Cherry tomatoes: the best, sweetest varieties for open ground and greenhouses with descriptions, photos and reviews, features of growing tomatoes

Vegetable growing » Tomatoes

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Kira Stoletova

Tomato is very popular in many countries. It is grown with pleasure in dachas, fields and even on the balcony. The number of varieties of this vegetable is very large and choosing a tomato for planting often becomes a problem. After all, one variety is too dense, the other is too soft. But she was able to develop a universal variety called Sanka tomato.

Characteristics and description of tomato variety Sanka

These tomatoes have good reviews and a simple description that allows you to find out all the advantages and disadvantages of the species. Tomato Sanka is one of the best of its kind. Growing and caring for them does not take much time and effort.

History of cherry tomatoes

For the first time, Israeli scientists announced varietal cherry tomatoes in the 70s of the last century. They were trying to create tomatoes with improved flavor that were resistant to heat and weather. Small-fruited tomatoes get sick much less often than their counterparts, and are also distinguished by long-term fruiting.

It is believed that tomatoes with small fruits similar to cherries (and sometimes the size of a pea) appeared at the beginning of the 19th century in Peru or Chile, where they began to be actively cultivated

Such tomatoes grew wild in the Andes, and the Aztecs and Incas first began to grow them for themselves around 700 BC. e. The Swiss botanist Kaspar Baugin first mentioned cherry as a separate species. He described most of the plants known to man at that time, including cherry tomatoes - tomatoes with small fruits of various shapes and colors, which were used only for serving.

Small-fruited tomatoes of modern selection not only differ in shades of color, peel and shape - today we are offered to try mini-tomatoes in the form of strawberries with a characteristic aftertaste, grapes, and some can even be confused with dates

Cherry - what are they?

Cherry tomato fruits weigh no more than 35–40 g, and the smallest ones weigh from 5 to 15 g. A distinctive feature of small tomatoes, the fame of which has spread throughout the world over several decades, is their rich taste and high sugar content in the pulp.

The leaf blade of these tomatoes is also very decorative - with carved edges, color - from dark green to pistachio.

This variety of tomatoes bears fruit well both in the ground and in covered greenhouses; among them there are dwarfs up to 50 cm in height and medium-sized ones more than 1 m in height.

Home cultivars are less productive, but they can be grown without problems as a potted crop on a veranda, balcony or windowsill all year round

Tall exhibits, reaching 2.5–3 m, especially when forced in greenhouses, are capable of growing massive fruit clusters, the length of which reaches from 20 to 70 cm, and the weight varies from 2.5 to 6 kg.

It’s okay that a tomato is just one bite, but the whole family can enjoy one bunch

Mini-fruits are convenient to eat, they can be used to decorate salads, sandwiches and even sweet pastries; the pulp makes an amazing sauce, lecho, and cherry tomatoes can also be dried and baked, salted and frozen whole or cut into halves.

Cherries are delicious marinated in spicy and sweet sauce, in tandem with olives and black olives, with herbs and spices

Pea tomatoes are used for serving one by one or in whole bunches; canapés are made from whole multi-colored fruits; they are placed in soups and stews.

Some cherry varieties are sometimes difficult to distinguish from berries: the bunch, the shape of the berries, and the color are very reminiscent of grapes

Advantages and disadvantages

Growing cherry tomatoes has its pros and cons. The advantages of mini tomatoes include:

friendly ripening is a feature of bunch tomatoes;
the ability to store dense-skinned cultivars for more than a month. And with additional ripening, such tomatoes are picked in parts for eating, the rest remain in the bunch until fully ripe and continue to lie in a room where the temperature does not drop below +5–8 C°, up to 60 days;
cold resistance - varieties of domestic selection bear fruit in open ground until the first frost;
Possibility of use in garden design and home flower beds.

The cherry assortment includes many potted varieties that are distinguished by their impeccable yield.

Scientists say that it is small-fruited tomatoes that are rich in lipids and sugars. These vegetables help absorb vitamin D, which is probably why winter recipes for fresh salads often include cherry tomatoes.

Flaws:

often fall off, especially if left on bushes;
fruits crack - this is the scourge of small-fruited tomatoes, so clusters that are not yet fully ripe and varieties that are least susceptible to this scourge are left for storage;
despite the fact that in general cherry tomatoes get sick less often than ordinary tomatoes, they are highly susceptible to some nightshade diseases (blight rot, late blight, bacteriosis);
tall varieties require garter.

Cherries require tying the stems and fruiting bunches to a reliable support, regardless of whether the plants are planted in beds or in a greenhouse

Description of the Sashenka variety

The Sanka tomato is one of the varieties that ripen very quickly. The variety has a high yield and already 10 weeks after planting you can enjoy the first tomatoes. If the climate is like in Moscow, then fruit maturity occurs after 12 weeks. But if we talk about the Siberian climate, then the tomato harvest there falls on the 13th week after planting the seeds.

The height of the bush can reach a maximum of 1.5 meters. It is thanks to this that Sanka bears the first fruits so early. Also because of this, the variety does not need gartering or pinching. But this does not mean that Sanka tomatoes cannot be planted. You can watch a video on the Internet to see how this is done.

Despite the fact that the description of the tomatoes says that they do not need garter. Reviews from many gardeners say the opposite. Although the tomato does not grow too tall, it does grow a lot to the sides. Therefore, they are tied up so as not to damage the vegetables.

The yield of the bush is high, which attracts many gardeners. Those who have been growing Sanka tomatoes for several years claim that you can get about 6 tomatoes from one branch. The fruit itself is medium in size and weighs 100 grams. These tomatoes are great for canning as a whole.

Brief description of Sanka:

short ripening period;
easy to care for;
high productivity;
resistant to temperature changes;
delicious fruits;
long fruiting period;
disease resistance.

This tomato was originally invented to be grown in open ground. But it can be grown in greenhouses and loggias. The Sanka tomato variety produces the first fruits in early July. In this way it resembles the salanto-table variety Zedek.

Advantages of the Sashenka variety

Tomato is resistant to various diseases

Sanka has a lot of advantages. You can also find the golden Sasha species, but this is a hybrid Sanka f1. There are practically no differences between these two tomatoes. These two varieties only have different fruit colors, but the rest of the description is identical.

Tomato Sanka has only positive reviews, because its benefits are simply impossible not to notice. The fruits have an unusual taste, which especially attracts gourmets. In addition, they are quite large in size, and they also take a very long time to give birth. The main feature of the tomato variety Sanka is the characteristics of its fruit.

The main advantage of the variety is its resistance to various pests and diseases that are characteristic of nightshades. From such a plant you can get a good garden, high-quality tomatoes. It is often grown specifically for sale, because it is excellent for transportation and has a good presentation.

Features of growing small-fruited tomatoes

Cherries are propagated mainly by seedlings, and the sowing technique differs little from planting conventional varieties of tomatoes.

Planting cherry tomatoes for seedlings

Usually, the sowing of ground varieties is carried out in the 2nd–3rd decade of March; for a heated greenhouse, you can start preparing seedlings 10 days earlier. Prepare fertile soil (2 parts humus, 2 parts purchased peat, 1 part clean sand), to which you can add wood ash and mineral fertilizers (a handful of ash and a spoonful of mineral fertilizer for tomatoes per 5 kg of substrate).

Procedure:

Pots or purchased seedling cassettes are filled with ready-made planting soil.
The seeds are pre-soaked in any growth stimulant intended for these purposes (Zircon, Sodium Humate, etc.).
Grooves 3–5 mm deep are made on the surface, into which the seeds are lowered, placing them at a distance of at least 5–6 cm from each other - this makes it easier to dive later.

When planting, it is convenient to take the soaked tomato seeds with a thin wooden stick or toothpick.

One seed is planted in the cassettes. If the seedlings germinate in separate seedling cups, picking will not be required. The seedlings are covered with glass and left in a warm room (temperature range: +18–22 C°).

Growing cherry tomatoes at home

At the end of the gardening season, mini-tomato lovers start sowing again and get a good harvest of cherry tomatoes right on the window of their house or apartment. Usually, determinant varieties are selected for home planting.

In order to get a cherry harvest at home, I soak the seeds for 6 hours in Epin’s solution, and then leave them on a wet sponge for another day or two. This provides constant moisture for the germinating seeds, without them getting wet or moldy.

To prevent the cherry tomato seeds from drying out in the sponge, make a small cut into which the seeds are inserted

I place the pots with seeds, covered with glass or film (which is less preferable, since fungus can become active in the ground), in a dark place for 2–4 days. On the 5th–6th day, I return the crops to the windowsill, preferably a south-eastern one, since future seedlings require diffused sunlight. From the moment the first shoots appear, I care for young plants in the same way as for ordinary tomatoes - watering, loosening, fertilizing. When the third and fourth leaves grow, I carry out a dive. As soon as the cherry tomatoes gain color, I feed them with Bud or Ovary (according to the instructions). To help tomatoes set fruit, I recommend walking over the flowers with a brush or a soft bird feather, thereby transferring pollen from one plant to another.

In winter, tomatoes require mandatory lighting (daylight should be at least 12–14 hours).

To prevent seedlings and adult plants from stretching out in winter, supplementary illumination with special phytolamps is used.

As a result of the efforts made, you will be able to enjoy delicious mini-tomatoes all winter.

Video: growing cherry tomatoes on a windowsill

Planting tomatoes Sasha

Growing Sanka is impossible without proper planting. And to do this, you need to immediately sow the seeds and get seedlings from them. She is then planted in open ground. To plant seeds, they must be carefully examined. There should be no holes or damage on them.

After which the seeds need to be poured with a solution of potassium permanganate for 10-15 minutes. This allows you to remove pests from them, if any, and prevent the occurrence of diseases. Next, the prepared planting material must be planted in the ground. After which the container with the Sanka tomato is placed on the armrest. It should be well lit.

When the seeds germinate and two strong leaves appear, the seedlings must be transplanted into different containers. This allows each bush to form a strong root system. When the tomato is strong enough, it can be planted in open ground. But before this, the variety needs to be hardened well so that sudden changes in temperature do not destroy the seedlings. Despite the fact that the Sanka tomato in the description of the variety has such a point as resistance to temperature changes, its seedlings need hardening in the same way as other varieties.

It is not recommended to plant tomatoes in the same place every year.

The characteristics of the variety indicate that it is best to plant the vegetable in the place where legumes used to grow. Before this, the soil needs to be well fertilized and watered. And only after this can you safely plant Sanka tomatoes. There is even a special planting scheme for this species, which can be seen in the video. If you do not follow it, then growing Sanka tomato will not bring you the desired result.

Main varieties of cherry tomatoes

Now there is a huge selection of cherry tomatoes, different in shape, color and taste. If small fruit is a drawback in other varieties of tomatoes, breeders of everyone’s favorite cherry tomatoes compensated for it with outlandish shapes and an unusual aftertaste.

I just want to plant cherry tomatoes when “I want something but I don’t know what,” because this small-fruited variety of tomatoes most often surprises gardeners with its taste and color

There is a fact that is worth paying attention to when choosing seed. Many experienced gardeners say that cherry varieties with unusually shaped fruits and funny colors (dark-fruited, albino, crimson), with a light fruity taste and specific aroma in most cases are of American origin or imported from Europe. Such varieties are more thermophilic, afraid of even the lightest frosts, do not tolerate overdrying of the soil, and love to be regularly fed with liquid leaf and root fertilizers. If you want something unique in your garden beds, think carefully about whether you are willing to spend time for one or two bunches of cherry tomatoes that have no analogues on your neighbors’ plots.

Video: popular cherry varieties

What to choose for open ground

Cherry octopus F1 is an early-ripening indeterminate hybrid with fruits weighing up to 40 g. Smooth, round, bright red tomatoes grow on powerful bushes (more than 2 m) already at the end of June. The yield reaches 9 kg/m2.

The Octopus cherry tomato F1 is transported over long distances without losing the quality characteristics of the fruit; the hybrid is not afraid of verticillium and blossom end rot

The mid-season hybrid Cherry Strawberry F1 reaches a height of no more than 1.2 m, the yield varies from 4 to 9 kg/m2. A distinctive feature is the rich scarlet fruit with a shape identical to strawberry berries (weight 20–30 g).

The fruits of the Cherry Strawberry tomato really resemble garden strawberries in shape.

The determinant is quite decorative, used in landscape design and is perfect for baby food. Brown spot and powdery mildew are the main enemies of gourmet cherry tomatoes.

Video: Strawberry tomato F1

Cherryira F1 with coral-red cube-shaped fruits with a spout (according to the State Register of Breeding Achievements of the Russian Federation, weight - 32 g) has been known to domestic tomato scientists for almost 20 years. These cherries are loved for their delicate pulp, excellent taste, aroma and ultra-early ripening (85–90 days from the moment of sowing). Recoil reaches 6–8.5 kg/m2.

Persistent immunity to almost all tomato diseases and tolerance to cold are also important characteristics of the Cherryira F1 hybrid

The mid-early hybrid Chery Blosem F1 shoots shoots up to 1 m, thanks to its moderate growth it is formed into 2 and 3 stems. The fruits are perfectly round, fiery red peas with thick skin, weighing 20–30 g, and look great in clusters. Resistant to many diseases and temperature changes. Cherry Blossam F1 is the leader among cherry trees due to its versatility of use and long-term fruiting in any climate. Collect from 1 sq. m manages to weigh up to 8 kg.

Tomato Chery Blossam F1 bears fruit for a long time in any climate

The small-fruited indeterminate White currant variety with pale lemon cherry fruits is suitable for allergy sufferers. Kids also enjoy eating sweet and sour mini-tomatoes that look like large currants. Full output from 1 sq. m 15–20 twenty-gram fruits in a cluster reaches 6–7 kg/m2.

They say that the White currant variety is not suitable for canning and storage; tomatoes filled with juice often burst without even fully ripening

The mid-early tomato Chocolate Monisto, an indeterminate type, has fairly large fruits for cherry tomatoes - 30–45 g. Dense round tomatoes of a chocolate-ochre color have an amazing sickly sweet specific tomato aroma and sweet taste.

Characteristics of the Sasher variety

Sasher F1 is a genetically healthy variety because it withstands the effects of any parasites or diseases. It grows best in the middle regions of the country, where it is recommended to plant seedlings in greenhouses, and in the southern regions. There, the Sasher variety can be safely planted in open ground. If the growing conditions are extreme, then this does not affect the setting, which still allows you to get a high yield from each bush.

The main characteristics of this hybrid type of tomato include:

The bush grows very tall, so it must be tied up during growth. It is best to use trellises and support pegs.
The plant must be formed into 2 stems to get more fruits.
The fruits are formed in clusters on which 5 to 7 tomatoes ripen.
Fruit ripening occurs evenly and smoothly.
Tomatoes are covered with smooth, glossy skin.
The fruits are dense.
Tomatoes are oval, even in shape.
The weight of 1 tomato varies from 150-170 to 250 g.

When tomatoes ripen, they become a dark brown-red color. This is due to the fact that the fruit contains a large amount of lycopene, a special carotenoid pigment. It is recognized by doctors as a powerful antioxidant that helps prevent cancer and atherosclerosis. The Sasher tomato can be stored for a long time if the fruits are placed correctly after picking from the bushes.