If you ask gardeners about their favorite variety of tomatoes, many will say that these are “bull’s heart” tomatoes. Reviews with photos and the characteristics of this amazing fruit are of interest to most summer residents, and everyone has at least once tried to grow it on their own plot. It is not surprising that most of the harvest simply does not survive to canning, because the tomatoes are eaten “live”. It’s impossible not to try these tomatoes: juicy, large, incredibly aromatic and tasty - the real tomatoes we miss all winter.
This variety is grown in order to eat enough in the summer, and smaller representatives are suitable for “cans”. Today we invite you to take a closer look at ox heart tomatoes. Reviews with photos of the tomato variety will be presented in this article. In addition, here you can also find advice from experienced gardeners on selecting seeds, growing tomatoes, and several canning secrets.
Bull's heart tomatoes: reviews with photos and description
Distinctive features of the variety are the large size of the fruits. It’s one thing to grow these tomatoes, another thing to achieve a really large-fruited and high yield. The weight champions on the site can be seen from afar. They leave no one indifferent and are a source of pride for the master gardener who grew such a miracle. As a rule, the very first fruits are the largest. The average weight of one is 300-400 grams, there are also half a kilo each. The shape of the fruit is slightly elongated, reminiscent of the shape of a real anatomical heart, the surface is slightly ribbed. Subsequent tomatoes are smaller in size - 100-200 grams each.
Another feature of the variety is the unevenness of the fruits. According to reviews with photos about “ox heart” tomatoes, it is noticeable that on the lower branches the tomatoes are larger, and towards the top they begin to become smaller. The yield will please everyone; it ranges from ten to twelve kilograms per bush if it grows in a greenhouse. If the tomato is planted in open ground, then it will be less - from seven to nine kilograms, and the fruits themselves will also be smaller in size. Reviews with photos about bull's heart tomatoes confirm this fact.
The bush itself is tall - from 1.5 to 1.7 in height, spreading, growing very quickly. He needs a garter. The leaves are large, dark green, their appearance is the same as other varieties.
Tomato Bull's heart: description and characteristics of the variety
Tomato Bull's heart: photo of variety
As we noted above, the Bull's Heart tomato is loved for its excellent taste. Its pulp is unusually sweet and soft, so you can make an excellent sauce, salad, or prepare first or second courses from this tomato variety. Housewives love to squeeze tomato juice from Bull's Heart tomatoes; it turns out incredibly tasty and aromatic. And finally, you can simply eat these tomatoes fresh; you are sure to love them. And the Oxheart tomato will once and for all become your faithful companion. Despite such an attractive name, these vegetables do not at all resemble beautiful and romantic hearts in shape, but an ordinary anatomical heart does.
In shape, Bull's Heart tomatoes are usually round, slightly flattened into an oval, and, of course, unusually large. Tomato bushes do not need to be pinched, they grow independently, and on each bush several shoots with numerous ovaries are formed. But be careful, it is advisable to tie up these tomatoes, since the fruits of this crop are unusually large, so the branches can easily break under the weight of such tomatoes. The bushes of this variety are very powerful, the shoots are well branched. On average, one tomato bush of the Bull's Heart variety reaches a height of about 1 meter, but tomatoes can grow higher.
Usually, Oxheart tomatoes begin to ripen only at the end of summer, so you won’t be able to enjoy tomatoes too early. Technical maturity occurs approximately 3 months after planting. These tomatoes are grown both in greenhouses and just outside. It is advisable to plant them through seedlings. Otherwise, the vegetable may simply not ripen during the summer. Oxheart tomatoes are usually planted for seedlings at the end of March or early April. The shape of the fruit is oval, slightly flattened, elongated. Tomatoes are raspberry or red in color. They are quite juicy, but the fruits contain little water, so the concentration of nutrients in tomatoes is high.
The Oxheart tomato is a large-fruited crop, so the weight of one tomato can be as much as half a kilogram. Of course, this variety is a little capricious; tomatoes love sun and light, as well as warmth and moisture. Therefore, if your region has harsh climatic conditions, the fruits may not have time to ripen.
In order for the yield of the Oxheart tomato to be high, you will need to regularly feed the plants and also water the beds. The harvest mainly depends on these factors. From one bush you can collect up to 5 kilograms of ripe tomatoes, but in a greenhouse even 12. But remember that tomatoes of this variety usually have different sizes. Only a few ordinary hearts are formed on each bush, but the rest of the tomatoes will be smaller, and their shape will also be different from the heart, usually they are round and oval. But despite this, all the tomatoes are equally tasty and aromatic. This variety is very popular with breeders, so work is currently underway to develop new subspecies. Thus, the following varieties already exist for Ox Heart tomatoes: the fruits, based on their appearance, are divided into white, pink, yellow and even black. This is the color palette. This variety certainly deserves our attention, since gardeners who plant these tomatoes on their plots almost always leave only rave reviews. Well, let's get acquainted with the growing conditions.
Taste qualities
One has only to cut a tomato and it will spread its extraordinary aroma for many meters. The tomato pulp is fleshy, very sweet, and all because this variety takes up less water than others. The taste and aroma cannot be confused with anything else; they are completely sugary and compare favorably with other tomatoes. The skin is delicate, thin; it often happens that the fruits crack, and this can spoil their appearance, but not their taste! The “ox heart” tomato variety, photos and reviews of which are presented in this article, is grown to be eaten fresh precisely because of its ideal taste.
The variety is mid-season, fruiting occurs on average on the 130th day after germination of seedlings.
Variety varieties
We have given a general description of the “ox heart” tomato. In fact, there are several varieties of the variety. The features of agricultural technology do not differ, but they differ greatly in appearance and size. We invite you to familiarize yourself with each one separately.
- A favorite type of many are pink oxheart tomatoes. According to reviews from the photo, it is clear that they are larger than all their counterparts of other colors; one fruit on the lower cluster can grow up to 900 grams! The color of the tomatoes is pink. Reviews about the variety are the most enthusiastic. They write that they are ideal for preparing fresh summer salads and for tomato juice. The peculiarity is that it matures later than other species. The pink tomato is unpretentious and has immunity to many diseases, including late blight.
- The red "bull's heart" is distinguished by very strong branching. The size of the fruits is rarely inferior to the previous type.
- Orange - has excellent taste, unlike any other variety.
- Black - is an individual, recognizable by the color of the dark burgundy fruit. The latest of all “hearts”.
And for their diversity, many people also loved the “ox heart” tomatoes. Reviews with photos from summer residents show how beautiful winter salads can be rolled up in jars of colorful tomatoes! Also, no one will refuse to try a fresh salad of several types of tomatoes - the taste of each complements each other, and such a dish looks very appetizing!
Characteristics of the species
The first thing you need to do is find out what this variety is. Let us present to you the characteristics of the ox heart tomato.
The height of the bush on which this tomato grows may vary. But, usually, bushes of this variety reach a length of up to 2 meters.
The variety was officially registered at the beginning of this century, in 2003. It can be grown both outdoors and in greenhouse conditions.
Ripens quite late compared to other varieties.
Growing ox heart tomatoes in open ground is only possible if there are good weather conditions and sufficient humidity levels.
The trunk and stems of the tomato are quite powerful. Which is not surprising, because the raft itself is very large and can weigh up to 300 g.
The taste is quite pleasant and sweet tomato. There are few seeds. They have a long shelf life. At optimal temperature in the refrigerator, they can be stored for up to two weeks.
Advantages of the variety
It’s very easy to judge the advantages of the bull’s heart tomato based on reviews and photos. Positive characteristics include:
- taste qualities of tomatoes, their meatiness;
- a large number and size of fruits, when compared with other varieties of tomatoes, the bushes of which are the same in size;
- the tassels are tied almost at the same time, so the crop ripens together every time until the end of the season;
- early ripeness of the fruit allows you to enjoy tomatoes as soon as possible;
- The most delicious tomato juice is obtained from the “bull’s heart”.
It is these factors that influence the choice of variety by many summer residents. What can disappoint you and create additional troubles in this amazing variety?
Harvest
As for the harvest, it all depends on the growing conditions.
If ox heart tomatoes are grown outdoors, then you can harvest up to 4 kg of crop per bush.
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In greenhouse conditions, this figure can increase several times and amount to 12 kg per bush. It all depends on weather conditions and timely watering of tomatoes.
Flaws
Some gardeners write that the variety has its own characteristics, which cannot be classified as disadvantages, because everything depends on care. So, what problems might a beginning vegetable grower encounter?
- Bushes can be attacked by diseases, as they have a huge number of ovaries.
- The harvest will not be large, and the fruits may be much smaller than expected. To prevent this from happening, increased feeding with mineral fertilizers is necessary.
- Improper care can cause the bushes to terminate early, and they will stop forming new ovaries, and this will affect the amount of harvest.
Now we propose to move on to the rules for planting and caring for “ox heart” tomatoes. Reviews with photos of tomatoes will help us with this.
Tomato Bull's Heart: reviews from those who planted
Olga, 44 years old, Moscow region: I grow different varieties of tomatoes in my garden. But most of all I like the Ox Heart tomato; I use its sweet, almost sour-free fruits for preparing salads and snacks, and I also prepare tomato paste and ketchup from the fruits of this variety for the winter. Although Ox's Heart requires attention, its high yield compensates for the effort required to grow these tomatoes.
Natalya, 50 years old, Volgograd region: I have been growing the Bull's Heart tomato in my beds for several years now. I can say that with proper planting and proper further care, you can harvest up to 6-7 kg of ripe tomatoes from each bush. True, it is necessary to treat the bushes against late blight and regularly apply fertilizers to the beds.
Ideal seeds
There are many gardeners who were disappointed when growing "ox heart". They write that there are few ovaries, the shape of the fruit does not resemble an organ, the tomatoes burst and do not reach the characteristic size. There are also comments that say that the variety is most often affected by late blight.
In defense, I would like to say that not everything is so tasty when it is unpretentious. “Bull’s Heart” is the result of selection by amateur gardeners, and no one has been maintaining the variety for a long time. Taking advantage of the popularity of tomatoes, amateur seed growers have actively launched the sale of seeds. This would be good if the planting material were not made from everything that grows in their beds. Usually such an attitude towards a variety leads to its degeneration.
Many gardeners recommend purchasing seeds for a good harvest of “bull’s heart”. They write that their germination rate is good; if you form a bush from one stem, there will be at least eight clusters. The size of a tomato is on average half a kilo, and with proper care, even more. Compared to tomatoes of the same variety, tomatoes with a small number of seeds grow from others. The taste of the fruit is excellent.
Features of cultivation
In the conditions of the Middle Zone, it is better to grow the “Bull’s Heart” tomato in greenhouses and unheated greenhouses. In the Rostov region and further south, it almost always ripens well in open ground.
The optimal placement density is approximately 2.6 plants per square meter. At this density, they can be formed into two stems, getting a total of 5 or 6 brushes. There are references to the fact that in the south, plants are grazed, leaving three stems.
This is a late-ripening variety - from the emergence of seedlings to the first ripe fruits, more than 125 days always pass, and sometimes noticeably more. This ripening period creates some difficulties when growing “Bull’s Heart” in regions with short summers. Fortunately, today there are enough mid-season large-fruited tomato varieties with excellent taste - for example, “Grandma’s Secret” or “Pink Honey”.
The register states that the yield of marketable fruits is only 3...4 kg per 1 m2. – this is a little more than a kilogram per bush. My plants produced a significantly larger harvest - I did not weigh each tomato, but it feels like in 2015 each bush produced at least 4 kg of fruit. True, not all of them were marketable - many cracked due to sudden changes in weather. In this video, the yield is also clearly higher, but this variety has practically no resistance to disease.
Advantages
- attractive appearance of the fruit;
- excellent fruit taste.
Flaws
- relatively low yield;
- very long ripening;
- prone to cracking.
As you can see, there are shortcomings - but still, in spite of everything, I like “Bull's Heart”. If you've never grown it, give it a try. You will certainly be pleased with the taste of very juicy and quite sweet tomatoes.
How to prepare seeds from grown tomatoes?
If you are satisfied with the tomatoes from the seeds that you bought, then you can prepare your own for the next season. Experienced gardeners still recommend purchasing store-bought seeds at least once every four years in order to slightly update the variety. So, in order to get tomato seeds from your plot, you need to pay attention to the second brush from the bottom. Select the largest of the tomatoes from there, wait for it to fully ripen until the green spot at the peduncle disappears. After this, pick the tomato and place it at home in a warm, dark place for three days until the fruit becomes soft. The seeds must be removed, dried and stored in a paper envelope, which is placed in a dark box at room temperature.
Seedling
The optimal time for preparing seedlings is early March. Take plastic jars for planting seeds and make holes in them on the sides and bottom. Self-dissolving peat cups will not work, as it will be necessary to pick when three true leaves appear.
Seeds are planted to a depth of three centimeters in containers half filled with soil. As the plant grows, it will be necessary to add more soil. Before planting, planting material must be washed and soaked in a manganese solution for disinfection. Only after this are the seeds planted. During growth, seedlings should be fed a couple of times, and a couple of weeks before planting, harden them by taking them out to the balcony or yard for a day (in good weather with an air temperature of at least +18).
Bull's heart tomatoes: reviews with photos, cultivation
It is recommended to plant in open ground or in greenhouses at the end of May or beginning of June, when there is no longer a risk of frost. One or two stems are formed; excess shoots and shoots must be constantly removed. No more than 2 bushes should grow on one square meter; they should be tied to trellises.
Gardeners recommend helping with pollination by spraying plants with water; stable fertilizing is also necessary:
- Phosphorus-containing mineral fertilizers are applied twice during flowering with an interval of one and a half weeks.
- During fruit filling, potassium and nitrogen are needed. Feeding is done twice with the same interval.
- Again phosphorus fertilizers during the flowering period of the fifth and sixth clusters.
- Every ten days during the formation and ripening of fruits, foliar feeding with calcium fertilizers is necessary.
Getting ready for winter
You can still create beautiful “jars” of pickled tomatoes from ox heart tomatoes. To do this, cook them in the microwave. In a 1.5 liter jar you will need to place three allspice peas and two bay leaves, cut the tomatoes into quarters and place them well, being careful not to crush them. Pour boiling water in which a tablespoon of salt and four sugars have been dissolved so that the tomatoes are slightly hidden. Place the jar in the microwave, set to maximum mode and time for 2 minutes. If the brine does not boil, add time and immediately remove the jar after boiling. Pour half a teaspoon of acetic acid, roll it up, and place it upside down to let the air out.
Advantages and disadvantages
The main advantage of the Red Bull's Heart hybrid is the very large size of the tomatoes and high yield. The fruits are juicy and very tasty.
The Red Bull's Heart tomato is prone to cracking, so the crop is not stored for a long time
pros
- very large tomatoes;
- the taste is excellent;
- the pulp is juicy, tender;
- productivity is high;
- can be grown in different regions;
- Fruiting is extended, the fruits take a long time to collect.
Minuses
- The variety is not suitable for whole-fruit canning;
- in most regions they are grown only in greenhouses;
- needs to be tied up and stepsoned;
- The culture's immunity is average.
