Tigrella tomato

Any vegetable garden will be decorated with tomatoes of original highly decorative colors. The bicolor tiger fruits of the old British variety Tigrella, in addition to their beauty, delight with high yields and good taste.

History has not preserved reliable information about the authors of the Tigrella (or Tigerella, Tigerella) variety. It is most likely a so-called open pollinated cultivar, a heirloom native to the UK. Presumably this variety was developed between 1930 and 1959.

There are two versions of its origin. According to one of them, it appeared in the 1930s and is a hybrid of an unknown variety and the Scottish tomato Ailsa Craig. According to the other, in the 1950s, it was bred by the famous British breeder Dr. Lewis Darby of the Greenhouse Crops Research Institute in Littlehampton.

Tigrella is an indeterminate, tall (180-200 cm), productive variety of early ripening and universal use for greenhouses, hotbeds and open ground. Forms strong columnar bushes, densely hung with long clusters with exotic striped red-orange tomatoes. Small, weighing 30-35 g, round or slightly elongated fruits have a sweet and sour taste.

The exotic appearance of these tomatoes is given by stripes-strokes: at first, the bicolor is represented by shades of green, and as it ripens, it changes to a bright red-yellow range. The unusual color for tomatoes resembles the striped color of some apple varieties, and, of course, the tiger skin.

Fruits collected in very full clusters weighing about 35 g (sometimes reaching 50 g) have practically the same size (4-6 cm in diameter) and the same rounded shape. Tigrella fruits are similar to large cherry tomatoes.

Tigrella's skin is dense, according to some reviews, even too thick. The pulp is very juicy, inside there are 2-3 seed chambers. The place at the stalk remains firm for a long time, it is necessary to wait for full ripening, at the same time not allowing the tomatoes to overripe, because then the pulp becomes jelly-like and the taste deteriorates. The crop is recommended to be used and processed immediately after harvest. At room temperature, ripe fruits lie for 4-5 days, and when stored for a long time in the refrigerator, they lose their sweetness.

Tigrella has a pronounced tomato taste, sweet with a slight sourness and a slight spicy undertone. Tomatoes are consumed fresh as salad, used to decorate cold cuts, for pizza and other Italian dishes and snacks, or sent for canning: the size allows you to pickle and pickle whole tomatoes.

The variety is declared as early maturing. From planting seed to harvesting the first wave of the crop, 105-115 days pass. The fruiting period extends from July to September-October.

Tigrella gives a bountiful yield of up to 10-12 kg per 1 m². The variety forms complex clusters located on an erect stem through 1-2 leaves. From 5 to 12 fruits are tied on the hand. Tomatoes hold tight, do not fall off. Assembled have an excellent uniform presentation.

Tigrella seeds are sown, depending on the region and the growing method, at the end of February, in March. Seedlings hatch in 7-10 days. If the seedlings are planted in a common container, then when their height reaches 5 cm, and a couple of leaves appear, a pick is made.

They are planted in the ground in May, when there is no longer a threat of night frosts.

To provide the plants with sufficient space for growth, planting is carried out according to the scheme of 50x60 cm. Up to 4 seedlings are planted in a checkerboard pattern per 1 m². Tigrella bushes are highly branched and grow rapidly, few leaves are formed.

Tigrella is quite unpretentious, agrotechnical care for her is available even to novice tomato growers. When preparing a site for seedlings, it is loosened and cleaned of weeds, fertilized with humus and nitrogen. During the flowering period, for a better setting, potassium-phosphorus fertilizing is introduced.

Often it is not recommended to water this variety: with an excess of moisture, the taste and texture of the fruit becomes worse, and the danger of late blight increases.

A folk recipe will help to increase the sweetness of tomatoes: watering with "fish" water - an infusion of fish waste. This method has a large following, although many consider its effectiveness to be a myth.

The bush is formed into 1-2 stems. Fast-growing shoots and pinch the top. The plant needs to be tied to a support or net. After tying the second brush, remove the lower leaves.

The variety is quite resistant to infections, if it gets sick, then when the infected areas are removed, it quickly recovers. May be affected by late blight.

Preventive spraying is carried out from pests. And companion planting can also help: basil planted nearby will improve the taste of the fruit and distract the attention of insects dangerous for tomatoes. Good neighbors will be: nasturtium, thyme, garlic, marigolds.

In central Russia and the southern regions, the variety is successfully grown in the open field. For the Trans-Urals and northern territories, cultivation in greenhouses is suitable. The variety adapts well to different climatic conditions, tolerates both a rainy, cloudy summer and a short drought. The fruits continue to ripen on the bushes until the autumn cold and the first subzero temperatures.