In any outskirts of our country, most people love to eat tomatoes. Tomatoes can already be planted in frosty conditions; you can simply buy a greenhouse and plant your favorite vegetable, and then enjoy a delicious harvest. In cold regions, you need to purchase varieties that ripen very quickly. The most popular variety is the Red Riding Hood tomato.
The Red Riding Hood tomato has a large number of advantages, but all its qualities are overshadowed by its excellent taste, which gourmets rate 5 points out of 5. Not every early ripening variety can boast of this feature.
The most important thing is that the first harvest of the Red Riding Hood tomato ripens early so that it can be harvested in early June. It is often planted by beginning gardeners, since in addition to its taste characteristics, the variety also has other positive characteristics.
Tomato Red Riding Hood: variety description
The tomato variety Red Riding Hood in German sounds like Rotkäppchen, which translates as Little Red Riding Hood. It was developed in Germany a long time ago. The Red Riding Hood tomato variety was brought to Russia in 2010; Red Riding Hood was added to the State Register in 2011; it can be planted in absolutely any area of the country.
Tomatoes of the Red Riding Hood variety are considered standard, and they also have a growth limit. Those gardeners who do not have extra time to care for vegetables can rejoice most of all, since they do not need to be cut, pinched and tied up. But some summer residents still recommend tying up the bushes, since at the moment of fruiting the bushes are completely covered with tomatoes, and due to the weight, the bush bends to the ground.
The shrub grows 30 cm in height, which is very convenient. They can be tied to the middle part of the bush, and that’s all, this will be enough for stable support, and the bush will also look beautiful and aesthetically pleasing.
Red Riding Hood tomatoes: photo of variety
Despite its small dimensions, the trunk of the bush is very strong and there are few foliage. Most gardeners plant the plant in open beds, but the variety can also be planted in a greenhouse or a film tunnel in the spring. The first harvest after greenhouse conditions can be harvested in the last month of spring. Also, Red Riding Hood tomatoes can be placed on a windowsill or insulated balcony; the most important thing is that the plant receives enough light, and harvesting will not take long. It is planted indoors in March or October.
Important: If the gardener does not have a growing area for tomatoes, then they can be planted to grow on a windowsill or balcony.
The Red Riding Hood tomato variety is classified not as early ripening, but as ultra-early ripening. From the formation of sprouts to the moment of harvesting, the harvest takes less than 3 months. If the variety grew in harsh weather conditions, then the tomatoes can be harvested at the end of July. And on the 15th day of the last summer month, the fruits are collected and various culinary manipulations are done with them.
For Red Riding Hood tomatoes, the yield indicators are very high, and such are rarely found in early-ripening varieties. One bush with proper care can produce up to 1 kg of tomatoes. Approximately 2.5 kg of fruit is obtained per 1 m2.
Important: To get the maximum yield, you need to shake the flowering brushes during the flowering period so that they are better pollinated.
Red Riding Hood tomatoes have good immunity, which can resist various tomato diseases: Tomato mosaic, fusarium, verticellosis. Also, the plant is not susceptible to late blight, since the crop is harvested before the onset of this disease, which occurs in August.
The Red Riding Hood tomato variety can easily cope for a long time without moisture; it will also not be critical if the plant does not receive additional light and heat.
Red Riding Hood tomatoes: photo of variety
Preparing seedlings
It is better to grow the variety through seedlings. Seeds begin to be planted at the end of March. If you plan to transplant seedlings into a greenhouse, then it is better to start sowing in the last days of February.
Seed preparation
To prepare, the seeds are usually kept in a light pink solution of potassium permanganate. After this, the planting material should be germinated. This is done as follows.
Warm water is poured into a small container. Seeds are placed on a cotton napkin. After this, cover the material with a wet napkin and send it to a warm and bright place. After about two days, the seeds germinate, after which they are ready to be planted in the ground for seedlings.
Selecting container and soil
To grow tomato seedlings, you can use either a common container or individual cassettes, cups or peat tablets.
The soil for tomato seedlings should be light and fertile. It is recommended to mix the soil with sand and peat. You can buy ready-made substrate in the store.
Let's move on to sowing
Holes are made in the soil 1.5 cm deep at a distance of 3 cm. One grain is placed in each hole, sprinkled with earth and watered. The container is covered with film and sent to a warm place.
The first shoots usually appear after 5 days, provided that the temperature was maintained above +18°C. After mass shoots appear, the film is removed and the container is placed on the windowsill.
Seedling care
Caring for seedlings during this period consists of periodically moistening the soil, but this should be done infrequently, as the soil dries out.
Transplanting tomatoes into open ground begins only when the weather is consistently warm. At night the air temperature should not fall below +15 degrees.
Characteristics of the Red Riding Hood tomato
The Red Riding Hood tomato variety got its name not because of the coloring of the tomatoes, but because of its growth characteristics. Tomatoes usually grow in the center or at the top of the bush, as if forming a red cap of tomatoes.
The fruits of Red Riding Hood tomatoes have the following features:
- Tomatoes have a round shape;
- If the fruit is unripe, it has a greenish color with a spot at the base. When the fruits ripen, they acquire a bright red color, and the stain disappears on its own;
- Tomatoes weigh about 40-50 g and are small in size;
- Inside the fruit there are no more than 2 chambers with seeds;
- There are 4 fruits on one hand;
- The peel is thin and tender. The flesh is fleshy, the taste is amazing, they are ideally combined in salad dishes. When ripened, the tomatoes do not crack; they can be easily rolled whole into jars;
- They have a pleasant aroma and interesting taste;
- It is not worth transporting fruits for a long time; tomatoes are poorly stored.
Care
In the early stages of cultivation, an important agrotechnical measure is weeding. Since this is a very significant event for Little Red Riding Hood, you can supplement it with careful loosening, or better yet mulching, of the holes, and deep loosening of the rows. Such techniques will make it possible to reduce water consumption for irrigation and the frequency of watering, reduce the effort for weeding, and in addition, prevent fungal diseases. All together will increase the yield while minimizing labor costs.
When the fruits begin to grow, the bushes will have to be tied up: the plant may not be able to support the weight of the crop. The main thing is to ensure that the tied bush is well ventilated, this is the prevention of fungus. But there’s no need to take “Little Red Riding Hood” as a stepson.
It is recommended to feed “Little Red Riding Hood” four times, alternating organic matter and mineral fertilizers. But two feedings are strictly required. The first is done when planting in the ground - humus. The second is a complex mineral fertilizer, which includes nitrogen, phosphorus-potassium mixture and magnesium sulfate. This feeding is done at the moment of formation of the ovaries.
“Little Red Riding Hood” is a successful variety that produces an excellent harvest with a minimum of labor costs. It is poorly suited for industrial cultivation - due to the fact that the fruits do not ripen smoothly. But for a personal plot this is an ideal option. You can enjoy your tomatoes quite early, picking the freshest fruits from the garden right before you sit down at the table. Canning can also be divided into stages without setting up a crop processing factory in the kitchen until late at night.
Growing tomatoes Little Red Riding Hood
Since Red Riding Hood tomatoes are classified as early ripening, in the southern regions the seeds can be planted immediately in open soil, or if there is a need, the crops should be covered with film. If you plan to develop a variety in the central and northern regions, then the variety is propagated using seedling material.
To find out how many seeds purchased in the store will sprout, you need to immerse them in water, which must be salted in advance. The seed that floated up is unusable and can be thrown away, and those Red Riding Hood tomato seeds that sank down are washed in water to remove salt, and then Red Riding Hood tomato seeds are planted in the prepared container. If the room temperature is more than 18 degrees, then shoots appear after a week, maybe a little less. In the initial period after germination, the temperature in the room is lowered by 5 ̊ C, or it is necessary that the daytime temperature differs from the nighttime one. This procedure will strengthen the roots and further harden the plant. After the leaves appear, the tomatoes are dived into separate containers. Before transplanting, you need to fertilize the plant about 2 times, and you also need to ensure sufficient heat and light.
Tomato Red Riding Hood: photo of variety
Important: Shrubs can be planted close to each other, as they are small in size. You can fit no more than 5 Red Riding Hood tomatoes per 1 m2.
The first inflorescence appears in the region of 5-6 leaves. To protect the plant from diseases during such a major and difficult period as flowering, tomatoes need to be sprayed with iodine and boric acid. This measure increases the pollination of the plant. The Red Riding Hood variety has a fairly strong and strong immune system, which is capable of fighting various tomato diseases without difficulty, so there is no need to additionally treat the plant with specialized substances.
Red Riding Hood tomatoes grow in families and gradually.
Advantages and disadvantages
The baby tomato surprises everyone: good yield, good taste, unpretentiousness. The characteristics and description of the variety will be incomplete without indicating the “pros” and “cons” of the tomato. Advantages:
- good tomato taste;
- the variety is not afraid of diseases;
- almost not affected by pests;
- 1.5-2 kg of fruits are removed from the bush, which is a very good indicator for such a low-growing tomato;
- ultra-earliness;
- Suitable for cultivation at home (on the balcony, on the windowsill).
In the middle zone and regions of the Urals and Siberia, early tomato has proven itself well in open soil, in tunnels, and simple film greenhouses. It does not require large areas, dense planting is allowed, and the yield indicators do not decrease.
No shortcomings were noted; in all its characteristics, from ripening time to yield, the variety fully complies with the standards of standard early tomatoes.
Tomato Little Red Riding Hood: reviews from gardeners
Gardeners love the Red Riding Hood tomato variety; some prefer to grow it because of its wide range of positive qualities, but not everyone shares this opinion; there are dissatisfied summer residents who do not like the variety because of its small size.
In my region, not all tomato varieties are able to germinate. Having learned about the Red Riding Hood tomato variety, I immediately went shopping to look for my magic wand and planted Red Riding Hood tomato seeds in the spring. The Red Riding Hood tomato seedlings grew vigorously, despite their miniature size. In early June, I transported tomatoes to the garden. During this period, the nights were cold, so the poet had to cover the tomatoes with a film tunnel, this was a very convenient option, since the bushes are small. The shelter was not removed until the end of the month. After the weather conditions returned to normal, I removed the shelter, but did not throw it very far, since the weather can be changeable. There were a lot of fruits on the bushes; they had already begun to fall to the ground, but I quickly tied them to a support. Tomatoes of the Red Riding Hood variety began to ripen on the 15th of July; in the first days of August, I did not know what to do with my harvest. I am going to plant this variety next year, as the tomatoes have won me over with their taste and abundance of harvest.
I have a summer cottage, and I don’t always have time to arrive on time to tend to the gardens. I decided to choose the Red Riding Hood tomato variety, which did not require very complicated care methods. I planted the seedlings in early March and transplanted them into separate containers in May. I applied fertilizer when the plant began to bloom. The shrubs turned out to be small and looked very compact and beautiful in appearance. Red Riding Hood tomatoes are bright red, medium-sized. I recommended the variety to my neighbors, and they are already excited to plant it on their property next year.
Red Riding Hood tomatoes: photo of variety
Pros and cons of tomatoes
The advantages of Rotkäppchen include the following:
- increased resistance to diseases;
- good yield;
- early ripeness;
- standard agricultural technology;
- high taste qualities;
- compactness;
- lack of picking.
Expert opinion
Stanislav Pavlovich
Gardener with 17 years of experience and our expert
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The disadvantages include soft skin. Its cracking can be avoided if you water the tomatoes strictly according to the schedule in accordance with weather conditions.
