Tomatoes of bright orange color are in no way inferior to red fruits in their taste. They are just as juicy, sweet and fragrant. A nice bonus: the main advantage of these varieties is their complete hypoallergenicity, that is, they are suitable for feeding children and allergy sufferers. The thing is that they do not have a red pigment, which often provokes an allergic reaction. Speaking of good varieties of tomatoes for greenhouses and open ground, one cannot fail to mention the Orange variety. Its yield, description, care rules are waiting for you in this material.
Characteristic variety
Tomato Orange can be classified as mid-ripening. He knows an excellent yield, is completely unpretentious in growing and caring, and can tolerate sudden changes in temperature. Based on the reviews of summer residents, we can conclude that Orange is quite common. Unpretentiousness allows you to grow it both in a greenhouse and in open beds.
Tomatoes of this variety fully ripen in 100 days from the moment of planting the seeds. The variety belongs to the category of superdeterminant, that is, the height of the bushes does not exceed 80 centimeters. The bushes are neat, not very spread out, they are easy to care for and do not need to be tied up.
Tomato Orange: fruit characteristics
As the name implies, the color of the fruit is rich orange, their shape is round. The average weight of one tomato can reach 150 grams, but usually the weight ranges from 100-120. Unripe tomatoes have a light green color, their surface is smooth, the skin is quite dense, able to protect the fruit from mechanical stress. Speaking about taste, gardeners note good taste, fleshiness of fruits and their density.
Yields
The yield of orange tomatoes deserves special attention. Experts say: if you properly care for the bushes, you can get up to 6.5 kilograms of delicious fruits from one square meter.
Pros and cons of the variety
Of course, every summer resident wants to know about the advantages and disadvantages of the variety that he is going to grow on his site. The advantages of Orange tomato, according to the description of the variety, include the following: increased productivity, medium ripeness - it will be possible to enjoy the first fruits already two months after planting the seedlings in a permanent place. Gardeners also note the taste of fruits: it is sweetish due to the content of beta-carotene. By the way, there are a lot of vitamins in tomatoes of this variety. One of the mainadvantages - resistance to major diseases that affect representatives of the nightshade family, the amicable appearance of ovaries. It should also be noted that the bushes tolerate adverse conditions well. As for the shortcomings, according to the reviews, they simply do not exist.
Features of cultivation
Do you want to get a good harvest? This is not so difficult to do, even beginner gardeners can cope with this task. It is enough just to follow the simple rules of care: Orange tomato requires only a suitable place, prepared soil, seed disinfection, watering, fertilizing and weed removal. We offer to talk about each of the stages in more detail!
Preparation of soil for tomatoes
Experts say: the soil for tomatoes should be prepared in the fall. It needs to be dug up well, fertilized. In the spring, just before planting seedlings, the earth again needs to be dug up and fertilized again. This allows you to accelerate the growth and development of the tomato.
Gardeners pay attention to a special requirement for predecessors: for example, tomatoes, any other nightshade crops, and corn should not grow on the selected site last season. But the soils on which cabbage, onions or eggplants were planted last year are ideal for Orange tomato.
Special attention should be paid to the area where you will plant seedlings. It should be well lit by the sun's rays, but there should also be natural windscreens. Lowlands for tomatoesare not suitable because moisture accumulates in them, which leads to lesions such as blackleg and rot. The best soil for this crop is low acid or neutral.
Ready-made soil is suitable for sowing seeds, however, you can make the soil yourself. To do this, you will need peat, wood ash, sawdust and sod land. The mixed substrate must be laid out in special boxes or glasses, moistened.
Seed preparation
In order not to waste your time and energy in vain, right before sowing seeds, they must be checked. You just need to put them in a glass of water. Planting material that floats can be discarded, but what remains at the bottom is great for planting. Before sowing an Orange tomato, it must be disinfected. To do this, it must be placed for several minutes in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. For the same purpose, you can use a solution of hydrogen peroxide in warm water. For 100 milliliters of water, you need 3 ml of peroxide. It will also be useful to use a growth stimulator, which will accelerate germination and improve the development of seedlings.
Sowing seeds
Planting seeds in pre-prepared containers should be at the very end of March or early April. Experienced gardeners recommend doing this 50-60 days before planting seedlings in a greenhouse or in an open garden. Of course, immediately after planting and moistening, the seeds must be covered with a film or glass in order tocreate a greenhouse effect. In the process of seedling growth, it is necessary to moisten the soil in a timely manner, remove weeds and dive tomatoes. By the way, for planting seeds, it is best to choose containers with holes. If your drawers don't have holes, you can make your own. This will allow air to circulate, which means the roots will not rot.
Ground planting
When the seedlings get stronger and grow up to 20 centimeters, you will need to start hardening it. To do this, you should take out containers with Orange tomato in the open air. The first air bath should not be longer than five minutes; daily this time should be increased. In early June, when warm weather sets in and there are no night frosts, seedlings can be planted in a greenhouse or garden. On the day of planting, the weather should be warm and clear. The soil must be prepared: dig up, apply mineral fertilizers. Then, along the perimeter of the greenhouse, you need to make shallow holes, the distance between which should be about 30 centimeters. Please note: there should be at least 50 cm between the rows of tomatoes, otherwise the plant will develop uncomfortable, and it will be inconvenient for you to care.
Pour a small amount of wood ash into the prepared wells, which will prevent the occurrence of fungal diseases. At a right angle, the seedlings must be immersed in the ground until the root system is hidden. Top tomatoes should be sprinkled with soil and tamped a little. Immediately after planting, the bushes must be thoroughly watered.
Features of care
Care for orange tomatoes when grown in a greenhouse and in the open field is practically the same. It consists of timely weeding, loosening the soil under the bush, fertilizing and watering. Tomatoes need to be watered as the soil dries out. In addition, it is important to pay attention to weather conditions: in case of drought when growing in open ground, it is recommended to water tomatoes up to twice a day, and in rainy weather, watering can be completely abandoned. Of course, this rule does not apply to the greenhouse. Please note: immediately after transplanting seedlings, it should not be watered for several days. Otherwise, you run the risk of black leg, rot and other diseases. After a week and a half, the plants can be watered as usual. Tomatoes require more water during flowering and fruit formation. Every 1.5-2 weeks, gardeners recommend weeding and loosening the soil.
As for top dressing, fertilizers should be applied only 3 times during the entire time of growing a tomato. The first time to fertilize tomatoes is 2 weeks after planting seedlings, then it is necessary to apply nutrients during flowering, and the last top dressing should occur at the time of fruit formation. Suitable for both mineral and organic compounds. When fertilizing, it is important to strictly follow all the recommendations specified in the instructions; this procedure can only be done in warm sunny weather.
Pests and diseases
In reviews of tomato Orange summer residentsnote his immunity: with proper care, he is not afraid of the main diseases that affect nightshade. But it is important to understand that if preventive measures are not followed, infection can occur. The most common problems are:
- black leg;
- various forms of rot;
- mosaic;
- spotting.
If measures are not taken in time, the infected plant may die, having managed to infect nearby bushes. As for pests, the most common are the bear, whitefly and wireworm. Attacks Orange and aphids.
Reviews
Summer residents say: Orange is an equally good variety of tomatoes for both greenhouse and open ground. This vegetable is unpretentious, tolerates adverse climatic conditions well. The fruits are medium in size, which is convenient for canning. Orange is also good for making salads, sandwiches.
