Riding Hood seedlings are planted in heated spring greenhouses or film tunnels. This allows you to get the first fruits in May. Due to the small and compact size of the bushes, the tomato of this variety is a frequent guest on window sills and balconies, where it can bear fruit with additional lighting outside the usual seasonal times. Most often it is grown indoors or in early spring or late autumn.
As has been mentioned more than once, this tomato variety is not just early ripening, but even ultra-early. From the emergence of shoots to the ripening of the first tomatoes, 80-90 days can pass. Even when growing a variety in the open ground of the Northwestern region, under far from ideal weather conditions for a tomato, the ripening of tomatoes begins as early as the twentieth of July. And by mid-August, the crop can be completely removed and processed.
The Red Riding Hood tomato boasts yield indicators that are also not characteristic of such early tomatoes. One tomato plant with decent care (watering, fertilizing, weed protection) can produce up to 1 kg or more fruits. On average, about 2-3 kg of tomatoes are obtained from one square meter of plantings.
The Red Riding Hood tomato variety is resistant to many diseases, in particular, to verticillosis, tomato mosaic virus and Fusarium wilt. Bushes are also very rarely susceptible to phytophthora, since they have time to fully yield the crop before outbreaks of this disease at the end of summer.
Tomatoes of this variety are relatively plastic and can withstand both short-term drought and some lack of light and heat.
Fruit Characteristics
Interestingly, the Red Riding Hood tomato variety got its name not at all because of the fruits as such, but because of the peculiarities of their growth. Tomatoes are concentrated mainly in the central and upper part of a low bush, thus creating, as it were, a small red hat.
The following characteristics can be noted in the fruits of this variety:
- Tomatoes have an almost regular round shape.
- The color of the fruit in an unripe state is green with a pronounced spot at the base. In the process of maturity, the stain disappears, and the tomatoes acquire a bright red color.
- Tomatoes are small in size, the weight of one fruit can vary from 20 to 60 grams.
- There are few seed chambers, no more than two.
- There are usually about 4-5 tomatoes in the brush.
- The pulp is juicy, and even fleshy, and the skin is quite tender, so the variety is ideal for the first summer salads. It can be used for canning in jars of any size, due to the convenient size of the fruit, and when fully ripe, the tomatoes are not prone to cracking.
- Tomatoes Little Red Riding Hood have very good taste, they are sweetish and very pleasant to the taste.
- The fruits are not stored for a very long time and are not subject to long-term transportation.
The nuances of growing
Since tomatoes of this variety ripen very quickly, in the southern regions, seeds can be sown directly into the ground or, in extreme cases, under film shelters. Well, in the middle lane, and even more so in the north, Little Red Riding Hood tomatoes are grown only with the help of seedlings.
Before sowing, the seeds are traditionally tested for germination in salted water. Floating seeds are removed, and those that have settled to the bottom are washed thoroughly in running water from traces of salt and sown in prepared containers. At a temperature of + 18 ° C, the first shoots can be expected as early as 5-6 days. It is important in the first week after germination to reduce the temperature of keeping tomato seedlings by 5 degrees, or at least provide a significant difference in day and night temperatures. This will contribute to additional hardening of seedlings and the formation of a strong root system. After breaking through the first true tomato leaf, the seedlings should be picked. Before landing in the ground, it can be fed 1-2 times, but, most importantly, at this stage, provide enough light and water.
The first inflorescence should appear above the fifth or sixth leaf. During flowering, it is advisable to sprinkle tomatoes with boron and iodine for successful pollination and the prevention of certain diseases. Tomatoes Little Red Riding Hood are resistant to many diseases, so they will not require unnecessary chemical treatments against diseases.
Ripening of tomatoes occurs relatively amicably.
Reviews
The Little Red Riding Hood tomato causes mostly positive feedback from most gardeners, although some are still unhappy with the small size of the fruit.
Conclusion
Tomatoes Little Red Riding Hood can surprise and please both a novice gardener and a person with experience. Their unpretentiousness, compactness, early ripeness, and most importantly, taste and productivity, can attract the attention of any person who is not indifferent to tomatoes.
