Characteristics of the Beefsteak tomato variety
Tomato Beefsteak is not the usual form of Moscow selection. It was withdrawn relatively recently, and entered the official register in 2009. But even in this short period, he was able to win the hearts of many gardeners and is now grown throughout the country.
Characteristics of the Beefsteak tomato variety
The main feature of the variety is not only an interesting shape of the fruit, but also a high yield. From one bush, you can get up to 3.5-4 kg. tomatoes per season. In order to achieve abundant fruiting, you need to know about the characteristics of the variety and be able to provide it with good growing conditions.
Characteristic
Reviews of the variety are very different from each other, since the plant is prone to late blight and gray rot. But this disadvantage is brightened up by the high yield and quality of the fruits.
In order to understand exactly how to grow this tomato variety, you need to know its features and disadvantages. Description and characteristics of tomatoes Beefsteak will help you figure it out.
Description of the variety
Tomato Beefsteak belongs to mid-season varieties with a high yield level with 1 sq. The period from the appearance of the first shoots to the beginning of fruiting is 105 - 110 days. The plant is suitable for growing in plastic shelters and in the open field. In greenhouses, the variety gives more yield and ripens 1 - 1.5 weeks earlier.
This variety does not belong to hybrids, so you can collect seeds from the fruits of this plant. They retain the varietal characteristics of the parent bush.
Description of the bush
The bush is indeterminate, therefore it grows to an impressive size. The stem is formed into 2 shoots because this way the tomato bears fruit as well as possible.
The stems reach a height of 1.7 - 2m. They need to be tied up, otherwise the fragile tomato stems will simply break. The plant is a lush tall bush and needs to be removed by stepchildren. This will prevent the development of fungal diseases due to the lack of natural ventilation.
Description of fruits
The description of the Beefsteak tomato variety indicates that the fruits of this plant are impressive in size. Basically, they weigh 260-290 grams, but there are specimens weighing up to 370 grams. The shape of the tomato is round, flattened. The fruit itself is divided into 6-8 seed chambers.
Despite such an impressive size, the tomato has a very delicate skin. This feature, in tandem with its excellent taste, makes it ideal for preparing fresh salads and stuffed dishes. But transporting tomatoes is problematic. The same goes for long-term storage. I keep the fruit in the refrigerator for no more than 4-5 days.
Since the tomatoes are quite large, it will not work to preserve them entirely. When preparing beefsteak from tomato, preference is given to cooking:
- fruit drinks;
- juices;
- pastes;
- ketchup;
- adjik, etc.
Tomato fruits are large with a delicate peel
There is also a variety of tomatoes Big White Beefsteak. Its fruits are distinguished by an unusual appearance for this culture.Ripe tomatoes are white in color with a slight shade of pink, and their taste is no different from their red counterpart.
Growing seedlings
In order to get a good harvest of tomatoes. You need to take care of high-quality planting material. Not infrequently, buying young plants from the hands of amateur gardeners, you can get the wrong variety at all, which you expected. And since no one wants to waste their energy and time on who knows what, it is recommended to start growing seedlings on your own
Planting seeds
In order to get good seedlings, you need to use only high-quality seeds. They can be purchased in specialized stores or harvested yourself from the best fruits of the previous harvest.
The seeds are planted in a special substrate. It can be purchased at any gardening store, but it is easier and cheaper to prepare it yourself. This will require:
- Peat absorbs water well during irrigation and due to this, the earthen clod remains moist longer and does not dry out. Also, the presence of peat in the substrate makes it looser.
- Leafy soil is soil harvested under a deciduous tree. Annually falling and decaying leaves form a special composition that is useful for seedlings. You can not use the land taken under willow, walnut and oak.
- Well-rotted humus is the source of most of the nutrients the plant needs. Not completely rotted manure will destroy young shoots.
After the soil is prepared, you can move on to preparing the seeds. Before planting, they are soaked for several hours in warm water. Seeds that have floated to the surface are discarded, since there will be no sense from them.
Seedling care
Young shoots are very sensitive and therefore require special care. For the normal development and growth of tomato seedlings, it is necessary to maintain an air temperature of 22-25⁰C in the room, as well as its normal humidity.
It is not recommended to water the tomatoes too often as the earthen coma dries out. Overfilling can provoke the development of fungal diseases. It is also worth paying attention to the amount of sunlight. With its lack, the seedlings must be illuminated with special lamps.
Transplanting
When the seedlings reach 55-65 days of age, they are planted in open ground or in a greenhouse. Before planting, it is recommended not to water the tomatoes for 1-2 days, and after transplanting, water it abundantly.
The soil in the garden bed should be loose and light, and free of weeds. It is best to plant tomato seedlings in the place where cabbage, beets, carrots or peas grew last year.
Fertilizer
2 weeks after transplanting the seedlings, you can make its first feeding. By this time, the plant has grown strong enough and restored the damaged root system.
To prepare top dressing for tomatoes, the following components must be diluted in 10 liters of water:
- 20-25 gr. nitrogen fertilizers;
- 15 gr. potash fertilizers;
- 40-50 gr. phosphorus fertilizers;
Water the bushes under the root with this solution, 600-700 ml each. Previously, tomatoes are well watered with plain water.
Watering
It is not recommended to pour water on fruits and leaves.
Watering the tomato steak is necessary often, but little by little. Due to the large size of the fruit and thin skins, Tomato Steak is said to be prone to cracking. This variety should not be filled with large amounts of water at once.
During watering, it is impossible for the water to fall on the leaves and fruits, as this can cause late blight. Also, do not water in the sun. Evaporating moisture from the surface of the earth damages leaves and fruits, and the rhizome can even rot.
Diseases
Despite the high yield and good quality of the fruit, tomato Beefsteak has one huge drawback - sensitivity to many nightshade diseases. Most often, you can find the defeat of the tomato by late blight.Black spots appear on the leaves and fruits, which quickly spread to neighboring bushes.
Due to the cracking of the fruit, gray rot is often formed on tomatoes. This disease is also extremely dangerous for tomatoes. No matter how high the crop yield was, most of the tomatoes simply rot on the vine.
Prophylaxis
Any nightshade disease is much easier to prevent than to cure it later. In order to reduce the risk it is necessary:
- remove diseased plants and fruits in a timely manner;
- do not use the affected parts of tomatoes for composting;
- moderately water seedlings and adult plants;
- do not use planting material of dubious quality;
- in the fall, burn the shoots remaining from the tomatoes;
- spray the bushes with a solution of copper sulfate;
- observe crop rotation.
Compliance with these simple rules will help preserve the crop, as well as avoid contamination of neighboring crops. Many tomato diseases cannot be cured.
Conclusion
Reviews of the Beefsteak tomato are excellent. Most summer residents grow it on their backyards with great pleasure.
Despite some difficulties in caring for this variety, it is still worth planting. Due to the high taste of its fruits, it will perfectly complement the summer table with fresh and tasty salads.