Description of cherry tomatoes, their benefits and harms, the sweetest varieties
Cherry tomatoes are one of the earliest types of tomatoes. Among gardeners, such varieties are rapidly beginning to gain popularity and there is nothing strange about this. After all, they are very beautiful, fruitful and have a rather pleasant sweetish taste.
They attract people to themselves with their compactness and rapid maturation. Cherry tomatoes can be used not only for preparing various dishes, but also for decorating them.
Benefits
Cherry tomatoes are very popular due to the fact that they have a large number of benefits, which include:
- All the sweetest cherry varieties grow in clusters, not singly. This makes harvesting much easier.
- Tomato fruits do not crack or spoil, so they can be stored for a long time.
- Cherry tomatoes are compact in size and do not need to be painstakingly sliced when preparing snacks.
- Tomato fruits are quite bright in color, so they can be used not only for creating dishes, but also for decorating the table.
- Cherry tomatoes have a small root system that allows them to be grown in small planting containers.
Benefit and harm
Before growing and eating, you need to familiarize yourself with the benefits and harms of cherry tomatoes. Undeniable is the benefits of such tomatoes, as they have the same beneficial properties as other varieties. Cherry tomatoes are rich in sugars, vitamins and antioxidants. They also contain many elements that benefit the human body: sulfur, iodine, chromium, phosphorus, calcium and iron.
Why are cherry tomatoes so useful? There are the following beneficial properties of such tomatoes:
- Thanks to vitamin K, they improve kidney function and help the absorption of calcium.
- They contain a lot of lycopene, which reduces the likelihood of cancers and diseases of the cardiovascular system, stomach and esophagus. Also, this element helps the body dissolve fats better.
- Serotonin, which is found in cherry, replaces antidepressants and improves mood.
However, in addition to the benefits, such tomatoes can cause harm. Some people are not advised to consume cherry tomatoes. These include:
- Patients with an ulcer. They should not eat tomatoes while in remission. Cherry fruits contain many organic acids that can damage the stomach lining.
- People with impaired metabolism.
- Allergy sufferers. They are contraindicated in the use of red vegetables or fruits.
- People with gallstone disease.Cherry tomatoes belong to choleretic products, therefore, with such a disease, they should not be abused.
Classification of varieties
There are a huge number of different varieties of cherry tomatoes. They can differ in size, color, shape and weight. Some of them have been designed specifically for indoor or outdoor planting. All varieties of cherry tomatoes can be divided into three groups.
Determinant
These include low-growing cherry tomatoes, which are best for growing at home. Their characteristic features are low bushes about 40 cm and a low weight of ripe fruits.
These early varieties are suitable for beginner gardeners as they are very unpretentious and easy to grow.
For example, they do not need to be regularly pinned, since all their shoots end with a brush. However, if the dwarf bushes begin to grow seriously, then you will have to start trimming excess branches. At the same time, it is not recommended to remove excess leaves, since this may reduce the amount of harvest.
Most determinant tomatoes ripen quickly. On average, this process takes about 90 days. More than 20 fruits ripen on one bush at a time. The main advantage of such tomatoes is their compact size, thanks to which you can grow the plant at home in small pots.
Indeterminate
This category includes almost all the best varieties of cherry tomatoes. You can cultivate indeterminate tomatoes both outdoors and in greenhouses. Such bushes are more demanding to care for: they need to be regularly cut, watered, and sometimes transplanted. However, the fruits of such varieties are larger and more juicy.
Indeterminate tomatoes need to be pinned periodically so that the bushes do not waste their energy on unnecessary shoots. After pinching, all nutrients will be directed to the development of the fruit. Shoots are cut in the morning on sunny days to help the incisions heal faster.
The cultivation technology of such tomatoes does not differ from the cultivation of other types. The seeds are sown at the end of March so that the seedlings can be transplanted in early May.
Semi-determinant
These tomatoes are something between low and tall bushes. They are quite compact, so you can grow them at home and in greenhouses. The plant is actively developing until 8-10 brushes appear on its bushes. After that, they completely stop their development.
During the cultivation of semi-determinant varieties, you have to do pinching. At the same time, it is not recommended to remove many leaves from the bushes. It is necessary to leave at least 25 pieces to help the plant in very hot conditions.
Most popular varieties
A characteristic with a description of each variety will help novice vegetable growers become better acquainted with their distinctive features and figure out which tomatoes are best to grow.
Barberry
This variety was created for cultivation in greenhouse conditions. Reviews of many gardeners indicate that it is impossible to plant it in the open field, since the bushes do not cope well with temperature changes.
During the growth period, the bushes grow up to two meters in height, so they have to be tied to a support and periodically cut off. It is best to leave only two stems during the formation of the bush. This will be enough to get a good harvest.
The fruits on the bushes are collected in clusters, which contain about 65 tomatoes. They have a smooth surface and an oval shape. When fully ripe, the weight of the largest fruit is 50 grams. Fruiting of barberry lasts throughout the summer and ends in early autumn.
White nutmeg
You can grow such a tomato in almost any region of the country. However, in the middle lane, it is recommended to plant it in a greenhouse, since the plant does not tolerate low temperatures poorly.
A distinctive feature of the variety is the bushes that grow up to two and a half meters. Plants do not stand for very long without a garter, so it is better to immediately attach them to the support.
The advantage of the variety is resistance to many diseases. Growing White Muscat, you can not be afraid that the bushes will get sick and die.
The fruits are pear-shaped and have a golden skin that distinguishes them from other varieties. Ripe cherry tomatoes weigh about 30 grams. They can be used for processing, canning and fresh consumption.
Delight
You can plant such tomatoes on the street and in a greenhouse. Tomato bushes are not as tall as in previous varieties and are only one and a half meters long. However, they also need to be pinned and tied up periodically. In order to get more yield, it is recommended to form the bushes into two or three stems.
Ripe fruits are rounded and reddish in color. Their weight is about 40 grams. They differ from other tomatoes in their sweetness. The Delight tomato is often used in preservation and in the creation of various snacks. It can be added to any recipe that must contain tomatoes.
Thumbelina
This early maturing variety fully ripens 95 days after planting. It is recommended to grow it in greenhouse conditions, as the bushes cannot cope with spring night frosts. The height of the plant is one and a half meters, so it must be tied to a support.
Smooth and rounded red fruits are formed on tomato bushes, the weight of which is only 20 grams. Thumbelina's yield is pretty good. Five kilograms of tomato can be harvested from one square meter.
The main advantages of the variety include its taste and resistance to the most common diseases.
Irishka
Irishka will appeal to people who love undersized varieties. It is ideal for open field planting. The growing season of the plant is 95 days on average. Tomato bushes do not have to be tied up, as their height is only 50-60 cm.
Rounded fruits are pink in color. Each of them weighs 75 grams. Irishka differs from other tomatoes in its taste. Irishka's fruits are the tastiest and juiciest, so they are often used to create sauces and ketchups. Ten kilograms of tomatoes can be harvested from one square meter of land.
The main advantages of tomatoes include their resistance to disease, suitability for transport and the ability to withstand temperature extremes.
Conclusion
Growing cherry seeds is pretty easy. To do this, it is enough to find out how many common varieties of such tomatoes exist and choose the most suitable one.
