Tomato Valentine

For mass cultivation on personal plots, summer residents prefer non-capricious varieties with high yields, the bushes of which do not take up much space. These types include an early maturing variety with the beautiful name Valentina.

This early variety was bred by Russian breeders of the Institute of General Genetics. Vavilov in 1997. The nightshade crop was entered in the State Register and approved for use in 1998. The Valentine tomato variety is recommended for cultivation in all regions of the country in open ground conditions. In addition, the variety grows well in greenhouse conditions.

Outwardly, the culture is a low-growing bush with a determinant type of growth, stretching up to 55-60 cm in height. The plant is characterized by moderate spreading, weak thickening, yellow-green leaves and slight branching. The spreading of the bushes presupposes an obligatory garter to the support, otherwise not very powerful stems may break off due to weighty fruits.

Experts recommend abandoning pinching altogether or partially performing it. As for the type of inflorescence, they are simple, and the internodes are short. The root system is rather weak. Formation of fruits is aciniform.

Valentine's tomato has an elongated-oval shape, called plum, and a red-orange uniform color when fully ripe. Unripe tomatoes are light green. The average fruit weight is 82-86 grams. In greenhouses, the fruits are somewhat heavier - up to 100 grams.

Thanks to their thick skin, tomatoes do not crack, are characterized by long shelf life and easily tolerate transportation. A feature of Valentine's tomatoes is considered the ability to ripen, therefore, if necessary, they can be plucked at the stage of blanch ripeness.

Tomatoes have high taste and are quite aromatic. Their flesh is firm and juicy with a sweet and sour taste. Despite the firmness of the peel, they are ideal for salads and processing into juices, sauces, pasta. Since the fruits are medium in size and slightly elongated, they are suitable for whole fruit canning.

A huge advantage of tomatoes is their useful vitamin composition (natural saccharides, minerals, proteins and vitamin complex B, C, K).

The early maturing variety of Valentine. From the moment the first shoots appear, and until the harvest, only 97-98 days pass. The fruits ripen together and do not crumble. The fruiting period is somewhat extended over the period from August to September.

The yield of the variety is high and stable. Subject to standard agricultural practices, up to 439 centners can be harvested from 1 hectare. Under the conditions of home cultivation, summer residents collect up to 6-8 kg from one bush per fruiting season.

Sowing seeds for seedlings is performed 55-60 days before planting the bushes in a permanent place of growth. Before sowing, the planting material must be disinfected using a solution of potassium permanganate. In each region, depending on climatic conditions, the sowing of seeds is calculated individually. In most regions, seeds are sown from March to April.

Diving (transplanting) is carried out when 2-3 true leaves appear on the bush.After sowing, it is recommended to use the greenhouse effect, which will accelerate the appearance of the first shoots. As soon as the bushes grow up to 3-5 cm, they are seated distantly from each other.

The room with the growth of bushes should be warm and well lit. A week before transplanting, the seedlings should be hardened by exposing them to fresh air for 15-20 minutes.

Planting in open ground is carried out when the root system and stems of the bushes are sufficiently strong. The optimal period for planting in a permanent place of growth is May-June. At this time, the air should be warmed up (+ 20-21 degrees), and there should be no night frosts.

Due to the fact that the bushes of Valentine's tomatoes are compact, 6-7 bushes can be planted on 1 m2. The optimal planting scheme is considered to be 50x50 cm, it can be a little thicker.

The culture is grown in a seedling way. The soil should be fertile, loose, breathable, free of weeds and grass, and moistened and fed with fertilizers. An ideal site would be a site where cabbage, zucchini, carrots and cucumbers were previously grown.

The variety is unpretentious in care, but you should not forget about standard events. Comprehensive care for Valentine's nightshade culture includes:

• watering with settled or warm water under the root (once a week is enough);
• the introduction of mineral and organic fertilizers (when planting in a permanent place of growth, during active flowering and after the formation of tomatoes);
• removal of weeds, weekly loosening of the soil;
• double hilling;
• mulching;
• tying bushes to supports (it is recommended to use synthetic material);
• protection from diseases and pests.

Tomatoes have good resistance to many diseases, but there is vulnerability from the invasion of pests such as thrips, aphids, spider mites and the Colorado potato beetle. Microbiological preparations are effective in pest control. In addition, the early ripening period contributes to the fact that the variety practically does not suffer from late blight.

Tomatoes growing in greenhouses can be exposed to cladosporium disease. Controlling moisture content and temperature indicators in the greenhouse will help prevent disease.

The seed culture of Valentina is resistant to heat, therefore it grows well in the southern regions, tolerates a short drought well. It is also worth noting the excellent frost resistance of the variety, which makes it possible to massively and successfully grow the crop in the northern strip.

The variety can be grown in any region. Moreover, the culture grows well and bears fruit not only in Russia, but also in Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus.

Analyzing the numerous reviews of experienced gardeners, as well as farmers who grow the variety for commercial purposes, it can be confidently asserted that Valentine's tomatoes are absolutely not capricious in care, give abundant harvests, are stored for a long time, ripen after harvest, and are also transported without significant commodity losses.

Many housewives praise tomatoes for their unsurpassed taste, ideal shape and size of fruits, which are ideal for canning whole, as well as for processing into juices, dressings and ketchup.