Tomato “Honey Spas”: variety description, photos and reviews

Yellow-fruited tomatoes are not inferior to red-fruited tomatoes in terms of the content of nutrients. In addition, yellow fruits do not contain allergens, so they are recommended even for children. There are many varieties with such bright colors, so I would like to know more information about the new products. For example, the Honey Saved tomato, bred by Novosibirsk breeder V.N. Dederko. The new species was entered into the State Register of Breeding Achievements of Russia in 2006. Has access to all regions of the country. Recommended for cultivation in open ground and under film covers in private farms. Despite its short history, our hero is already considered one of the most delicious varieties with a yellow color. What other characteristics are inherent in this species?

Description of the variety

The results of the “Honey Spas” tests were recognized by:

• mid-season;
• salad;
• indeterminate;
• for growing in gardens and under film cover;
• with large, round, orange fruits.

Description of the bush

The “Honey Spas” bush is powerful. Its indeterminate lashes stretch upward all summer, acquiring more and more new stepsons. If the top is not pinned, it will quickly rest against the ceiling of the greenhouse structure.

A large, green leaf, absorbing the energy of the sun, creates optimal conditions for photosynthesis processes. The variety is responsive to fertilizing and fatty soils. With the optimal ratio of nutrients, it forms a central shoot two fingers thick. Under these conditions, the plant can easily tolerate the formation of three shoots.

Description of fruits

“Honey Spas” gives the vegetable grower an excellent harvest for his efforts. Its fruits:

• round;
• smooth;
• when ripe, the stalk bears a dark green spot;
• in botanical ripeness - deep orange;
• seed nests - 4 or more;
• fetal weight - 150-220.

The taste requires a special description. It fully corresponds to the name of the variety. Even lovers, connoisseurs and connoisseurs of orange-fruited tomato varieties recognize it as the most delicious. The tasting committee rated it “excellent.” The variety deserves the highest praise. The peculiarity of the fruit is that it accumulates sugar content equally in the northern regions of the country and where there is plenty of sun.

Video review of the variety

A video review of the variety will clearly show the bush’s power, shape and prospects.

Advantages

The Honey Spas tomato variety was bred for amateur vegetable growers and small-scale farmers. They have a number of characteristics that need to be identified for summer residents selecting varieties for the new season. The table shows the main advantages.

See also

Description of the tomato variety Beauty f1, its characteristics and yieldRead

No disadvantages were noted in the variety.

Fruit characteristics

It is recommended to grow the “Honey Spas” tomato in the garden and under cover. Regardless of the zone in which this variety is grown, the fruit, along with the accumulation of mass and color, will also show sugar content.

When cut, no voids are visible. The seeds are not very numerous and are carefully protected by the pulp. When pressed, they do not crawl out, as if from juicy fruits, but continue to be retained in the thickness.

The skin is quite dense. It is this that creates the feeling that the tomatoes are very dense. However, upon tasting, it becomes clear that the skin is not thick and eatable.

Advantages and disadvantages

The fruits of the “Honey Spas” variety have a number of advantages:

• impeccable taste;
• pleasant and long aftertaste:
• excellent shelf life while maintaining marketable properties;
• high degree of transportability;
• absence of voids in the seed chambers;
• small number of seeds.

Considering the disadvantages, the advantages can also be classified into this category. The fruits contain few seeds. While this is great for culinary purposes, it’s not so great for seed production.

Some vegetable growers cite very different tomato formats as disadvantages. Some have a ripe fruit weight of 120 g, and some reach 320 g. However, it is also rather the characteristics of the variety that determine the yield.

Productivity

The commission, collecting data from all breeding stations in the country, legitimized yield figures for the variety in open ground - 5.6 kg per square meter and under film covers - 14 kg/m2.

During testing, it was found that the variety produces a marketable fruit yield of 98%.

It cannot be said that these figures are very high, but considering that “Honey Spas” shows such indicators in all regions, this is excellent.

When purchasing seeds, a vegetable grower can be sure, and reviews confirm that the tomato will delight you with tasty fruits with good yield and yield.

In the pursuit of productivity, one must not miss the fact that honey spas has the property of dropping buds during a very hot period. To avoid this phenomenon, foliar feeding is recommended.

Planting a tomato

Initially, seedlings are grown at home, which are transplanted into open ground or a greenhouse in May. To obtain strong and healthy seedlings, planting material is correctly selected and prepared.

Preparing and sowing seeds

Before planting, the seeds must be properly prepared, for which the following steps are performed:

• calibration to eliminate damaged, rotten or defective seeds;
• soaking in a saline solution, in which empty specimens rise, and full-fledged grains remain at the bottom;
• washing the remaining seed in clean water;
• treatment with a solution of potassium permanganate for 20 minutes;
• drying seeds;
• soaking in a growth stimulator;
• placing the material in gauze, which is constantly wetted and transferred to a warm place until the seedlings peck.

Sowing begins 2 months before transplanting into open ground. For this, plastic containers or other containers are prepared, filled with humus with sand and peat, and all ingredients are mixed in equal proportions. Small grooves are made in the resulting mixture, which are watered, and then the seeds are placed to a depth of 2 cm. A distance of 5 cm is maintained between the grains. They are covered with soil on top.

The first shoots appear in about a week. Young plants need even watering, high temperatures and good lighting. The containers are placed in a window where there are no drafts. The temperature is maintained from +20 to +24 degrees. Periodically, the sprouts have to be loosened, and watering is carried out only at the root. A spray bottle is used to increase humidity.

Germination and picking

Growing seedlings need feeding 2 weeks after the first shoots appear. For this purpose, liquid fertilizers intended for vegetables are used.

Picking is done after four leaves appear. For this, ordinary plastic cups or special containers for seedlings are used, in which there are many separate sections.

Tomato care

Two months after the appearance of the first shoots, the seedlings are transplanted into open ground. The procedure is performed in the second half of May. Plants are planted in the soil in the evening in warm and calm weather.

Attention! The soil is first watered with water and holes are made in it, the depth of which is about 35 cm.

A little wood ash and superphosphate is placed in each hole.

Watering and fertilizing

Caring for plants does not require significant effort:

• tomatoes are watered with settled and warm water;
• watering is carried out at the roots of plants;
• one bush requires from 5 to 8 liters of water per day;
• once every two weeks, the lower leaves and stepsons are removed;
• The soil is regularly loosened and weeds are removed;
• Fertilizers are applied once every 2 weeks, alternating root and foliar fertilizers;
• combined products, organics or herbal infusions are used.

Bush formation

The “Honey Spas” variety is distinguished by its significant height, so regular garter is required, and from the very beginning after transplanting the seedlings into open ground. For this, trellises or wood stakes are used. If more than 5 fruits of significant size are formed on the hands, then additional supports are needed. This is necessary to protect the brushes from breakage and provide access to the sun's rays to the fruit.

Bushes with 2 or 3 stems are formed, and the side shoots are completely removed. Otherwise, you end up with numerous bunches of small tomatoes.

Disease and pest control

It is advisable to prevent diseases of vegetables, since many diseases cannot be cured. Therefore, optimal conditions for growth are provided:

• the occurrence of high humidity and dampness is prevented, therefore an optimal watering regime is required;
• timely pinching allows you to remove excess shoots that shade the fruits;
• dry leaves are removed;
• If the first signs of disease or pest exposure occur, treatment is promptly carried out, and not only infected bushes are treated with drugs, but also neighboring bushes.

The most common diseases include late blight, mosaic, bacterial wilt, macrosporiosis and chloratic leaf curl. To combat pests such as slugs, aphids or the Colorado potato beetle, folk remedies are used. To do this, all bushes are sprayed with a solution of laundry soap or iodine.

Growing Tomato

Honey saved a powerful plant. To obtain tasty and large fruits, of course, agricultural technology has its own nuances. Reviews indicate that with a little effort you can significantly improve yields.

Sowing seedlings

The timing of sowing seedlings should be focused on the region where tomatoes are grown. For closed ground heated greenhouses they are not so critical, but film shelters and vegetable gardens require more accurate dates.

Experts believe that the most acceptable age for planting seedlings at the fruiting site is 55-65 days. At this point, the plant is least susceptible to stress responses.

Following the instructions, you can carry out a simple calculation:

• when planting in a greenhouse in early April, sowing seedlings is carried out in early February;
• when transferred to the garden in early June, sowing is carried out in early April.

Advice. Take your time with sowing. Overgrown seedlings take root worse.

The time frame for seed preparation, sowing and germination is as follows:

• wet heating of seeds – 2-4 days;
• sowing with seeds that have shown vital activity and full germination - 6-10 days.

These dates can be very approximate, as they depend on growing conditions. Maintaining optimal microclimate parameters is not difficult. They are as follows:

• temperature for wet seed germination - 23-24 ᵒC;
• temperature before germination under greenhouse cover - 23-25ᵒC;
• night temperature when seedlings emerge - 15-17ᵒC;
• daytime temperature with full germination is 21-23 ᵒС.

Advice. To sow seeds, it is better to use purchased universal soil for seedlings. It is tested for pests and pathogens, enriched with minerals, and balanced in acidity.

If you plan to pick into individual cups, then you can choose tubs that are not large and not deep. The distance between seeds is 1.5-2 cm.

Picking can be done in two ways:

• into small containers (50-100 g), then as they grow, transfer into larger containers 250-300 g;
• immediately into large containers of 250-300 g.

When growing seedlings, the daytime temperature should be maintained at 21-22ᵒC, and the night temperature should be lowered to 17ᵒC.

Watering of seedlings is carried out in the morning, with settled or rain warm water. They should be:

• regular;
• abundant with water escaping into the pan.

Before planting seedlings in a permanent place, 13-15 days before, they are hardened. To do this, gradually lower the temperature by opening the window or borrowing a window. Initially, the ventilation time is 5-10 minutes. Then it is increased to 20-25 minutes. 3-4 days before planting, the tubs can be placed outside and only brought indoors at night.

Advice. During the hardening period, you need to monitor the air temperature. It is better not to allow a decrease to the level of 12 ᵒC.

Planting seedlings in a permanent place

The honey saved tomato is tall and powerful. It should have enough space to develop both in the garden and in the greenhouse. Conditions for maintenance should also be provided, since it requires feeding, shaping, and fixing.

When choosing a place for planting, give preference to places that are light and warm, protected from the wind. If potatoes grew there last year, stop planting tomatoes.

The distance between the bushes should be maintained at least 50-60 cm. Between the rows also up to half a meter.

The tomato needs to be fixed. Provide stakes and supports before planting, then it will be more convenient to tie them up.

Growing tomatoes

To grow a good harvest you need to worry about:

• watering;
• soil nutritional value;
• foliar feeding;
• weed removal;
• stepsoning;
• fixing shoots to supports.

Watering of planted seedlings is carried out daily until rooting. Next, they should be carried out in such a way as to completely moisten the earthen ball with roots. Watering should be carried out depending on the presence of rain and preferably in the morning.

If the nutritional value of the soil is low, then watering is combined with fertilizing. To do this, prepare a basic solution (1 kg of manure per bucket of water) and from it a working solution (1 liter of basic solution per bucket of water). Add 0.5 liters to each bush.

During the summer heat, “Honey Spas” may not form an ovary. This happens because pollen bursts at high temperatures. To improve the situation, boron and foliar feeding is needed. They are carried out like this:

• 0.5 g of boric acid is dissolved in a liter of water;
• fill the sprayer;
• spray flower brushes with buds.

Frequency of treatments 1 time in 10 days at high temperature.

Don't let weeds steal water and nutrients from your tomato plant. Remove them before seeds form.

Tomato care

The Honey Spas tomato needs regular pinching and garters. Leading into one shoot means removing all the stepsons at the moment when they have reached 1-2 cm. If the soil fertility is high and it is decided to lead into two shoots, then leave the lowest stepson and the top.

As the shoot grows, it is constantly tied to a peg or fixed to a trellis. The slightest delay can result in the top bending, tilting or breaking off. The brushes of a tomato bush bear a significant load. To prevent breakage, they are also tied up, braided with soft twine.

Harvesting Rules

The fruits are harvested approximately 95-110 days after planting the seeds in prepared soil. Tomatoes are removed gradually as they ripen. It is allowed to collect slightly unripe tomatoes, which quickly ripen at home at warm temperatures.

Attention! Tomatoes have a thick skin, which makes them easy to transport over long distances, so they are often transported to other regions for sale.

The fruits have good shelf life, so if they are collected green, they can last longer than three months. They ripen quickly in a warm and sunny place.

Diseases and pests

It becomes a shame when the grown crop has to be shared with pests and pathogens. It is unacceptable. By regularly inspecting shoots, leaves, and fruits, you can identify the parasite long before the point of no return is passed.

Disease and pest control

The variety is highly resistant to major tomato diseases. “Honey Spas” performs well in damp weather and intense heat.

The genetically determined immune response is quite strong and the plant quickly reacts to the pathogen. But reviews indicate that sometimes late blight breaks through and destroys the crop. To avoid such nuances, it is necessary to zealously carry out preventive treatments of tomato plantings, regardless of the legal resistance of the variety.

Preventative treatment

Preventive treatments should begin at the moment the ovary appears. This is the case if it rains and there are sudden temperature changes. In consistently hot weather, you can wait a little longer with treatments.

There are a number of proven and reliable drugs, the use of which gives 100% results. The most well-proven ones are the following:

• Quadris. Used for late blight, macrosporiosis, alternaria;
• Ridomil Gold. For late blight and alternaria;
• Revus Top. Effective for a range of diseases;
• Speed Suitable for prolonged development of the Alternaria fungus.

Advice. Do not use the same fungicide throughout the growing season of the bushes; alternate preparations.

For prevention purposes, jealously monitor the previous crop in the garden. Do not plant a tomato after a tomato or potato.

If there are potatoes next to the tomato plantings, then perhaps at the end of summer, when the potato tops dry out, the Colorado potato beetle will spread to the tomato plantings. It will no longer be possible to treat with poisons. Therefore, in order to prevent the pest from entering the tomatoes, make a biological break.