In addition to the usual red color for tomatoes, more and more multi-colored varieties appear. Heart of Gold is one of such unusual varieties of tomato, loved by gardeners for its properties.
Description and characteristics of the Golden Heart variety
This tomato owes its name to its appearance. The bright orange or yellow fruits grow into a symbolic heart shape. Tall, strong bushes are successfully grown both in the greenhouse and in the open field.
These tomatoes are characterized by early ripening and high productivity.
Several pieces simultaneously sing on one brush. According to the description, the height of a bush grown in greenhouse conditions can reach 1 meter.
Having once planted these tomatoes, a person tries to preserve the culture in his garden for the next years. Harvested seeds are great for planting next season.
The history of tomato breeding and the region of growth
For the first time, these tomatoes were bred in 1999 in Russia by the breeder of the research center Yuri Panchev. At first the variety was intended for growing under cover, but after 2 years it was adapted to the conditions of open beds. Plants grown outdoors are more compact, slightly less tall than greenhouse specimens.
In the northern regions of the country, the Golden Heart is recommended to grow in greenhouses.
Advantages and disadvantages
The cultivation of these varietal fruits has many positive aspects.
- Good appearance.
- Early ripening.
- Long-term storage.
- Pleasant taste.
- Suitable for canning.
- The variety is undemanding to conditions, easy care.
- Preservation of fertility throughout the summer season.
- Disease resistance.
Unpretentious seedlings practically do not need additional influence, except that they need to be formed. The bush has many small green leaves and twigs, which are partially removed for better air and light access to ripening vegetables.
Planting seeds
When buying planting material in a store, you should contact only trusted, reputable firms.
To multiply the variety, you need to take ripest and largest sample and extract seeds from it... There is no need to rush to pick an unripe tomato: the more ripe and softer it is, the better.
Harvesting is carried out in several stages: first, the planting material is separated from the pulp, then washed, and then dried. The easiest way to separate seeds from everything else is during the fermentation process. If you pour the vegetable with water in advance and cover the dish with a foil loosely, after a while the necessary contents will automatically sink to the bottom.
The characteristics of the selected fruit should correspond as closely as possible to the defining qualities of the variety for better purity and preservation in the future.
Seedling harvesting falls on last days of February or early March.
Seeds collected by hand are pre-aged in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 12 hours. Then they are dried and immersed in the soil by 2 centimeters, sprinkled with earth on top and watered a little. The room should be warm and humid. At first, the sprouts are covered with a transparent film.
Sprouts with 2-3 leaves, dive into separate containers.
Transplanting seedlings into open ground
The most optimal period for planting grown plants in the soil is mid May... By this time, the earth warms up well, the threat of frost has passed. Planting in the greenhouse can be carried out already in the end of April.
Immediately before planting, the bed is poured with boiling water, fertilizer (superphosphate or wood ash) is placed in the prepared holes.
Growing conditions
In order for tomatoes to grow well and bear fruit, it is necessary for them take care of... The plant is provided with:
- Timely watering (1 or 2 times a week).
- Top dressing (once every two weeks)
- Loosening after every watering.
- Weed weeding.
- Mulching.
- Garter of long stems.
- Bush pruning. The lower leaves are to be removed.
- Pinching the crown. This is done so that the vitality of the bush is not directed into excessive gardening.
Features of fruiting varieties
A typical fruit of the Golden Heart weighs 90-120 grams... Individual specimens may grow up to 300 g... The first crop is harvested 85 days after rooting.
The variety bears better fruit if it is planted in soil with low acidity.
Each seedling is located forty or fifty centimeters from another sprout. Spraying flowers with a mixture of water and boric acid also has a beneficial effect on the result.
Experienced gardeners recommend cut off stepsons only at the beginning (to the first brush), otherwise the yield indicators of the bush will decrease.
Diseases and their prevention
The described variety is not very susceptible to various diseases common to all tomatoes. But carrying out prevention still does not hurt.
The development of late blight, which is fatal for tomatoes, prevents timely pruning of foliagetouching the ground. The disease develops mainly in cold and rainy summers.
The risk of infection after the method used is significantly reduced, but it is necessary to observe the measure in it. Overdoing it, you can harm the bush and reduce the number of ovaries. Also, vegetable crops will benefit from treatment with preparations containing copper.
Fresh air is a preventive measure against the formation of top rot.
If fungal formations are noticed on the leaf cover and stem, then it is considered a well-known and effective method of combating them manganese solution.
Resisting pests consists in spraying these bush plantings solution of ammonia... Helps to cope with aphids and spider mites soapy water... If simple folk remedies are ineffective, then chemical preparations are used.
Not only beauty has earned the Golden Heart its recognition among those who annually grow it in their garden. The reason for this is its exquisite taste, generous fruiting and other properties.