Tomato Chio-Chio-San

Chio-Chio-San is a popular brand of sweets in the USSR. The tomato, named after this sweet, was registered with the State Register of the Russian Federation in 1999. Over the years, the tomato has been tested by many gardeners and has earned a brilliant reputation.

The bush is indeterminate, medium-sized, 120-200 cm tall. The upper limit of growth is determined at the discretion of the gardener himself, but over the summer in the middle lane the bush usually reaches 150-170 cm.The leaves are medium-sized, dull, with a slight corrugation, the foliage is medium. The stems are thick, powerful. The first inflorescence is formed over the 9th leaf, the subsequent ones - every 3 leaves.

Fruits are small, ovoid, weighing up to 40 grams, collected in clusters of 30-50 or even more pieces. The brushes are distinguished by a peculiar structure: first, a mass of fruits is tied, then leaves appear, and then the brush grows again - it resembles a tree branch. The color of ripe fruits is pink, unripe - even light green. The skin is smooth, glossy, firm. The variety demonstrates good keeping quality and transportability.

Dessert fruits, very tasty. All pink-fruited varieties have a delicate, aromatic, refined taste. The Chio-Chio-San variety is a worthy representative of this category. Its small tomatoes are sweet, full-bodied, bright in taste. The pulp adds pleasure: it is tender, fleshy-oily, melting. The fruits are excellent for fresh consumption and for preservation, they are versatile. Chio-Chio-San is wonderful fresh on its own, in salads, sandwiches, desserts, drinks, cocktails. It is salted and pickled whole. With an excess of harvest, it is also suitable for preparations, for which large tomatoes are usually taken: winter salads, ketchups, lecho, sauces and pastas.

The variety is mid-season, ripens in 110-120 days.

The yield is excellent even for a modern small-fruited variety, 7.8 kg per 1 sq. m. One bush gives up to 4 kg of tomatoes. Against the background of modern varieties that promise up to 15 kg per 1 sq. m, it may seem modest, but the Cio-Cio-San figures are reliable and proven by practice. With extended cultivation, you can get much more from a tomato, its potential is enough.

Seeds are sown at the usual time for mid-season varieties: in late March - early April. It makes sense to sow earlier if it is possible to arrange supplementary lighting for the plants. Like all tall varieties, the Cio-Cio-San can outgrow. Ready seedlings are planted in greenhouses in May, in open ground in late May - early June.

Between the rows they are kept at 60 cm, between the plants at 40 cm.

The Chio-Chio-San variety is unpretentious, but, like any indeterminate variety, it does not form a neat stem on its own. It is necessary to regulate the growth of the plant. Garter, shaping and pinning are required. The number of stepchildren and the growth of the plant can be varied depending on your own needs. For more abundant yields, 2 stems are left, spud to form additional roots. The classic method - growing in 1 stem, allows you to get a good harvest even in difficult regions.

Carefully monitor the growth of the brushes so as not to confuse them with stems. You should not trim the brushes after the leaves appear on them.

Tear off all excess leaves. Be sure to remove the leaves under the lower ovary, when almost all the tomatoes have reached the desired size. If the leaves are dirty, yellowed or wrinkled, they are removed without mercy even earlier. The bush itself is also thinned out, so that the brushes are in plain sight. This saves the strength of the plant, allows it to send nutrients not to the tops, but to the tomatoes. Beginners are often afraid that the bush will weaken. Excessive plucking of leaves, indeed, will not be beneficial, and with many varieties this procedure can be neglected. But with the Cio-Cio-San tomato, it is very desirable. The bush is very active, constantly releasing fresh shoots. If you do not remove the excess, by the time of fruiting, brushes with tomatoes will not be visible from the thickets of tops. In Siberia and the Urals, it is better to leave no more than 3-4 brushes on a bush. The rest of the ovaries will not have time to ripen anyway and will waste the plant's strength in vain.

During the period of ovary formation, shaking the brushes will be useful, but even without this, the variety shows good tying. Like all tomatoes, the variety loves an even temperature, nutritious soil and abundant, even watering.

Water only at the root, making sure that the soil is well wet. The soil should dry well between waterings, but not dry out to dust. Interruptions in moisture supply will adversely affect the quality of the crop.

The variety is slightly affected by late blight, shows good health, but closer to September not a single tomato will escape this scourge. To preserve planting, it is advisable to adjust the cultivation so that the crop is harvested before the onset of cold nights.

Spraying with Fitosporin will be helpful. It is a concentrate of beneficial bacteria that naturally inhabit the soil. Their effect on plants: stimulating, protective. Treatments can be carried out at any time.

It is better not to get carried away with top dressing, the best thing is to initially prepare the soil well for tomatoes, then its nutrients will be enough for the whole season. When digging, add humus, sand, if the earth is too dense, ash, which saturates the soil with potassium, calcium and magnesium, disinfects and protects against diseases and a small amount of superphosphate. The looseness of the soil is very important, tomatoes love an abundance of moisture, but do not tolerate its stagnation.

You can help the plant by hilling. Tomatoes readily build up the root system. They huddle not when it is convenient for the gardener, but when the plant itself makes it clear that it is ready to quickly grow additional roots. At this moment, rather large tubercles appear at the bottom of the stem.

Like any tomato bred more than 10 years ago, the Cio-Cio-San tomato has also earned negative reviews. But there are surprisingly few of them, and almost all claims can be directed to the seed producer, and not to the variety (for example, poor seed germination). Most of the reviews are unanimous: the variety is excellent. Particularly impressive is the huge bunch of tomatoes that does not fit even in two hands. During the fruiting period, the tomato attracts attention against the background of even other cherry tomatoes. It is so effective that it can be used as an ornamental plant.

It is unpretentious, although, of course, it is more like experienced gardeners who have already automated all the care - they perceive the variety as very easy to care for. For beginners, growing indeterminate pink varieties that need pinching, nutritious soil, and good watering may seem daunting.

The taste deserves the highest marks. The variety has good keeping quality, thin skin that does not burst in blanks. Some gardeners, including seasoned ones, call the variety the best tested.