For fans of unusual tomatoes, there is a surprise from breeders - this is the Turandot variety. The highlight is its beautiful shape, reminiscent of a pear, wonderful taste, and presentable presentation. The variety is absolutely unpretentious and is grown using standard technologies.
| Height | Landing location | Ripening time | Fruit color | Fruit size | Origin | Fruit shape |
| Medium height | Greenhouse, Open ground | Early ripening | Reds | Average | Variety | Pear-shaped |
Description and characteristics of the variety
The Turandot tomato ripens early: harvest begins 90-98 days after germination.
Description of bushes:
- determinant type;
- height within 80 cm;
- require a garter;
- 5-6 tomatoes are tied on 1 bunch;
- inflorescence simple;
- the first brush is formed after 6-7 leaves.
The variety is creeping and non-standard.
Tomato characteristics:
- average weight 85-95 g;
- the shape is neat, like a pear;
- color bright red;
- seed chambers 2-3;
- the pulp is moderately juicy, fleshy;
- The skin is strong and does not crack.
Ripe tomatoes are used for a variety of purposes - preparing aromatic fresh salads, winter preparations, juices and pastes.
Unusual varieties of tomatoes: photos, descriptions, review
In the soul of a gardener with an “eccentricity”, so to speak, a poet “from the earth”, there certainly lives a dream of growing not just the largest, most delicious or most versatile tomato. He would like a vegetable from a fairy tale! We have prepared a review of unusual varieties of tomatoes (tomatoes) with photos and descriptions, as well as reviews of the varieties, so that you can buy seeds of wonders that will amaze the imagination and delight your loved ones.
How exactly strange varieties appear and what prospects they have on the Russian market, says Evgenia Nikolaevna ANDREEVA, Candidate of Agricultural Sciences, leading breeder.
How are fruit-like tomatoes born? Are such varieties the result of a targeted search by breeders?
In fact, in practice, there are two approaches: with the first, they really strive to develop varieties of original shape and color, often reminiscent of fruits: for example, lemons, pears, apricots. Otherwise, the goals are completely different, and the “pears” come out as a surprise, as happened, for example, with the Turandot variety. While working on the splitting of one hybrid, the breeders unexpectedly received an interesting pear-shaped fruit, and then began to work on the line.
Perhaps fruit tomatoes should be wildly popular? After all, you won’t find such miracles on the shelves of grocery stores and wholesale markets.
Well, in fact, there is hardly much demand for them. The least popular are yellow and pink varieties. Why? Subjective factor. After all, it cannot be said that tomatoes of these colors are less tasty or less fruitful. Rather, this is a matter of habit, the conservatism of buyers. The exception is large-fruited varieties - people like them regardless of color.
And you are right about the counters. Large farms and store suppliers are, first of all, interested in obtaining maximum profits, so they work for the shaft, often not even caring about the taste of tomatoes, let alone the shape. The original varieties are interesting, as we said, in a completely different way. In addition, due to low fruit set and yield, they do not grow in winter, and therefore cannot be grown in greenhouses all year round. So only amateur vegetable growers engage in “curiosities.”
In other words, when growing “lemons” and “pears” in his greenhouse, a gardener can be proud: such a tomato is like a dress from a boutique, a piece of goods!
That's it. You mentioned that “fruit” does not go into winter. How do they feel about all kinds of illnesses? And, by the way, why does the description of a variety included in the State Register often not contain information about resistance to diseases? Should we understand that in a particular case it does not have such stability?
Studying the resistance of varieties to crop diseases is a complex and lengthy process. In the practice of breeding and seed companies, it happens that such a task is simply not set, because the goal of breeding is not always to obtain tomatoes with unique yield or disease resistance. At the same time, a variety about which there is no such information may in fact be immune to a number of tomato “diseases,” but this is not an experimentally established fact.
But the approach to hybrids is completely different. When creating them, exactly the tasks listed above are solved; hybrids are carefully studied and selected.
In what direction is tomato breeding going now?
There are several directions, and our company’s searches fully correspond to them. Work is underway to introduce technologically advanced tomato hybrids for protected soil, such as FIAhct, P1Yaroslavna, P1Khalif. Hybrids are being created for farms and amateur vegetable growers, and they take into account both nutritional value and taste - these are P1Kuzya, P1Filya, FUlona, P1Karlusha.
We mainly focus on gardeners and amateur gardeners and, to a lesser extent, on greenhouse farms. That’s why we included large-fruited salad, canned salad, decorative and long-term storage tomatoes in our assortment. In total there are more than 40 of them, with a rich palette of colors, different shapes and sizes.
In the future we plan to continue development, paying more attention to early-ripening and large-fruited varieties.
Below is a review and rating of unusual varieties of tomatoes.
Cavalier Early variety
ORIGINATOR: Agro LLC.
GROWING: under film covers; in all crop cultivation zones.
- BUSH HEIGHT: 100-150 cm.
- PLANT TYPE: indeterminate.
- PLANTING DENSITY: 3-4 bushes per 1 sq.m.
- YIELD: 4.6-6.4 kg/sq.m.
REVIEWS AND DESCRIPTION
The early period of fruit ripening (on the 95-98th day) is one of the obvious advantages of the Cavalier variety. It is especially valuable in northern regions with short-term warmth, where middle and late varieties do not ripen in open ground. In our latitudes, the plant manages to bear fruit before the August cold snap and is less susceptible to diseases. By the way, the variety has good resistance to tobacco mosaic, a dangerous virus.
The bush is medium-sized, lightly leafy, compact, so it practically does not need shaping.
The tomatoes are round and smooth. When unripe, their color is unoriginal - light green, like most of their fellow plants. But when they are ripe, they look like small oranges - orange, shiny and all even, one to one! The fruits have a good taste and are great for salads.
De Barao Late variety
BREEDER: breeding and seed production.
ORIGINATOR: agro.
GROWING: in open ground and under film covers. In all crop cultivation zones.
- BUSH HEIGHT: 200-300 cm.
- PLANT TYPE: indeterminate.
- PLANTING DENSITY: 2 bushes per 1 sq.m.
- YIELD: 4-8 kg/sq.m (when grown in an unheated film greenhouse).
REVIEWS AND DESCRIPTION
In principle, De Barao is a well-known, proven variety that came to us from
Domestic breeders have developed several varieties of different colors based on it. And except for the color of the fruit, De Barao’s “Russians” practically do not differ from the prototype and from each other. Except that De Barao Black and De Barao Orange are marked with a high content of beta-carotene.
Due to the late entry into fruiting, seedlings are sown 10-15 days earlier than other tomatoes. It is advisable to form the plant into one stem and regularly remove all side shoots, otherwise a lush bush will develop, poor in fruits. The variety is weakly affected by late blight and is tolerant of unfavorable growing conditions. To obtain good yields, enhanced mineral fertilizing will be required. But the tomato will bear fruit almost until frost!
The fruits are medium-sized (60-70 g), due to their elongated shape they resemble multi-colored plums and are very good for canning. And because of the sweetish taste, they will also be used in salads. By the way, yellow tomatoes with a high sugar content are useful for diseases associated with high acidity of gastric juice.
Aladdin's lamp Mid-early variety
BREEDER: breeding and seed production.
GROWING: in heated and unheated film greenhouses; in all crop cultivation zones.
- BUSH HEIGHT: 160-170 cm.
- PLANT TYPE: semi-determinate.
- PLANTING DENSITY: 2.5-3 bushes per 1 sq.m.
- YIELD: 6-8 kg/sq.m.
REVIEWS AND DESCRIPTION
A bright, pear-shaped variety with the intriguing name Aladdin's Lamp is one of the newest domestic breeding developments.
The plant is quite tall, moderately leafy. It is formed into one stem, removing all stepsons and side shoots. Depending on their location in the hand, the fruits vary in shape (from a “flattened pear” to an “egg”) and size (from 100 to 300 g). The unripe fruit is light green in color, with a dark spot at the stalk, which disappears when ripe, and the tomato acquires a uniform golden-orange color.
Smaller apical fruits are well suited for whole-fruit canning: they do not burst and are perfectly stored. Salads are prepared from larger ones. Thanks to the high content of beta-carotene, sugars and solids, these tomatoes are tasty and healthy.
The same original pear-shaped varieties have the varieties Turandot (red, low-growing), Crimean Rose (remembered for its bright pink color and unusual taste), Bedouin (black, compact and convenient for growing in greenhouses, as it has close internodes).
Miracle of the World Mid-early variety
BREEDER: F. M. Tarasenko (amateur selection).
GROWING: in heated and unheated film greenhouses; in all crop cultivation zones.
- BUSH HEIGHT: approximately 3 m.
- PLANT TYPE: indeterminate.
- PLANTING DENSITY: 2-3 bushes per 1 sq.m.
- YIELD: 5-7 kg/sq.m.
REVIEWS AND DESCRIPTION
The Wonder of the World is a tall bush with numerous fruits that are surprisingly similar to lemons. The color, shape, size, and even the nose at the top exactly copy this common citrus. And the weight of such a tomato (60-80 g) is also the same as that of a small lemon. Each cluster produces from 20 to 40 fruits - a whole garland!
If you decide to place such a giant in a greenhouse, consider whether its dimensions are suitable. The plant will require pinching: usually it is formed into one or two stems, leaving four to five clusters. During the flowering period, shake the inflorescences and ventilate the greenhouse - this will improve fruit set. And so that the brushes do not break off under the weight of the harvest, they are tied up, preferably each one separately. In a word, you will have to work hard to grow a Miracle. However, the variety is not so picky. Firstly, it ripens early, so it will have time to bear fruit before the mass spread of crop diseases. Secondly, it is weakly affected by late blight and cladosporiosis.
Lemon tomatoes canned in a jar are a treat!
Tiger Mid-early variety
ORIGINATOR: CJSC NPK NKLTD.
GROWING: in heated and unheated film and glass greenhouses, in open ground; in all crop cultivation zones.
- BUSH HEIGHT: 80-100 cm.
- PLANT TYPE: indeterminate.
- PLANTING DENSITY: 4-5 bushes per 1 sq.m.
- YIELD: 3-5 kg/sq.m.
REVIEWS AND DESCRIPTION
The Tiger tomato got its name for its unusual striped color. Unripe fruits are more like watermelons or pumpkins, dark green, with light longitudinal splashes; When ripe, they acquire a bright red color, on which picturesque yellow stripes stand out. The tomatoes are small, smooth, round in shape, and very tasty.
Tiger bush of medium height. It requires pinching and tying to a vertical or horizontal trellis. Fruiting begins approximately on the 110th day from the appearance of the first shoots, so perhaps the plant will have time to bear fruit before the widespread spread of diseases. However, it is better to take extra care of protection from them: disease resistance has not been identified in the variety.
Tomatoes are used to make salads.
Fireworks Early variety
BREEDER: breeding and seed production.
GROWING: in heated and unheated film greenhouses - in all areas of crop cultivation. In open ground - in the southern regions of Russia.
- BUSH HEIGHT: approximately 160 cm.
- PLANT TYPE: indeterminate.
- PLANTING DENSITY: 2-3 bushes per 1 sq.m.
- YIELD: up to 2 kg per plant.
REVIEWS AND DESCRIPTION
The fruit is very large, dark red, dotted with yellow fireworks.
The tomato ripens on the 105th day after emergence - an early period, especially considering the tall variety. For better results, the plant is formed into one stem, methodically removing all the stepsons and side shoots. The bunch produces no more than five fruits, but each of them weighs about 300 g.
The fruit has a flat-round shape with pronounced ribs. Sweetish in taste, it simply melts in your mouth; well suited for preparing salads and processed products: tomato juice, puree.
Black Prince Medium ripening variety
ORIGINATOR: agro.
GROWING: in open ground and under film covers; in all crop cultivation zones.
- BUSH HEIGHT: 110-140 cm.
- PLANT TYPE: indeterminate.
- PLANTING DENSITY: 3-4 bushes per 1 sq.m.
- YIELD: 6.2-7 kg/sq.m.
REVIEWS AND DESCRIPTION
The Black Prince is able to amaze with his magnificence. The shiny, robust black-raspberry tomatoes stand out like giant olives against the green foliage.
The bush is quite tall, requires pinching and gartering, it is formed into one stem in order to achieve maximum output from the variety. Inflorescences begin to form above the seventh to ninth leaves and then begin to form every three leaves. There are about four fruits in the nest.
The fruits are ribbed, flat-round, large (110-170 g, but sometimes reach 400 g), strong. When unripe, they have a large dark green spot near the stalk, which turns purple-brown when ripe. The tomato is so dense and elastic that it even cracks when overripe, but this should not be allowed: the fruits cannot be stored for long.
The tomatoes are juicy and tasty, without acid. Suitable for preparing salads and decorating dishes.
Waterfall Early variety
ORIGINATOR: Agro LLC.
GROWING: under film covers; in all crop cultivation zones.
- BUSH HEIGHT: 80-100 cm.
- PLANT TYPE: indeterminate.
- PLANTING DENSITY: 3-4 bushes per 1 sq.m.
- YIELD: 6.4-8 kg/sq.m.
REVIEWS AND DESCRIPTION
The waterfall promises an abundance of bright orange fruits, miniature, slightly larger than a grape! The tomatoes are smooth, glossy, egg-shaped. You can hardly find these on the market - the variety is completely new, included in the State Register only last year, 2001.
The bush is medium-sized, without “extra” foliage, with a small number of stepsons. In a word, the plant does not waste its energy in vain, which is why fruiting is early for the crop - on the 100-106th day from the emergence of shoots. For successful fruit ripening, you will have to not be lazy and meticulously follow the rules of agricultural technology, because the variety is not resistant to the main “tomato” diseases.
Waterfall is most suitable for whole fruit canning or pickling - the preparations are not only tasty, they delight the eyes of the hostess and her guests.
Characteristics, cultivation and description of tomato Demidov
Reading time: 7 minutes
Ground tomatoes are considered the most delicious among connoisseurs of this vegetable. The unpredictable climate in most regions of Russia forces vegetable growers to carefully select tomatoes for planting outdoors. According to its description and characteristics, the tomato variety Demidov meets the main requirements for keeping in an open garden bed. It is cold-resistant, standard, and not afraid of disease.
Characteristics and description of tomato Demidov
The variety was obtained at the beginning of the 21st century by breeders from Barnaul. Scientists sought to obtain a tomato that is unpretentious to environmental conditions. In addition to endurance, Demidov has high yield. Even in conditions of low temperature, the fruits on the plant continue to fill.
The Demidov tomato belongs to the determinant group of varieties, forming a bush just over half a meter. The plant is powerful, with a strong stem and an average number of lateral branches. The bush does not require gartering, but it is advisable to remove excess stepsons.
Demidov's leaves are large, wrinkled, bright green. The first flowers on a tomato grow after 6 leaves; there are up to 5 flower clusters on the plant. Each cluster bears up to 8 fruits.
The harvest on the plant is ready for harvesting 3.5-4 months after sowing the seeds. Demidov tomatoes are spherical, sometimes flattened, bright red in color with a raspberry tint. A greenish spot is noticeable near the attachment of the stalk. Fruit weight is from 100 to 140 g. The taste is good - sweet, with a pronounced tomato flavor. The pulp is dense, moderately juicy.
The yield in open ground is 2-3 kg per plant or up to 8 kg per 1 sq. m.
The variety is resistant to fluctuations in daily temperature and is weakly affected by fungal infections.
Main positive and negative aspects
The main advantages of plants of the Demidov variety include its unpretentiousness and productivity. Additional advantages noted by gardeners are:
- ability to form ovaries at air temperature +16 +18 degrees;
- large fruit;
- excellent taste;
- disease resistance.
No significant deficiencies were identified in the variety.
Specifics of growing the variety
Demidov does not belong to early ripening plants, so even in the south it is recommended to grow it through seedlings.
Planting seedlings
Tomato is sown 65-70 days before the plants are planted in the garden. This time is enough for the first buds to form on the bush. Already 3-5 weeks after planting in the ground, the first fruits are removed from the tomatoes.
For tomato seedlings, prepare a loose and fertile substrate consisting of peat, humus, sand and ordinary soil. It is advisable to steam the mixture or pour it with a solution of potassium permanganate to get rid of infections.
Seeds are sown in common boxes or in separate pots with a volume of at least 600 ml. The sowing depth is 1 cm. It is advisable to harden the seeds (keep them in a wet cloth in the refrigerator) and germinate them in a warm place. This will significantly strengthen the plant’s immunity and speed up the emergence of seedlings.
Keep tomato seedlings in a bright place, at a temperature of +22 degrees, without drafts. Plants should not be over-watered, as this will lead to blackleg disease.
Black leg of tomatoes
At the age of 3-4 true leaves, tomatoes are picked into individual containers. When transplanting, the stem is immersed in the soil up to the cotyledon leaves, provoking the formation of additional roots on it.
Transplantation to a permanent place
Before placing Demidov tomatoes in the garden, it is necessary to accustom the seedlings to fresh air and sun. To do this, plants begin to be taken outside for a while 10-12 days before planting.
Seedlings should be replanted in the evening or in cloudy weather, watering the dug holes well with water. The air temperature should be kept at +20 degrees, and the soil +14. Planting scheme for bushes 40 by 40 cm.
The soil in the garden bed is mulched with bark, shavings or grass. Under a 10 cm layer of mulch, soil moisture is better retained and weeds do not grow.
Features of crop care
Tomato Demidov is unpretentious to soil structure and weather, but you should not forget about caring for it. To produce a harvest, tomatoes need moisture and nutrition.
Advice. Practical gardeners recommend placing wooden blocks or bundles of straw under ripening fruit clusters so that the fruits do not touch the ground.
Watering
Tomatoes are watered 2-3 times a week if the weather is hot and dry. The rest of the time, the plants’ need for moisture is determined by the appearance of the bush. It's time to water Demidov tomatoes if:
- the soil surface has dried to a depth of 4 cm;
- The tomato leaves curled into a tube and drooped.
Water tomatoes only at the root. The water should be soft, not cold. The tap liquid must be left to stand for 35-40 hours.
Feeding
The Demidov variety produces an abundant harvest for its modest size. In order for all the ovaries to grow into large fruits, the tomato needs to be fed 2 times a month. They begin to apply fertilizing from the moment the seedlings are planted in their permanent growing location.
Before flowering, tomatoes need nitrogen for the development of the above-ground parts. Plants are watered with mullein infusion (1 kg of manure per 10 liters of water) or bird droppings (250 g of dry product per bucket). The consumption rate for each bush is 0.5 liters.
During flowering, tomatoes are sprayed with a solution of microelements (boron, zinc, magnesium, iodine, manganese) and watered with phosphorus-potassium fertilizer (superphosphate and potassium sulfate).
During active fruit growth, plants need a full range of nutrients. The plantings are watered with a complex mineral composition for tomatoes (Fasco, OMU, Fertika, Agricola). Good results are obtained by watering tomatoes with an infusion of weeds, with the addition of ash and iodine tincture. Some gardeners feed tomatoes with yeast fertilizer, noting its effectiveness.
Important! Before fertilizing, be sure to water the tomatoes with clean water so that the nutrient solution does not burn the roots.
Methods of controlling diseases and pests
Despite the good resistance of the Demidov variety to diseases, in an unfavorable year (rainy, cold) it may suffer from diseases. Most often, tomatoes are affected by a fungal infection, less often by viruses. External signs of common diseases:
- yellowing and wilting of foliage;
- the appearance of whitish, brown or gray spots on the fruit;
- mold on different parts of the plant;
- curling of foliage and flowers.
Leaf curl
For the prevention and treatment of diseases, he uses the following drugs: Revus, HOM, Ordan, Skorobey, Ridomil Gold, Fitosporin.
Medicinal folk remedies will not harm the crop or the environment: whey solution, potassium permanganate, garlic.
Tomatoes growing outdoors are harmed by a lot of pests. These are aphids, whiteflies, spider mites, slugs, and the Colorado potato beetle. Decoctions of tobacco, tansy and wormwood, garlic, and soapy water will help get rid of insects. In case of severe damage to plants, they resort to chemical agents, using:
To reduce the number of pests, they follow the rules of crop rotation and fight weeds. Planting calendula and marigolds among the tomatoes will help scare away unwanted guests from the tomato garden.
Tomato harvesting and storage
Ripe and soft tomatoes do not last long; they are consumed fresh or processed.
Fruits at technical ripeness (pink in color, firm to the touch) can last up to 4 weeks, subject to storage rules. Tomatoes are placed in perforated boxes, lined with paper or dry shavings. The temperature in the storage should be maintained at +7 +9 degrees, air humidity 55%.
To remove bacteria or spores of pathogenic fungi from the skin, each fruit can be wiped with an alcohol solution or potassium permanganate.
Reviews from experienced summer residents
Andrey (Magnitogorsk): An excellent variety for capricious cool summers. For several years now I have been planting a dozen and a half bushes in the garden, collecting 2-3 buckets of tomatoes. What I would like to note is that the bushes do not require garter, but the stems may break under the weight of the tomato. I put scraps of planks under the brushes.
Inna (St. Petersburg): I usually grow tomatoes in a greenhouse, but after buying Demidov, I decided to take a chance and plant several bushes in open ground. The result was pleasing; I managed to remove several absolutely ripe fruits from the bushes, and removed the rest green for ripening. To prevent diseases, I treated the plantings with Fitosporin. Rot took hold of the plants only in early September, when the main crop was harvested.
Alexey (Smolensk): I love ground tomatoes, and therefore I grow the Demidov variety as the best tomatoes for our area. Its bushes are small; there is no need to shorten or tie them up. My tomatoes did not get sick, the fruits set and ripened properly. I recommend the variety as unpretentious and productive.
