Tomato Heart of Ashgabat

The famous tomato variety Heart of Ashgabat was created by amateur breeders from Turkmenistan in the 60s of the XX century for growing in open ground, in Russia it is most often planted in greenhouses. Semi-determinant bushes of this plant do not take up too much space in the summer cottage, and the resulting fruits look attractive, tolerate transportation well, and are distinguished by excellent marketability.

The Tomato Heart of Ashgabat belongs to the standard varieties. The height of the bushes usually does not exceed 40-60 cm, their foliage is average. In a greenhouse, they can stretch up to 100 cm or more. The bushes themselves are powerful, strong, with medium-sized leaves, light green in color. Fruit clusters are simple or intermediate, are formed at a height of 6-8 leaves, can contain up to 10 ovaries at a time.

Large orange tomatoes of this variety have an average weight of 300-400 g, heart-shaped. The pulp under the skin is fleshy, low-seeded. There is no high concentration of purines in the composition of the fruit. They are hypoallergenic and do not cause negative reactions.

Tomatoes are suitable for fresh consumption or juicing. Their taste is sweet, without sourness. The tasting score of the fruits is high, and they also have a noticeable pleasant aroma.

The variety is mid-season. Harvesting usually begins 100-110 days after planting.

High-yielding variety. It is possible to collect up to 4-7 kg of fruits from the bush. For 1 m2, the indicators are even higher. The collection volumes can reach 20-30 kg.

When self-collecting planting material, it is important to allow the fruits to fully ripen on the bushes, in a natural way. Then their seeds are released from the chambers and dried. Before sowing, the material is subjected to decontamination treatment. Then they can be sent to germinate or treated with stimulants. The optimal time for this is in March, 55-60 days before the transfer to a permanent place.

If further cultivation is planned in a greenhouse, it is worth taking soil from it for sowing, having previously disinfected it with hot copper sulfate. Peat or humus, sand, coconut substrate or sawdust are mixed into the soil. For 1 bucket of the resulting composition, add 30 g of superphosphate and the same amount of wood ash. And you can also use ready-made soil mixture.

Plants are sent to open ground from the end of April in the south. In the central regions, this occurs in the 2nd or 3rd decade of May. In the north - at the beginning of June.

The optimal planting density is 4 plants per 1 sq. m. Most often they are staggered.

The formation of the bush is carried out in 2-3 stems. Plants need a garter during fruiting to avoid breaking the branches. Without rationing of the ovaries, the tomatoes are smaller. The optimal amount is considered to be up to 3-4 fruits.

Until the moment of germination, the sown tomatoes are kept under a film. Then without it, but always under intense lighting. Supplementing allows you to prevent strong pulling of seedlings. Watering is done in moderation, drafts should also be avoided. After picking at stage 2 of these leaves, fertilizing with mineral complexes with phosphorus is performed every 14 days.

Plants can be transferred to open ground no earlier than the ground warms up to a depth of 150 mm. The beds are carefully weeded, dug up, fertilized with rotted manure in a volume of 6 kg per 1 m2. A little lime or wood ash should be added to the soil with high acidity. In the spring, the beds are disinfected with a heated solution of copper sulfate.

A support is installed in each hole, to which a garter is to be performed. Watering after planting is performed not too abundantly, spending up to 1 liter of water per bush. Then take a break of 2 weeks for acclimatization. The subsequent irrigation regime is set with a frequency of 2-3 days, adding 2 liters of water.

On days of pinching, no moisture is applied. And also it is worth regularly removing drooping leaves. Tear off all leaves below 1 flower cluster, but not more than 3 pieces at a time. Top dressing is done 4 times during the season. It is recommended to alternate the introduction of silage, chicken manure or rotted manure, mineral complexes.

Plants are practically not affected by fungal infections. The variety has a high resistance to cladosporium disease, tobacco mosaic virus, Alternaria. Tomato bushes are weakly affected by late blight.

With prolonged rains, the Heart of Ashgabat may have a tendency to crack the fruits. The formation of ovaries is not affected by unfavorable weather conditions. Plants are not afraid of nighttime cold snaps, but in general they do not have frost resistance.

The variety is recommended for planting in Crimea, Stavropol Territory, Astrakhan and Rostov regions. Here it is quite suitable for outdoor cultivation. In other regions, tomatoes can be obtained in greenhouse conditions - both under a film and under major glazing or polycarbonate.

The Heart of Ashgabat variety is a collection variety - amateur vegetable growers from many regions of Russia try to acquire its seeds. Those who have succeeded appreciate the prospects of this tomato. Fruiting, indeed, turns out to be impressive in volume, and the tomatoes themselves, especially in the first wave of the harvest, demonstrate a mass gain of up to 600 g and even more. Since the variety is old, its characteristics are well studied, allowing you to avoid surprises when growing.

Summer residents note that the Heart of Ashgabat does not have a particularly good keeping quality, like other lettuce tomatoes. But this variety demonstrates very early maturity among large-fruited tomatoes. It is praised for its excellent taste, pleasant pulp consistency, unusual yellow-orange color. But there are also disadvantages. For example, with a small amount of sun, tomatoes noticeably lose their taste, become insipid.