Characteristics and description of the variety
From the name it follows that the tomato is a gourmet variety with attractive fruits of unusual shape. It takes root well both in open ground and in greenhouse conditions.
Distinctive features
Indeterminate type, it definitely needs to be pinched at the top, otherwise it will reach a height of 2.5 m . The foliage is dense, the leaves are large, dark green, the stem is powerful. The first brush is laid after the 9th leaf, the subsequent ones - every 3 leaves. The inflorescences are simple.
The ripening period is average, from the moment of sowing the seeds to full ripening, 115-120 days pass. Fruiting is extended, until frost.
The yield is excellent, up to 5 kg of fruit is harvested from 1 seedling, provided that 4 plants are placed per 1 sq. m. m.
The culture is characterized by increased immunity to the main diseases of the nightshade family. Requires thinning, obligatory pinching and staking of tall plants.
Reference . Do not confuse the Moscow delicacy tomato with the hybrid Moscow delicacy creamy f1. These are different varieties that differ significantly from each other.
Fruit characteristics
The average weight of one fruit is 100-120 g, the shape is not typical for tomatoes, it is pepper-shaped. The color is bright red, the flesh is not watery, juicy, the taste is excellent, with a high sugar content, vaguely reminiscent of the taste of bell pepper. The peel is dense and not prone to cracking.
Reference . The first ripe vegetables are smaller compared to subsequent ones, which distinguishes the crop from other varieties.
Ripe vegetables can be stored for a long time, perfectly maintaining their presentation, and can withstand transportation over any distance.
For these reasons, entrepreneurs breed the crop for commercial purposes. Due to their taste and unusual appearance, tomatoes are in great demand in markets. The photo shows Moscow delicacy tomatoes.
History of selection
This variety is included in the State Register of the Russian Federation for the purpose of growing in open soil in gardens and household plots and in small farms. It is better suited for the southern regions; “Moscow Delicacy” can be grown in greenhouses. This is a variety with an average ripening period; approximately 120 days should pass from the first shoots to the appearance of ripe fruits.
The “Moscow Delicacy” tomato variety has an average yield. Its bush is indeterminate, powerful, and can reach a height of slightly less than two meters, so the bushes must be tied to a support, and some gardeners pinch them. The plant performs best when formed into two stems; in this case, you need to remove all the stepsons that appear, except for the one that grows under the first flower cluster.
How to grow seedlings
Sowing seeds for seedlings begins 2 months before planting in the ground. Before sowing, planting material undergoes mandatory preparation.
Seed preparation
Seeds are carefully checked for visible defects: damage, distortion. The dark color of a seed indicates its non-viability; only light-colored seeds are suitable. Next, the seed is checked for emptiness inside. To do this, dissolve 1 teaspoon of salt in 1 glass of water and place the grains in it. Those suitable for sowing remain at the bottom of the glass.
After this, the grains are disinfected in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 20 minutes. Then rinse with running water and dry. After disinfection, only viable specimens remain that are capable of producing strong shoots.
To improve germination, seeds are soaked for 12 hours in a growth stimulator or in melt water and aloe juice.
Reference . The most used growth stimulants are Epin, Zircon, and Kornevin.
Container and soil
The soil is prepared from garden soil, peat, river sand and wood ash . All components are thoroughly mixed, after which the resulting mixture is disinfected by steaming in the oven for 15 minutes at a temperature of 50-60°C.
For disinfection purposes, the prepared soil can be spilled with a hot solution of dark potassium permanganate. This procedure is necessary to destroy pathogenic flora, which ensures further healthy growth of seedlings.
Reference . River sand is added to the soil for looseness. Tomatoes love loose and fertile soil.
Fill the planting containers halfway with the prepared soil, after making small drainage holes at the bottom. The remaining soil is poured into containers as the seedlings grow. This technique ensures additional receipt of useful substances during the seedling period.
Place in a common wooden box or individual container. Sowing in separate containers further reduces seedling care to a minimum.
Sowing
Seed material is sown to a depth of 1.5-2 cm with a distance of 2-3 cm from each other. Sprinkle the top with earth, level it, lightly moisten it with warm, settled water and cover the containers with film or glass to create a greenhouse effect.
The planting container is left in a bright and warm room at a temperature of at least 25°C. Before germination, the film is periodically removed and the top layer of soil is moistened as it dries out.
Further care of seedlings
When seedlings appear, the containers are moved to the windowsill, but not to direct sunlight .
Daylight hours for seedlings are 15-16 hours, so there is a need for additional illumination with phytolamps. With insufficient lighting, seedlings are stunted in growth. Water moderately, without flooding the sprouts, with warm, settled water using a shallow watering can. After watering, the soil is carefully loosened, thereby ensuring better penetration of oxygen to the young roots.
When 3-4 true leaves appear, the seedlings dive and are planted in separate containers. If the seeds are sown in individual containers, picking is not required. The picking procedure involves removing the main root by one third. This technique leads to the growth of lateral roots, resulting in the formation of a powerful root system.
2-3 weeks before transplanting, seedlings begin to harden by taking the seedlings out into the open air for 1 hour at a temperature of 16-17°C. Gradually the time interval is increased to 12-13 hours. Simultaneously with daytime hardening, the night temperature is reduced to 12°C.
Reference . Hardening helps young plants quickly adapt to outdoor conditions.
Tomato seeds Moscow Delicacy - Pomodorchik
Features of agricultural technology
The Moscow delicacy tomato is grown mainly by seedlings. Seeds can be planted approximately 2 months before the planned transfer of seedlings to permanent beds in the greenhouse. In most regions this time falls at the beginning of March. To grow seedlings, you can use any wide and shallow container, plastic disposable cups or special cassettes. Individual containers are preferable because they eliminate the need for picking, which is stressful for the plant and delays the start of fruiting by 7-10 days.
Moscow delicacy tomato is grown in seedlings
The algorithm for growing Moscow delicacy tomato seedlings is as follows:
- Cassettes or cups are filled with soil for seedlings or a self-made soil mixture, which includes sand, peat and turf soil, taken in equal volumes. Important! The soil should first be disinfected by calcining it for 20–25 minutes in the oven at a temperature of about 200 ° C or treating it with a solution of potassium permanganate
- Usually 2 seeds are planted in individual containers, deepening them by 3-5 mm. When planting in groups, maintain an interval of 4-5 cm between adjacent seeds.
- Containers with tomato seedlings are watered with settled water at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap and put in a warm, dark place until the first shoots appear.
Important! The film must be periodically removed to ventilate the soil, which should be moistened with a spray bottle if it dries out.
- After the first shoots appear, the polyethylene cover is completely removed, and the containers with seedlings are transferred to a lighted place.
- Further care of tomato seedlings involves periodically moistening the soil, observing the temperature regime (the optimal value is + 20-22 ° C), as well as supplementary illumination with phytolamps until the daylight hours last 12 hours.
- At the stage of 2 full leaves, tomato seedlings are planted in separate pots, if previously they were in a group container.
By the time they are transplanted into the greenhouse, young tomatoes should have 7-10 full leaves and a strong stem 25-30 cm high. The beds intended for tomatoes should first be dug up and also treated with a solution of copper sulfate to prevent fungal diseases. You can also dig planting holes in advance. The Moscow Delicacy variety is indeterminate; it is better to leave a distance of at least 0.5 m between neighboring plants, and 0.9-1 m between rows, otherwise the growing tomatoes will begin to shade each other.
To prevent neighboring plants from competing, they are planted at a certain interval
Tomato seedlings should be planted only after the soil in the greenhouse has warmed up to at least + 10 °C (preferably + 13-15 °C). 2 weeks before the plants are transplanted into the greenhouse, they need to begin to be hardened by periodically exposing the containers to the open air and increasing the procedure time by 1 hour every day. Immediately before planting, the seedlings are left to spend the night outside.
It is best to transplant young tomatoes into a greenhouse in the evening. The plants are carefully removed from the cups along with a lump of earth on the roots, placed in holes previously watered with water and covered with earth. The procedure ends with intensive watering.
Further care for Moscow delicacy tomatoes is simple. The plant is formed into 1, or less often 2, stems (for this, an auxiliary shoot from the stepson under the first flower cluster is used), all other stepsons must be removed weekly. As the bush grows, it is fixed on a trellis or tied to a support. After planting the first flower cluster, all leaves below it should be removed to ensure ventilation of the root zone. The plants do not require intensive watering; it is enough to moisten the soil once a week; 5-6 liters of water will be required for each bush. The Moscow Delicacy variety is undemanding when it comes to fertilizers; it is enough to feed it with an infusion of wood ash after flowering, and repeat the procedure after 2-3 weeks.
How to grow tomatoes
After 2 months, the seedlings are ready to be transplanted to a permanent location. Tall tomatoes usually overgrow during the seedling period, reaching 40-45 cm in height. This important feature does not allow the bushes to be planted vertically, so they are placed in a reclining hole.
Landing
Planting pattern: 50 cm – distance between seedlings, 70 cm – row spacing. For 1 sq. m place 3-4 plants.
The crop is replanted in the evening or early morning, when the sun is not at full strength. Only planted tomatoes do not like direct sunlight, so it will be difficult for them to adapt to new conditions under unfavorable factors.
The holes are made in advance with a depth of 20 cm, first watered generously with warm water. After transplantation, the young bushes are watered again with warm water, the soil is compacted and left to get used to constant conditions for at least 8 days.
Care
Regular watering is established as the seedlings adapt. Water no more than 2 times a week, but during flowering and fruit formation, the crop requires more moisture. Watering is also increased during hot and dry days. Water only with warm, settled water, at the roots of the plants, without getting on the leaves.
Attention ! Cold water has a detrimental effect on tomatoes. They stop growing and developing.
After watering, the beds are loosened, removing all weeds with roots.
Many insect pests breed in weeds, so it is necessary to clear the beds of unnecessary plants. Weeds can be used as mulch; when rotting, they enrich the soil with many useful substances. Straw or peat is also used for mulch. Mulching retains moisture in the beds longer. The stem of the bush is so powerful that the crop does not require mandatory feeding. A developed root system is quite capable of feeding plants with the substances necessary for full development. But experienced gardeners add wood ash, which not only feeds the plant, but also protects it from fungal diseases.
Features of care and possible difficulties
The quantitative indicator of fruiting depends on the formation of the bush. To increase productivity, experts advise growing the crop in 2 stems, avoiding dense plantings. To do this, remove all the stepsons, leaving only one shoot under the first flower cluster. Pruning is carried out periodically, as unnecessary shoots grow.
To limit growth, it is necessary to pinch the crown, otherwise, without determining the growth point, the plant will grow to 2.5 m. Limiting growth prevents the development of unnecessary branches, which will take the necessary nutrients for their development.
Plants need staking immediately after transplantation. To do this, install trellises - this is the best option for solving the problem. As they develop, the fruit-bearing branches are fixed to the support without fail. A lot of fruits are set, and the branches cannot support their weight.
Diseases and pests
Strong immunity distinguishes the culture from other salad varieties, which are susceptible to many diseases . However, prevention against late blight is necessary, since extended fruiting can cause a fungal infection.
Preventive measures include: systematic loosening, moderate watering with control of the level of humidity in the beds, removal of weeds and ventilation of closed structures if the tomato is planted in a greenhouse. Also, before planting, the ground is treated with copper sulfate, which destroys fungal spores.
The most dangerous pests for tomatoes are aphids and whitefly butterflies. For aphids, use a soap solution, which is used to treat the stems of plants. The solution is prepared from 1 piece of laundry soap dissolved in 1 bucket of water. If there are a lot of aphids, the whole plant is treated.
Advice . Strong-smelling herbs planted next to tomatoes - calendula, marigolds - protect the crop from many ground and flying pests, including whiteflies. Also, to combat the parasite, pheromone traps installed near the bushes are used.
Bush care
After planting, the following care requirements should be observed:
- Water the plantings regularly, in the morning or evening. Warm water is recommended for watering; water only at the root. More abundant watering is necessary at the beginning of the flowering period, fruit formation and at the beginning of the ripening of the first tomatoes;
- The formation of a bush is carried out in 1-2 stems, removing all lateral shoots. They also groom their stepsons regularly, once a week;
- A tall bush needs reliable fixation to supports or trellises;
- Timely get rid of weeds that interfere with the normal development of plants;
- Tomatoes need fertilizing. During the season, 3 to 4 feedings are carried out using organic fertilizers and complete mineral complexes;
- As the tomato crop grows and develops, timely removal of dying and overgrown lower leaves is necessary. Also, thanks to these procedures, the ventilation of the bushes improves.
To prevent the occurrence of fungal diseases, for preventive purposes, tomato plantings are systematically treated with copper-containing preparations.
The nuances of breeding in open ground and in greenhouse conditions
Indeterminate types do not have a growth limit .
It is for this reason that the tops are pinched, otherwise the bushes, with further growth, will spend nutrients on unnecessary green mass, and not on the formation of fruits. Removing the lower leaves helps to ventilate the plants and soil in the holes. This important factor prevents the development of fungal spores.
Watering with cold water is detrimental to the crop. The water must be warm and settled. To do this, barrels are installed in the garden plot, which are filled 2-3 days before watering. During this time, the water has time to warm up in the sun.
Water in the evening or in the morning to prevent the leaves from getting sunburned. Moderate watering, proper plant formation and soil fertility have a positive effect on fruiting.
Growing rules
Reviews of the Moscow delicacy tomato describe it as an unpretentious crop that maintains productivity even with minimal care. But some activities are mandatory, without them you can’t count on a good return.
An important stage in growing tomatoes is the preparation of planting material. The quality of the seedlings determines how easily the tomatoes will take root in a permanent place and how quickly they will begin to grow.
Planting seedlings
To be confident in the quality of planting material and the variety of tomatoes, experienced gardeners try to grow all the seedlings themselves. The timing of sowing seeds is calculated so that the time of planting falls on the 60th–65th day.
For greenhouse tomatoes, the main rule for growing seedlings is sterility. Disinfect containers for planting, soil, and the seeds themselves (with a weak solution of potassium permanganate). The soil for the Moscow delicacy is the same as for all tomatoes: loose, fertile, with an admixture of peat, sand and wood ash.
When growing seedlings, you should follow some rules:
- Do not bury the seeds more than 2 cm.
- After germination, provide the plantings with lighting.
- Do not over-water, but do not over-dry the plants.
- Dive after 2 or 3 true leaves.
Even before transplanting under film, tomato seedlings need to be hardened off. To do this, the soil is dried a little, and the plants are taken out into the open air for several hours a day.
Tomato transplant
It is worth moving tomato seedlings to a permanent place if the weather is stable and a confident +10 °C at night. The growth of the bushes requires the installation of strong supports for tying up adult plants with the harvest. It is better to take care of this before landing.
The recommended planting scheme for Moscow delicacy tomatoes is shown in the photo.
A feature of the seedlings of tall tomatoes of the Moscow Delicacy variety, according to reviews, is its ability to stretch out and outgrow. Such tomatoes are planted reclining (at an angle of up to 45 °) or buried to the very leaves.
The Moscow Delicacy variety does not require intensive feeding. For stable fruiting, it is enough to standardly treat, disinfect and fertilize the soil in a greenhouse or garden bed. For varieties moderately resistant to late blight, the addition of wood ash before planting is a necessary preventive measure.
Subsequent care for tomatoes
Moderate but sufficient watering of Moscow Delicatessen can be easily achieved using drip irrigation systems. Mulching with plant residues or peat protects the soil from drying out and reduces the amount of weeding and loosening of tomatoes.
The decisive influence on the yield of the Moscow gourmet tomato, according to reviews and photos of experienced gardeners, is the way the bush is formed. Experts advise leaving two main stems, avoiding thickening. To do this, remove all the stepsons except the one located under the first flower brush. Thus, from the beginning of the development of the tomato bush, there will be two strong shoots on which the main crop is laid.
Further formation depends on growing conditions. If you want to limit the growth of the Moscow delicacy tomato, its top should be pinched at the desired height. A free-forming bush can grow more than 1.8 m. All side shoots and stepsons should be removed several times a season.
The leaves on the bushes of this variety grow densely, regardless of fertilizing and watering. The lower part of the tomatoes should be freed from greenery completely up to the first ovary. Leaves located above are removed as needed, exposing the ripening tomatoes to light.
The Moscow Delicacy variety has powerful shoots, but the height of the bush and the abundance of the harvest require support. The tomatoes are tied several times, fixing the growing stems, supporting large bunches of tomatoes.
Harvesting and application
The culture has a special feature: the first fruits are much smaller than the subsequent ones. For this reason, the first tomatoes are left for whole-fruit canning, which, thanks to their elongated shape, easily fit into jars.
The variety belongs to the salad variety, so ripe vegetables are excellent for fresh use. Due to their high sugar content, they are ideal for baby purees. Tomatoes are processed into tomato products: adjika, lecho, ketchup, juices. During heat treatment, the peel does not crack, so the tomatoes are stuffed and frozen.
Tomatoes tolerate long-term storage and long-term transportation well, while perfectly maintaining their presentation.
Advantages and disadvantages
The benefits of vegetable crops include:
- ease of care;
- ability to settle down in any region;
- high yield;
- stable immunity to diseases;
- possibility of independent seed selection;
- excellent taste;
- unusual shape;
- transportability of fruits;
- long storage;
- universal application.
Negative characteristics include the obligatory staking of tall bushes and regular pinching. This also includes the need to pinch and thin out densely leafed plants.
Farmer reviews
Reviews about the Moscow Delicacy tomato variety are only positive. For many lovers of salad varieties, these tomatoes are their priority.
Maxim, Taganrog: “For a long time I chose a variety that does not require special care. I decided to opt for Delicatessen. The result was interesting. Tomato bushes are really unpretentious. They grow well, the fruits have an unusual taste, reminiscent of the taste of bell pepper. Overall, I liked it."
Nikolay, Vologda: “If you don’t want to take much care, but want to get a good and unusual harvest, your choice is the Moscow delicacy. I planted it and forgot. By the way, an interesting fact is that each subsequent fruit is larger. Thus, small tomatoes grow first, and then quite large vegetables.”
