Tomato variety Valentine

For the mass cultivation of tomatoes in the open field, you need to select low, but high-yielding varieties that are very easy to care for. Breeders are always happy to help, so in the arsenal of every gardener there is sure to be a domestic variety that has been tested by more than one growing season. Among them is Valentina. Its applicant back in 1997 was the FGBUN Institute of General Genetics. N.I. Vavilov. In 1998, the novelty was entered into the State Register of Breeding Achievements of Russia with admission in all regions of the country. It is well known abroad, in Moldova and Ukraine this variety is also cultivated with pleasure. The tomato is recommended for growing outdoors in garden plots, in private and small farms. Not a hybrid.

Description

Plant of determinant type. Despite the low growth - 55 - 60 cm, the variety has nothing to do with standard crops. Valentina's bush can be called neat, it is semi-spreading, branching is weak, foliage is moderate. The internodes are short. Tomato leaves are medium-sized, yellow-green in color, slightly corrugated. It is often argued on the forums that the leaf is more of a potato type. In fact, this is not the case, the leaf is the most common, but with stipules. The inflorescence is simple. The first fruit cluster is formed over the 7th leaf, the subsequent ones are formed after 1 - 2 leaves. On the bush, you can mainly count 5 - 7 inflorescences, each can form up to 8 ovaries (sometimes more). The peduncle is articulated.

Valentina's fruits are dense, smooth, elongated-oval, this shape is sometimes called plum-shaped. An unripe tomato is light green, when ripe it turns red-orange. The skin is dense, one might even say thick. The pulp of the variety is quite dense, fleshy, tender, low-liquid. There are only two seed chambers, they are well filled, so tomatoes do not suffer from hollowness. The fresh fruit tastes good. The juice contains 5.9 - 6.7% of dry matter, 3.9 - 4.5% of total sugar, 19.6 - 21.2 mg of ascorbic acid per 100 grams of raw material, acidity is 0.35 - 0.39 %. Tomatoes are small in size, weighing 82 - 86 grams.

Characteristics

• Valentine belongs to the early maturing. You can remove the first ripe tomatoes in 97 - 98 days after the emergence of full shoots;
• surprisingly, a low crop can produce good yields. According to the State Register, the yield of marketable fruits is 345 - 439 c / ha. According to other sources, up to 8 kg of tomatoes are removed from 1 square meter;
• it is noted that the fruiting of the variety is stable, the yield is friendly;
• the output of marketable products is high - 94 - 97%;

• thanks to their dense skin, tomatoes are resistant to cracking even in damp weather;
• excellent cold resistance of the variety, combined with early maturity, allows it to be cultivated in open ground in cool regions;
• high heat resistance is the key to good fruiting in the southern regions, where other varieties often suffer from high temperatures and overheating. Valentine withstands a short period of drought;
• nothing is said about the immunity of the variety in the State Register. But, according to tomato growers, the culture perfectly resists major diseases. Early ripening helps to avoid late blight. True, there is evidence that in protected ground the plant can suffer from cladosporia. You can avoid this disease in a greenhouse by taking control of the humidity level and temperature;
• Valentine fruits are distinguished by a high ripening ability, therefore, if necessary, you can harvest at the stage of blanche ripeness;
• resilient tomatoes perfectly tolerate the hardships of long transportation, while their presentation does not suffer at all. Keeping quality is also good; if the storage rules are followed, the taste and quality of the pulp do not deteriorate
• the way of use is universal. Fragrant tomatoes are good in their natural form for making salads.The ideal combination of firm pulp, strong skin, shape and size, allows the use of fruits in whole-fruit canning. Also, the housewives highly appreciated the salting qualities of the variety and its suitability for the manufacture of tomato products.

Agrotechnics

The most optimal way to grow Valentina is seedling. The time for sowing seeds in each region is best calculated independently so that it is possible to take into account climatic features. Seedlings at the age of 50 - 55 days are ready for transplantation. The recommended density is 3 bushes per 1 square meter, so as not to create excessive thickening. Despite its short stature, the tomato must be tied to a support. The sooner you do this, the less hassle you will experience in the future. Otherwise, the bush will simply fall apart under the weight of the brushes. The variety does not need special formation, just after the first inflorescence appears, all the leaves and stepsons must be removed under it. As it develops, so as not to overload the plant, extra stepchildren should also be removed. If the inflorescences are normalized, you can grow larger fruits weighing 100 or even 150 grams. The care is standard for the culture as a whole. It is necessary not to skip watering, carry out at least 2 dressings, loosen the soil under the plant and in the aisles.

Valentine is, without exaggeration, called a great culture by many gardeners. An industrious variety is ready to put up with cold snaps or higher temperatures, tolerate minor droughts and at the same time show excellent fruiting. Drought resistance was highly appreciated by summer residents who visit their plots only on weekends. Excellent quality tomatoes are ideal not only for making salads, but also for canning, pickling and processing. Many vegetable growers have been cultivating this tomato for more than one year and are not going to give it up in the future. But this view cannot be called absolutely ideal, albeit small, but there is a minus. It consists in the fact that the plant needs support, especially during the period of fruit filling, when heavy brushes are able to simply spread the bush on the ground. But if everything is done on time, then harvesting will be a real pleasure. Some lovers of fleshy tomatoes complain about a somewhat dryish pulp, however, there are few such claims. In addition, you can always collect tomato seeds yourself, and you can prepare them with a margin, for 2 years in advance.