Tomato Tsar Bell: photo and description, reviews, variety yield

Description of the Tsar Bell tomato

Tomatoes of the Tsar Bell variety are represented by semi-determinate compact bushes of standard type. The height of plants on average reaches 90-100 cm, but tomatoes grown in greenhouses and hotbeds can grow up to 150 cm. The tomato bush of this variety is erect. Due to their high growth, it is recommended to tie up Tsar Bell tomatoes to avoid breaking the leading stem under the weight of large fruits.

The leaves of the variety are large, dark green.

Description of fruits

One of the main features of the variety is its large fruit. The description of the Tsar Bell tomatoes states that the average fruit weight is 650 g. With good care, namely: timely feeding and abundant watering, as well as when grown in a greenhouse, the weight of tomatoes can reach 800 g. In this case, the largest fruits are formed on lower shoots. Also, tomatoes that ripen first are usually larger than those that ripen later.

Tsar Bell tomatoes have a round, slightly elongated shape. The surface of the fruit is smooth, but there is a slight ribbing in the area near the stalk.

Ripe tomatoes are dark pink or dark red. The skin of the variety is quite dense, but not thick, so the collected fruits do not crack. The pulp is juicy and fleshy, without excessive wateriness. The acidity and sugar content of the variety are organically combined and form a pleasant, moderately sweet taste without pronounced sourness.

Farmer reviews

The Tsar Bell is unpretentious in care, except for the need for regular fertilization to increase productivity. The variety received high marks, and the high transportability of the fruits makes them suitable for growing for sale.

Vladimir, Krasnodar: “Last year I tried to grow the Tsar Bell tomato variety for the first time. There were no difficulties. The tomatoes grew large, as in the photo of the package with seeds. The vegetables taste sweet, without much sourness. To obtain an abundant harvest of large-fruited tomatoes, the crop was grown in a greenhouse. I fertilized the plants three times a season and watered them well. I was pleased with the harvest. One tomato weighed about 750 g. My wife made delicious juice from these tomatoes. The Tsar Bell is not suitable for conservation at all. In general, the family liked the variety. Next time I’ll grow it again.”

Ivan, Kursk: “Once I saw a neighbor’s large-fruited tomatoes. I also wanted to grow the same ones. He advised me to plant the Tsar Bell variety. I plant seedlings in open ground. The culture was practically not sick. I fed the tomatoes 3 times. Watered the plants regularly. What I especially liked was the early ripening of the variety. The vegetables, although large, do not crack. The tomatoes are tasty and meaty. I liked the Tsar Bell, I recommend it to everyone.”

Characteristics of the Tsar Bell tomato

The Tsar Bell tomato variety was created for cultivation both in open ground and in film shelters. The sizes of fruits grown in greenhouses are usually larger than those planted in an area without shelter.

Tsar Bell tomatoes tolerate temperature changes and unfavorable environmental conditions well.

Productivity and fruiting

The period of fruit ripening from the moment of emergence is about 100-105 days. The productivity of Tsar Bell tomatoes largely depends on the region, according to reviews from gardeners. In addition, the size of the crop is greatly influenced by the regularity of watering and the frequency of fertilizing.

On average, 3.5-4 kg of harvest can be harvested from one bush, but good care and greenhouse conditions increase this figure to 5-6 kg per plant.

Area of ​​application of fruits

Tomatoes of the Tsar Bell variety are classified as table type, which means that the fruits are most often used for making juices and salad cuttings. They are also used for making sauces and soups. The low acid content in Tsar Bell tomatoes makes the variety unsuitable for winter harvesting. In addition, large fruits cannot be used for whole-fruit canning.

The thick skin allows tomatoes to be stored for a long time without loss of taste and presentation. You can also leave them to ripen indoors at room temperature.

Resistance to diseases and pests

The Tsar Bell tomato variety is genetically resistant to most nightshade diseases. He practically does not get sick with fungus.

In particular, the description of the variety indicates resistance to the following diseases:

• late blight;
• fusarium;
• verticillium.

Vulnerability to pests is average. Tsar Bell tomatoes can be attacked by the following insects:

• aphid;
• wireworm;
• whitefly

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

The main advantages of the variety include the following characteristics:

• large fruit;
• good transportability;
• long shelf life of the crop;
• immunity to nightshade diseases;
• resistance to temperature changes;
• good taste of fruits;
• high yield.

No obvious shortcomings have been identified in the Tsar Bell tomato variety, but for some, these include the need to tie up and form tomato bushes. In addition, the yield of the variety greatly depends on how often the beds are fertilized.

How to grow tomatoes

Seedlings are planted in a permanent place of growth no earlier than the end of May - beginning of June. Hypothermia of the root system will reduce the yield, so the plants are transplanted into well-warmed soil of 8-10 cm.

The crop is demanding on lighting, so tomatoes are placed in a well-lit area away from buildings and trees. The bed is prepared in the fall: it is cleared of weeds and remains of cultivated plants, then the soil is sprinkled with humus and dug up.

Landing

When the plants grow to 30 cm, they are transplanted into open ground or a greenhouse. By this time, the bushes will have 6-7 leaves and will bloom. Before planting, 3 lower leaves are removed from the plants to provide the tomatoes with good lighting.

Good predecessors for tomatoes are cabbage, cucumbers, melons, root vegetables, and green manure. Tomatoes are not grown for two years in a row in the same place or after potatoes, eggplants and peppers.

Plants are planted in previously prepared holes. The bushes are placed at a distance of 40 cm from each other, and 60 cm are left between the rows. To ensure that the plants receive more sunlight, the crops are placed in a checkerboard pattern.

The tomatoes are transferred to a permanent place along with a lump of earth. The roots are sprinkled with soil, which is lightly compacted. Then the plants are watered abundantly.

With good care, the crop will not get sick and will produce a good harvest. The plant requires watering, fertilizing and bush formation. After planting, tomatoes are watered for 7-10 days. During this period, tomatoes adapt to a new place.

Moisturize the culture as follows:

• Before the ovaries form, water the tomatoes once a week (4 liters per bush);
• During fruit ripening, tomatoes are moistened twice a week (3 liters of water per plant).

If the Tsar Bell grows in a greenhouse, then the structure must be ventilated after watering to prevent high humidity and the occurrence of fungal diseases.

The crop is watered with settled or rainwater at room temperature. Exposure to cold will slow down plant development.

Tomatoes are fertilized several times a season. At the beginning of the growing season, plants are given fertilizers containing nitrogen. In the future, to strengthen the root system and improve the taste of the fruit, the bushes are fertilized with potassium and phosphorus.

Tomatoes are fed according to this scheme:

• 14 days after planting the plants in a permanent place, the crop is fertilized with liquid mullein diluted with water in a ratio of 1:15;
• after another two weeks, the tomatoes are fed with a solution of superphosphate and potassium salt (25 g of each product per bucket of water);
• The next fertilization is carried out during fruit ripening with a solution of potassium humate (1 tbsp per 10 liters of water).

Wood ash is a good substitute for mineral fertilizers. It is embedded in the soil or added to water for irrigation.

The variety is formed into 1-2 stems . The stepsons that grow from the leaf sinus are removed. The first pinching is carried out after transplanting the plants into open ground or a greenhouse. Once a week, the lateral shoots of the plants are broken off, leaving stumps up to 3 cm. During the period of fruit ripening, the lower leaves of the plants are removed. This way the bushes will be better ventilated, and as they grow in the greenhouse, the humidity level will decrease.

In order for oxygen to penetrate to the root system, the soil around the plants is loosened to a depth of 5 cm, in row spacing - 10 cm. The activity is carried out 12-24 hours after watering. Along with loosening, weeds are removed so that they do not take away nutrients from the tomatoes. After aeration, the soil is mulched with compost. This will provide the plants with additional nutrition and help retain moisture in the soil longer in hot weather.

Features of cultivation and possible difficulties

The agricultural technology of the Tsar Bell variety is no different from growing other tomatoes. To obtain a bountiful harvest, plants are provided with timely watering and regular fertilizers.

Diseases and pests

The variety has strong immunity to most nightshade diseases. Tomato Tsar Bell has good resistance to fungi and diseases such as:

Tomato resistance to diseases is high, but to be sure, experienced vegetable growers carry out preventive measures. To reduce the risk of plant disease, the soil is disinfected with a hot solution of potassium permanganate.

After transplanting the tomatoes to a permanent place, the bed is sprayed with any fungicide, for example:

The tomato has average resistance to pests. Most often, the crop is affected by insects such as whiteflies, wireworms, and aphids.

To repel insects, peat and humus are added to the soil. To prevent pests from breeding, weeds are regularly removed. Treat the soil with a light soap solution - this will help get rid of aphids. Wood ash or tobacco dust is used against slugs. Folk remedies are replaced with insecticides, for example, "Aktellik", "Confidor", "Karate" or "Fitoverm".

Growing rules

Tsar Bell tomatoes are grown using the seedling method. To do this, manually collected or purchased seeds are first germinated at home, and then the resulting seedlings are moved into open ground or under cover.

The optimal time for sowing seeds for seedlings is from the first days of March to the beginning of April. It is recommended to pre-soak the planting material in a growth stimulator.

Planting seedlings

Before sowing seeds, it is necessary to prepare the soil. To do this, mix turf soil, humus and fine-grained river sand in equal quantities. If desired, you can disinfect the resulting mixture by steaming in an oven, but this procedure is not necessary, since Tsar Bell tomatoes are practically not affected by fungal infections.

Important! It is not recommended to use fresh humus. It's better to take the old one.

As an alternative to a self-made soil mixture, you can use ready-made purchased soil or special peat pots.

The seedling container should have a height of about 15 cm.

It is not necessary to disinfect planting material, especially if it is painted in a bright color. This color is explained by the fact that the seeds are covered with a nutritious coating, which contains substances necessary to feed the sprouts. However, it is necessary to soak the seeds in a damp cloth for 1-2 days. You can additionally treat them with growth stimulants in order to speed up the germination of seedlings.

The prepared seeds are buried 1.5-2 cm into the soil. The distance between them should be at least 2 cm. After planting, the seeds are sprinkled with earth, but the top layer of soil should not be more than 1.5 cm.

Advice! It is recommended to cover the seedlings with glass or plastic film to create a greenhouse effect.

The container with seedlings is left for 2-4 days in a dark, dry place with a temperature of +25°C during the daytime and +15°C at night. As soon as the first shoots appear, the seedlings are moved to the windowsill, towards the light.

At this stage, it is important to ensure that the soil is sufficiently moistened. Cracks should not form on the soil surface. To prevent this from happening, the soil is moistened with a spray bottle. Water the seedlings with warm, settled water once a week. With the appearance of 4-5 leaves, the frequency of watering increases to 1 time every three days.

Plants should have constant access to fresh air, but drafts are dangerous for seedlings. Picking is done when the seedlings form the first 2-3 leaves.

10-15 days before transplanting tomatoes, they are hardened off. To do this, the seedlings are taken outside for 1-2 hours, increasing this time every day.

Tomato transplant

The Tsar Bell tomato is transplanted under cover in early May. Transplantation into open ground occurs a little later - in late May-early June. The timing is shifted because it is better to plant seedlings in warm soil, otherwise the plant yield will be significantly reduced. The site for future plantings should be well lit. It is best to plant this variety where melons, cabbage and cucumbers previously grew.

By the time of transplantation, the height of the seedlings usually reaches 25-30 cm, 6-7 leaves have formed on the stems and the first flowers are visible. Immediately before planting in a permanent place, 2-3 lower leaves of tomatoes are cut off: this way the plants will be better provided with light.

The optimal distance between plantings is 40 cm. The beds are placed at a distance of 50-60 cm from each other, while the tomatoes are planted in a checkerboard pattern, which contributes to better illumination.

Tsar Bell tomatoes are buried in the ground along with a lump of earth, after which the roots of the seedlings are sprinkled with the top layer of soil, which is then lightly compacted.

Since the variety is quite tall, the tomatoes must be tied to a support near the crown. The soil under the tomatoes is loosened and mulched with dry grass. Completes the planting procedure with abundant watering.

Advice! For the first few days after transplanting Tsar Bell tomatoes into open ground, it is recommended to keep them under a film cover so that the tomatoes take root better in the new place.

You can learn more about growing tomatoes and the characteristics of this variety from the video below:

Subsequent care for tomatoes

The Tsar Bell variety is quite unpretentious. Caring for it comes down mainly to regular watering and fertilizing. For better development of bushes, it is also recommended to shape the plants.

Tsar Bell tomatoes begin to be watered 8-10 days after transplantation. During this time they will have time to acclimatize to the new place.

General watering rules:

• before the tomatoes form their first ovaries, the bushes are watered once a week, spending about 4 liters of water per bush;
• when the bushes begin to bear fruit, the beds are watered 2 times a week, but each plant requires less water - about 3 liters;
• greenhouse plants are ventilated every time after watering, since high humidity can provoke the development of fungus;
• For irrigation, use only infused warm water, since cold water inhibits the growth of tomatoes.

Tsar Bell tomatoes respond well to fertilizing. It is recommended to apply fertilizer several times a season.

The fertilizing scheme looks like this:

• 2 weeks after transplantation, the soil is fertilized with liquid mullein, which is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:15;
• after another 2 weeks, the plants are fed with superphosphate and potassium (25-30 g of the substance per 10 liters of water);
• During the ripening period of tomatoes, the bushes can be fed with a solution of humates (1 tablespoon of the substance is added per 10 liters).

Advice! Mineral fertilizers can be replaced with ordinary ash, which can be applied to the soil either in dry form or in the form of a solution.

The formation of bushes is optional, but desirable. Tomatoes of this variety demonstrate the best performance when plants form 1-2 stems. The first pinching is carried out immediately after transplanting the Tsar-Bolk tomatoes to a new place - for this, the side shoots are removed, but 3-4 cm of the original length are left. In the future, the procedure is carried out once a week in the morning, before the onset of heat.

How to grow seedlings

The Tsar Bell tomato is grown from seedlings. This takes about 50-60 days. First, the seeds are disinfected and germinated at home. Grown plants are transferred under a film cover or directly into open ground.

Seed preparation

If the seeds are colored in an unusual color, then they do not need additional processing of the grain - they have already been disinfected and kept in a nutrient solution by the manufacturer. If the seeds are purchased from hand or collected from your own harvest, then before sowing the grains are disinfected as follows:

• to destroy pest larvae and eggs, seed material is placed in hot water for 10-15 minutes;
• from possible fungi, mold and rot, the seeds are disinfected in a weak (1%) solution of potassium permanganate (the grains are kept in it for 20-30 minutes).

For accelerated germination and uniform germination, tomato seeds are soaked in a growth stimulator for 15-20 hours. For this purpose the following drugs are used:

The products are sold in specialized stores. They are used strictly according to the instructions indicated on the packaging.

Container and soil

Seedlings are grown in different containers:

• disposable cups;
• wooden or plastic boxes;
• special purchased containers with cells and a lid;
• peat cups or tablets;
• cut milk bottles or cartons.

Seedlings require light nutritious soil, which can be purchased at the store or prepared independently by mixing turf soil, river sand and humus (1:1:1).

Important! Before use, the soil mixture is etched with a weak solution of potassium permanganate to prevent contamination of the seeds by pathogenic organisms.

Sowing

Sowing grains for seedlings is carried out in March or April - it all depends on the climatic characteristics of a particular region.

The prepared container is filled with soil, then grooves no deeper than 1.5-2 cm are made in the soil and seeds are sown in them. Cover the top with a small layer of peat, spray it with a spray bottle, cover it with film or transparent glass and place it in a warm place with an air temperature of about +25 °C.

Growing and care

When shoots appear, the film is removed and the container is sent to a well-lit place - for example, on a windowsill. The room temperature is lowered by several degrees. The optimal air temperature during the day is +20...+22 °C, and at night +10...+15 °C.

As the soil dries, moisten it with a spray bottle. For this purpose, settled and warm water is used. Seedlings should be illuminated for 10-12 hours a day. During short daylight hours, phytolamps are evenly installed above the bushes as additional lighting.

When the seedlings have their third true leaf, the plants are planted in separate containers. But if the tomatoes were originally planted in different pots, replanting is not carried out.

Pest and disease control

The variety's resistance to disease is high, but prevention will not harm the plants. To reduce the risk of plant disease, the planting area is treated with a hot solution of potassium permanganate. After transplanting, the beds can be sprayed with any industrial fungicide.

Insects are repelled by peat and humus, which is recommended to be added to the soil. You should also remove weeds regularly. Finally, you can treat the soil with a weak solution of soap - this will help get rid of aphids. Slugs are repelled by wood ash and tobacco dust.

These folk remedies can always be replaced with any purchased insecticide.

Peculiarities

The tomato bush grows up to 1 m in height, the leaves are dark green, the ovaries are formed after the ninth leaf. The root is quite compact, the fruits are large, so the bushes require staking to prevent them from becoming brittle under the weight of the fruit.

Ripe vegetables are large, up to 600 g, red in color, slightly elongated heart-shaped. The first fruits are larger than the subsequent ones. The yield of the variety is high, with suitable watering and fertilizing it reaches from 8.6 to 18 kg/sq. m.

The skin is dense, the flesh is fleshy, has a sweetish taste, and can be used raw or for making sauces and juices. Vegetables are not recommended for preservation due to their low acidity.