Description, characteristics and nuances of growing red banana tomato

Author of the article

Yakov Pavlovich

Professor, Head of the Department of Vegetable Growing

Articles written

153

Tomato varieties with elongated, fleshy fruits are highly valued by gardeners. They are easy to cut and fit perfectly into a jar when pickling. The Banana red tomato variety has enjoyed well-deserved success among vegetable growers throughout the country for more than 15 years. Its strengths are unpretentiousness, high yield and compact size of the bush.

Description and characteristics of tomato Banana red

This variety of tomato was obtained in 1996. The owner of the rights to the variety is the Gavrish company. The plant is recommended for cultivation throughout Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan.

Red banana is a low-growing plant. The length of its stem is limited to 70-80 cm in open ground and 90 cm in a greenhouse. 5-6 fruit clusters are formed on the bush, which begin to grow after the 6th leaf. The top does not require pinching, but excess lateral shoots must be removed.

Expert opinion

Stanislav Pavlovich

Gardener with 17 years of experience and our expert

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Attention. To increase productivity, it is recommended to form a bush with 2 stems. An additional trunk grows from a stepson that is not pinched.

The variety is intended for planting in greenhouses, film tunnels, and open ground. Due to its small dimensions, it is possible to plant tomatoes in containers.

Banana Red is genetically resistant to Fusarium wilt and TMV virus. It is not immune to cladosporiosis.

The harvest of ripe fruits begins 3.5 months after sowing. Under ideal greenhouse growing conditions, up to 3 kg is harvested from one bush. In open ground, the yield depends on the weather and ranges from 1.5-2.5 kg per bush.

Fruit characteristics:

• elongated banana shape, with a pronounced spout at the top;
• length up to 12 cm, width across up to 3 cm;
• the pulp is dense, low-juicy;
• the skin is dense, red;
• the taste is sweet, with a sour tomato note.

Red Banana fruits are suitable for summer consumption in salads and vegetable stews. They are marinated and salted in their entirety, and prepared into paste and ketchup.

Advantages and disadvantages

The Orange banana variety has the following advantages:

• high productivity;
• pleasant, honey-sweet taste of fruits with characteristic sourness;
• immunity to many diseases characteristic of tomatoes;
• unpretentious character;
• keeping quality and resistance of tomatoes to transportation;
• dense peel that does not crack during preservation;
• long fruiting period.

The disadvantages of the variety include the subspecies’ demanding requirements for soil fertility and regular fertilizing.

Varieties and types

The characteristics of the Red Banana variety turned out to be so successful that breeders created several more varieties with different skin colors. Taking into account the wishes of vegetable growers, new varieties have greater growth and, accordingly, higher yields. They are intended for greenhouses, but they also bear fruit well in the open air.

1. The yellow Banana tomato is the “heaviest”, having a fruit weight of 150 g. It also has a delicate and thin skin. The taste is sweet and sour, the flesh is juicy. Its height reaches 2.5 m. Up to 11 tomatoes ripen in each fruit bunch. Ripening is medium late (120-127 days from the appearance of seedlings). Productivity is 7-8 kg per plant when grown indoors.
2. Golden Banana is slightly smaller than yellow banana, its weight is 110-130 g. The taste is sweetish and pleasant. The color of the skin is yellow-orange. The plant grows up to 2 m, producing 6-8 clusters. Each brush contains 7-10 fruits. Productivity up to 5 kg per plant.
3. Pink banana produces fruits weighing 100-110 g. They are sweet, fleshy, with a strong skin. The height of the tomato stem is 150 cm. It requires mandatory pinching and tying to a support. Productivity up to 4 kg per plant.
4. The variegated banana has the most original coloring of the fruit: red strokes and stripes are densely scattered on an orange background. Such varieties are called “bicolor” because they combine 2 colors. Tomato weight is from 80 to 120 g. The pulp is dense and does not become limp in the marinade. The taste is sweet and sour. The variety is intended for planting in a greenhouse and has unlimited growth. The harvest is ready for harvest 4 months after sowing. Productivity – from 3 to 6 kg per plant.

See also: Fruitful and new tomato varieties of Siberian selection for the Urals

On a note. If you plant plants with fruits of different colors in your area, you can prepare elegant salad mixes, combining multi-colored tomatoes in a plate.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety in comparison with other varieties

The main advantages of the “Banana Legs” variety include:

• high productivity;
• can be grown in garden beds and in greenhouse conditions;
• fruits of original shape and color;
• the taste of ripe fruits is not quite typical for tomatoes, as it contains lemon notes;
• tomato Banana legs is highly resistant to most diseases;
• resistance to temperature changes and weather conditions - does not reduce productivity in any conditions;
• in many regions, seed material is planted directly into the soil;
• the harvest ripens almost simultaneously;
• good presentation of the collected fruits;
• long storage period;
• versatility of the harvested crop;
• The harvested crop can easily withstand transportation over long distances.

There are no disadvantages noted in the Banana Legs tomato, only some summer residents note the unusual taste of these tomatoes.

Anyone can leave reviews about the Banana Legs tomato on our website, as well as add photos of the grown crop to the reviews.

Features of cultivation

In general, Banana tomatoes do not have any special requirements for agricultural technology. The variety is characterized by unpretentiousness to the composition of the soil, but requires regular watering and fertilizing.

Seed preparation

Branded tomato seeds have already undergone the necessary sterilization and do not require additional processing. It is recommended to soak seeds collected from your plants for 15 minutes in a warm solution of pink potassium permanganate or in Fitosporin.

Many vegetable growers germinate tomatoes before sowing to ensure guaranteed germination. Seeds are germinated in a piece of cotton cloth or in a cotton pad soaked in warm water. At a temperature of +25 degrees, sprouts appear on the 3rd day.

Expert opinion

Stanislav Pavlovich

Gardener with 17 years of experience and our expert

Ask a Question

On a note. To make an adult plant more easily tolerate temperature changes, the seeds are hardened. Dry, unsprouted seeds are poured into a damp cloth and buried in the snow or put in the refrigerator for 2 days. After which, they are brought into a warm place and germinated.

Planting seedlings

Banana tomatoes are sown in February-March, depending on the location of further cultivation (in a greenhouse or in open ground). Sow in common containers followed by picking or in separate pots. Sowing pattern 2.5 by 3 cm, depth 1 cm.

Transplantation to a permanent place

Plants can be planted in the soil when it warms up to +14 degrees. The air temperature should fluctuate between +18 +22 degrees.

When grown with 1 stem, the banana is placed according to a 40 by 40 cm pattern. If the bush is formed into 2-3 stems, the plants are placed at intervals of 50-60 cm.

See also Tomatoes Primadonna f1: description and features of growing a hybrid variety

When planting a tomato, its stem is lowered into the ground up to the cotyledons. The soil around the bush is covered with straw, grass, and sawdust.

Reviews of tomato Banana legs

Reviews and tips for growing tomatoes Banana legs

We analyzed a large number of reviews about the Banana Legs tomato variety. Reviews from real gardeners. The opinions of most gardeners are negative. The result is the following picture: tomatoes of this variety are very mediocre. Higher yields may not make them tastier or more attractive for processing. The taste of fruits is a subjective concept. Some people like sugary tomatoes, others with sourness.

But when such controversial assessments of the taste of fresh fruits, the pickling qualities of the variety, raise the question of choosing a harvesting recipe specifically for a specific variety. It's probably better to choose a different variety of tomatoes. There is absolutely no justification for planting them, especially a lot of bushes.

• The yield of the Banana Legs tomato, judging by the reviews and photos presented, corresponds to the characteristics of the variety. The tomato is really productive , it sets well, inflorescences and then fruits appear very quickly on the formed stepsons. Plants do not need the use of drugs to stimulate fruit set (“Ovary”, “Bud”, etc.). Even beginners can grow tomatoes of this variety.
• The tomatoes are really very beautiful, with an original shape . In this case, the description and reviews of Banana Legs tomatoes coincided. Bushes strewn with fruits look very impressive and are liked by everyone, especially children.
• The biggest dissatisfaction is with the taste of the fruit. Most gardeners note that the taste of tomatoes is “not at all” - there is no sweetness, no characteristic tomato sourness, the fruits are loose and mealy. And the citrus note in taste, stated in numerous descriptions of the variety, is not mentioned at all in any review. To be fair, it must be said that not everything depends on the variety. The taste and yield are greatly influenced by cultivation techniques and weather conditions.
• Opinions were divided regarding the use for preservation: some people really liked the pickled tomatoes, while others found them tasteless with a hard core even when preserved. Perhaps it’s the stage of picking the fruits; according to the description, it’s better to pick them for preservation when they’re a little under-ripe . Perhaps the difference in recipes affects the preparations; in a more saturated brine, the preparations turn out tastier. Deciding whether this variety is worth such inconvenience or whether it is better to plant reliable and proven varieties is a matter for everyone personally. The presence of a white, rough awn in canned fruits caused many complaints. When sterilizing the workpiece, the tomatoes burst.
• According to the comments and reviews of those who planted the Banana Legs variety of tomatoes, they are good for freezing - you get neat, beautiful pieces. They are good for drying, but sun-dried tomatoes are not very popular in our country yet. From the Banana Legs tomato you get an original juice of an unusual color.
• Tomatoes store well. Collected unripe, they retained their quality for a long time. There are reviews about the successful experience of preserving fruits at home before the New Year holidays.
• Opinions are very divided regarding the timing of ripening. Some varieties showed really early ripening, while others showed medium and even late ripening. Definitely, we have not found a single real review of planting Banana Legs tomato seeds directly into the ground (without seedlings).
• Not everyone likes the shape of the bush, its untidiness and the need to tie up the shoots. The shape of the bush is a feature of the variety. And such productive tomatoes need the support of shoots with tassels during fruiting, otherwise they will break.

These are the most common reviews about the Banana Legs tomato variety.

Breeders have developed a huge number of wonderful varieties that are suitable for both salads and canning. They are universal, good for consumption both fresh and in any preparation. Perhaps some of them are less productive, but why waste your time and resources on growing a large crop of bad-tasting fruits. But let's take a closer look at this variety. Expert agronomists know that in order for all the inherent qualities of a variety to manifest itself, it needs to be grown for several years, checking the results in different conditions. In this case, it will be possible to draw conclusions about yield, taste, suitability for preservation, and so on.

If you are still interested in trying such an unusual variety, we recommend planting a few, for example 2-3 bushes. And be sure to take into account the recommendations below.

Subsequent care of the crop

Caring for the variety includes standard procedures: watering, weeding, tying, fertilizing.

Watering

Tomatoes are watered no more than 2 times a week, only with warm water, at the root. Liquid consumption rate: from 2 liters for a low-growing plant to 8 liters for a tall tomato.

Top dressing

Fruiting tomatoes are fed every 2 weeks. Use mineral complex compositions (Fasco, Gera, Kemira) or infusions of herbs, bread, with the addition of ash, iodine, and ammonia.

Before flowering, 1 fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizers after planting the seedlings is enough. The bed is watered with an infusion of poultry droppings diluted 1 to 10.

Bush formation

Red banana only needs to remove excess shoots. They are removed as they grow until they reach 5 cm.

Tall varieties are pinched when they reach the permitted height. Usually, no more than 10 clusters with fruits are stored on the stem.

Features of agricultural technology

“Banana” varieties of tomatoes can be grown in greenhouses, under film cover and in open beds. Farmers, as a rule, choose the seedling method of cultivation, sowing seeds in containers 55 days before the day of planting the plants in the ground. The optimal time for planting seedlings depends on the climatic conditions of a particular region.

In the greenhouse and on open ridges, plants are planted 3-4 bushes per 1 m2 of soil. During the growing season, plants need to be fed 3-4 times with universal mineral fertilizers or organic matter. Loosening the soil, weeding and regular watering will also help to get a good harvest of vegetables and protect the bushes from viral, fungal diseases and pests.

Pest and disease control

Tomatoes can be parasitized by aphids, spider mites, cutworms, and whiteflies. The abundance of weeds, lack of crop rotation, and dense plantings contribute to the growth of parasite numbers.

Before flowering, tomatoes can be sprayed with Aktara, IntaVir, Imidor. After flowering, it is permissible to use biological preparations (Fitoverm, Bitoxibacillin) and folk remedies (ash and garlic infusion, wormwood decoction).

Banana tomatoes in open and closed ground are affected by fungal diseases. Treating plants takes a long time and is not effective. To prevent planting, they are treated with Gamair, Fitosporin, and Trichodermin at intervals of 3 weeks.