Description of the Cherokee tomato variety, its characteristics and yield
The Cherokee tomato was bred back in the 19th century in the United States. It is considered one of the most delicious black fruit tomatoes in the world. It has a tender flesh with a sweet taste and smoky aroma.
Characteristic
The variety does not make high demands on growing conditions. Its height reaches about 180 cm. It is considered optimal to form a bush of 2-3 stems. Usually up to 8 clusters with fruits are formed on the bush. This is a mid-early variety. The time until the first fruits ripen is 110-115 days.
Fruits are semicircular, large, brown-purple in color. The weight of one Cherokee purple tomato reaches 300–400 g. But most of it weighs from 200 to 300 g. Inside there is a steak fruit, dense, but very juicy with a large number of chambers for seeds. The taste of the pulp improves as the vegetable ripens fully. They also have an excellent aroma.
Cherokee tomatoes are used for cutting into salads, making sandwiches. In addition, they are suitable for making sauces and ketchups.
Cherokee purple heart
One of the varieties of exotic tomatoes is the Cherokee Purple Heart. In central Russia and in the northern regions, it is recommended to plant it in a greenhouse. Only in the south does it grow successfully in open beds.
The height of the bushes largely depends on the growing conditions and ranges from 1.2 to 2 meters. The fruits are purple. They have great taste and aroma. The variety has an average ripening period. There are up to ten tomatoes on one brush. They surprise with a kind of "cordial" look, with a point downward. The purple Cherokee is very fleshy with a good delicate flavor and pleasant aroma.
The weight of one fruit is from 150 to 300 g. One bush is capable of producing up to 4 kg of ripe tomatoes in the presence of an irrigation regime and timely feeding.
The main positive property of tomato is its resistance to diseases. But if preventive measures are not followed, the bushes can be affected by a whitefly or spider mite. Whitefly is very difficult to get rid of, as this type of moth is immune to many chemicals.
When grown in a greenhouse of this variety of tomatoes, the bushes can be affected by blackleg and fusarium. The high humidity inside the greenhouse contributes to the occurrence of fungal diseases.
Tying bushes
The height of these bushes is quite high, so they need to be tied to supports. The stems may not withstand the load of the pouring fruits and lie on the ground, or break off.
Properly tied tomatoes will be able to withstand the effects of adverse weather conditions.In addition, it contributes to the free penetration of sunlight to the plant and the access of air.
Bushes can be tied to free-standing supports, on horizontal trellises, on a mesh fence or pyramid-shaped caps. For Cherokee tomatoes, a garter to a mesh hedge is preferable. It is pulled next to the tomato rows, and then the stems are attached to the net with twine or special clothespins.
Preventive measures against pests and diseases
To protect tomatoes from diseases and pests, it is recommended to adhere to the following requirements:
- observe crop rotation;
- do not plant them next to other nightshades, in particular, with potatoes;
- timely remove diseased bushes or plants affected by pests;
- after harvesting, the tops should be removed from the beds.
Reviews
According to reviews, Cherokee varieties are the best tomatoes for growing throughout the country.
Yaroslava Ivanovna, 58 years old: “I have been planting these tomatoes in my garden for 15 years. He never let me down. Fruiting lasts 1.5–2 months, so my family is provided with tomatoes until autumn. "
Svetlana Nikolaevna, 44 years old: “Cherokee is ahead of many other varieties and hybrids of tomatoes in terms of taste. They are undemanding to the cultivation conditions. The only difficulty is the obligatory tying. It is necessary to carry out the garter often, as the stems grow. "
Fedor, 34 years old: “I recently started gardening, but I already have my favorite varieties of tomatoes. One of them is Cherokee tomatoes. They are suitable for fresh use. They are quite resistant to cultivation conditions and diseases. "
