Tomato "Red Giant": characteristics and description of the tomato variety, reviews and photos

Characteristics, description of the variety

The red giant stands out among other tomato varieties due to its size. You can recognize it not only by its size, but also by the bright red color of the fruit, round, slightly flattened shape, and unpronounced ribbing. The plant reaches a height of 140-180 cm, has long drooping leaves. One bush can contain up to 6 fruits.

Advantages and disadvantages

The Red Giant tomato was developed in the USSR and quickly earned people's love due to its excellent characteristics.

Namely:

High taste qualities. Due to their high sugar content, these tomatoes are tasty both fresh and after processing. “Red Giant” is a juicy variety: its moisture content is about 95%.
Large fruit size. One tomato weighs 450-650 g, and at the first harvest it can reach 850 g.
High resistance to diseases.
Possibility of growing both in greenhouses and in open ground. It grows not only in warm regions, but also in the north (but only in heated greenhouses).

However, the variety also has some disadvantages:

Low yield compared to other tomato varieties.
Picky about soil.
Short shelf life of ripe vegetables.

Growing the “Giant” variety in a greenhouse

Under cover, “Giant” tomatoes develop excellently, provided that a number of rules are followed:

In the fall, plant debris is removed from the greenhouse. The internal and external planes, as well as the soil, are sprayed with a pink solution of potassium permanganate or Bordeaux mixture (1%).
For gartering the stems, trellises are installed.
Be sure to organize regular ventilation of the greenhouse, preventing drafts from entering the tomatoes.
Be careful when watering. Moisture should not get on the foliage.
Bushes are formed, leaving 1-2 stems.

Resistance to diseases and pests

The variety itself is highly resistant to diseases and pests. But if not properly cared for, it is susceptible to diseases.

Important. You should choose the right soil for planting (neutral is perfect), carefully monitor the watering and lighting of the plants, and do not forget to regularly ventilate the greenhouse.

Thrips, aphids, spider mites, greenhouse whiteflies and Colorado potato beetles are the most dangerous for this variety. These are common pests that most modern drugs successfully combat.

Keep in mind that almost all insects lay larvae in the soil in the fall, so after harvesting, dig up the soil to avoid pest problems in the spring.

Advantages and disadvantages

large fruits, juicy, fleshy;
Widely used in cooking and excellent taste;
good yield;
relative resistance to disease.

demanding of weather conditions;
you need to shape the bushes, tie them up, and pin them;
the fruits are not preserved whole;
there is no absolute resistance to diseases and insects;
demanding on soil composition and care.

Of course, the “Red Giant” tomato, according to its characteristics and description of the variety, has disadvantages, but it also has significant advantages. If you like to cultivate in the garden beds and make a lot of preparations for the winter, then this is a very good variety for you. If you are a beginner, then take a responsible approach to learning all the nuances of agricultural technology.

Rules for planting and subsequent care

Proper planting and proper care ensure a good harvest of the “Red Giant”.

Reference. Experts recommend not buying seedlings, but growing them yourself to avoid the risk of getting diseased plants. Start planting in February-mid-March.

When preparing the soil for seedlings, pay special attention to disinfection: soak the seeds in a solution of potassium permanganate, and then rinse in running water. For the same purposes, it is recommended to scald the soil with boiling water.

Before sowing, it needs to be moistened. Then depressions up to 2 cm are made, seeds are planted in them and sprinkled with earth. Watering is done once every 3 days. Seedlings should be kept in a room with a temperature of 23-25 degrees. After the sprouts appear, the seedlings are transferred to the ground.

Remember that neutral soil is suitable, in the range of 6-6.5 pH. It must be carefully prepared for replanting: remove all weeds and grass, add humus, compost and sand in equal parts. If tomatoes are planted in a greenhouse, treat it for pests.

2-3 plant bushes are planted per 1 square meter of soil. The soil can be covered with mulch (chopped grass and plants). Water the tomatoes with settled water. The greenhouse must be systematically ventilated to prevent fungal diseases.

At the growth stage, complex feeding is needed: every 10 days it is recommended to alternate organic and mineral fertilizers (with phosphorus and potassium).

Important. Don't water tomatoes too often. To assess soil moisture, roll it into a ball. If it quickly rolls up and collapses when pressed, then the humidity is normal and watering is not required.

During the period of active growth, “Red Giant” is watered once a week, spending 20-30 liters of water per square meter. During the flowering period, water twice a week, one and a half to two liters per meter. The appearance of ovaries is accompanied by watering twice a week, 3-5 liters (if it is very hot, the volume is increased to 10 liters).

When the first fruits appear, it is worth watering only if the soil is very dry. The optimal time of day for watering is morning, since at this time of day the sun is not too aggressive and the soil has time to absorb all the moisture.

An important part of care is planting. This is the name for removing shoots to prevent the appearance of excessive fruit. This is especially important for the “Red Giant” variety, since too much fruit provokes a decrease in size.

The large weight of this variety of tomatoes weighs down the stems, and if there are a lot of fruits, it may break.

The bushes are pruned once a week, leaving the shoot to form a stem. It is better to do this in the evening (when it is not hot).

Important. Due to the large weight of the fruit, it is important to place supports under the branches of the plant.

Planting tomatoes with seedlings

It is important to transplant grown tomato seedlings to a permanent place when stable warm weather sets in.

Preparing seedlings

Preliminary irrigation (7-9 days before planting) with stimulating compounds will help to enhance the viability of young seedlings. For example, they use “Zircon” (0.1 ml/1 l).

On the day of transplantation, containers should be watered generously. After 1.5-2 hours, the plants are easily removed, leaving an earthen ball on the roots. If the seedlings were in peat pots, then they are planted immediately, since such containers decompose in the soil.

Rules for planting in open ground

The ridges need to be loosened using a rake. Planting holes are prepared with a depth corresponding to the size of the root system. The row spacing is 0.6 cm, the distance between plants is 0.5 m.

Place 1 tbsp in each planting hole. l. crushed dried shells. Bone meal (1 tsp/well) provides developing tomatoes with important nutritional compounds. You can add 2 tbsp. l. ash and compost. The drug “Glyokladin” (1 tablet/per well) will provide plant protection.

Reviews

Enas, Ukraine: “Growing large tomatoes will not be difficult for me now, because I bought Red Giant tomato seeds.”
The tomatoes from them will turn out to be bright red in color and each of them weighs up to 500 grams. It’s a very interesting variety, I’ve never grown such a big one, but they suggested that the tomato variety is of high quality and resistant to various diseases.” Ekaterina, 30 years old: “I tried to grow the Red Giant tomato.” I'm happy with the result. Very tasty when processed, especially in ketchups!”

Alexander: “I consider the Red Giant tomato to be the best variety.” The most wonderful and sweet. I don’t grow green or yellow tomatoes; I think that the best ones are red ones, because they don’t get any sweeter.”

general information

The name of the variety already explains a lot - the tomato is large and red in color. It was developed by agronomists, which has been on the market for a long time and has proven itself to domestic and not only gardeners. The tomato is intended for growing outdoors, but in warmer regions, in temperate climates - in film greenhouses, in the north - in warm greenhouses. This is a productive and very productive variety, with very tasty and juicy fruits. Growing has its own subtleties.

Description:

Indeterminate type, the bushes are quite powerful and tall - up to 1.6-1.8 meters.
Shaping and tying required.
Produces consistently large fruits – weighing 500 grams or more.
The pulp is fleshy, sweet, many call it watermelon.
Prefers greenhouse cultivation.
The root system is powerful; no more than 2-3 plants are planted per square meter.
The fruits are round and slightly flattened.
Ideal for preparing summer salads, juice, pasta, ketchup. Because of their size, you can’t cover whole fruits.
The skin is red, the pulp contains an average amount of seeds.
The leaves have a rich green tint, the fruits ripen in clusters.
It has an average ripening period of 110-120 days.
It is resistant to a number of diseases, but manufacturers do not talk about absolute immunity.
Productivity – 7-8 kg. Fruiting is long lasting.

Good results, don't you agree? The “Red Giant” tomato is in demand among summer residents; they praise it and often plant it in their garden beds.

Features of cultivation

Each variety is grown differently. Of course, a beginner may get confused, but just follow the basic rules.

When purchasing a specific type of tomato from a series, you should always look at the information on the packaging - a good manufacturer will indicate the main details.
The agricultural technology of tomatoes is very similar in many respects and depends on the variety. As a rule, all tall varieties require shaping and gartering; on the contrary, low-growing tomatoes are very easy to grow. But it is important for each variety to read information about diseases and pests.
The large-fruited “Cream Giant” requires a lot of watering, staking of stems and branches, and they also need fertilizers in order to produce a productive crop.

If you don’t have the time and experience, then choose varieties that don’t need to be pinched, shaped, or tied up. After planting the seedlings, simply mulch the soil, and all your efforts will be minimal.

Well, let's get acquainted with a brief description of some of the best representatives of the “Cream” series. As you understand, these are our giants and their varieties.