Assortment of Koenigsberg tomatoes: description of varieties and tips for effective cultivation

Tomatoes are a heat-loving crop. Therefore, many residents of the Urals and Siberia face difficulties in obtaining a decent harvest of tasty and healthy fruits. Their salvation is greenhouses and cold-resistant varieties of tomatoes. One of these varieties is Koenigsberg. In addition to cold, tomatoes tolerate hot weather and drought well. Read about other advantages and rules for growing Koenigsberg tomatoes in our article.

Characteristics and description of the variety

The tomato was selected by vegetable grower Vladimir Dederko. In 2005, the variety was registered in the State Register of the Russian Federation. The description indicates that the variety was acclimatized in Western Siberia and is intended for cultivation in open ground. However, even in greenhouse conditions, the ovary appears.

Subspecies of the Koenigsberg variety

Today, several subspecies of the Siberian Koenigsberg have been bred:

• red;
• gold;
• cordate;
• new;
• striped;
• pink.

Red - the main subspecies, many of its characteristics are common to the others. They are grown in greenhouses and open beds. The height of the plants reaches 180-200 cm. The shape of the fruit is oblong, the color is bright red. Ripening occurs in mid-July-early August. Tomatoes last a long time. The subspecies is called the most resistant to cold - it can withstand temperatures dropping to 0 ° C.

Gold - differs from red in yellow skin color and high sugar content. With lower yields, the subspecies is less susceptible to fungal diseases.

Cordate - bushes grow up to 2-2.5 meters. The shape, as the name suggests, is heart-shaped. Subspecies with the largest fruits (up to 1 kg).

New Koenigsberg - mid-early, red fruit, the most productive subspecies.

Striped - a red oblong fruit with yellow-orange stripes. The tomatoes are small, weighing up to 300 g.

Pink - differ in color and low weight - up to 200 g. The yield of the subspecies increases when growing tomatoes in a greenhouse.

Distinctive features

Indeterminate variety, bush height - 2 m. Mid-season - the first tomatoes are harvested 110-115 days after emergence.

Powerful root system, large dark green leaves with light fluff. Up to 6 inflorescences are formed on each brush.

Fruit characteristics, yield

The shape of all subspecies, except the heart-shaped one, is a cylinder with a pointed tip. The color depends on the subspecies: red, yellow, pink, striped.

The average weight of the fruit is 230 g, but larger tomatoes weighing up to 900 g are formed at the bottom, and 150-300 g at the top.

Other fruit characteristics:

• thick, shiny skin;
• fleshy, sweet and aromatic pulp;
• There are 3-4 seed chambers, one tomato has up to 50 grains.

From 5 to 20 kg of tomatoes are harvested from 1 sq.m. Productivity depends on the subspecies, weather conditions and care.

How to grow seedlings

Seeds for seedlings are sown at the beginning of March in central Russia, in the northern regions no later than the beginning of April, otherwise the fruits will not have time to ripen.

Seed preparation

Planting material is prepared in 7 stages.

1. Selection of viable grains. Choose large and medium seeds that are smooth and not empty to the touch. They are placed in a saline solution (1 tablespoon of salt per 200 g of water) for 15-20 minutes. The seeds that have sunk to the bottom of the glass are taken for planting.
2. Warming up. The seeds are laid out on cotton cloth and placed on a central heating radiator for 1.5-2 days.
3. Disinfection. The seeds are treated with a 1% solution of potassium permanganate. To prepare it, dissolve 1 tsp in 600 g of water. (without a slide) crystals of potassium permanganate. After 15-20 minutes. the seeds are removed from the solution and washed with running water.
4. Bubbling. The grains are placed in warm (+26-30 °C) water and stirred every hour for 15-18 hours. Some summer residents use an aquarium compressor. Oxygen saturation increases seed germination and improves the viability of future seedlings.
5. Soak. Planting material is immersed in warm water or a solution of biostimulating preparations. Summer residents recommend using “Zircon”, “Epin”, “Sodium Humate”, “Energen” (in liquid form). The duration of the procedure is 12 hours. Some gardeners advise trying “honey soaking”: dissolve a teaspoon of honey in a glass of cool water. The seeds are placed on a cloth or gauze, 3-5 tablespoons of the solution are poured and the cloth is wrapped in an envelope. The duration of the procedure is 3-12 hours; as the tissue dries, it is moistened with the solution.
6. Hardening. The seeds are wrapped in cotton cloth and plastic film and placed for 8 hours in a cool place (around 0 °C), for example, a refrigerator or balcony. The seeds are taken out for 8 hours at room temperature. The procedure is repeated 5-6 times. Experienced farmers do not harden all planting material - there is a high risk of destroying the seeds if the procedure is carried out incorrectly.
7. Germination. The grains are wrapped in cotton or gauze and placed on a flat dish (saucer, Petri dish, lid). The fabric is constantly moistened with warm (+25-30 °C) water until embryos of 2-3 mm in size appear.

Container and soil

Tomatoes are planted in plastic containers, cups, and cut-off bottles.

You buy soil mixture in the store, use a universal one for tomatoes. Its composition:

• humus;
• peat;
• river sand.

The soil is prepared independently from:

• garden land - 1 part;
• non-acidic peat - 2 parts;
• sand - 0.5 parts;
• humus or sifted mature compost - 1 part.

It is recommended to add wood ash or dolomite flour, sphagnum moss and fallen pine needles to the mixture.

The soil and containers are treated with boiling water or a solution of potassium permanganate.

Sowing

The soil mixture is laid out in containers. Seeds are placed on top and covered with a centimeter layer of soil. Spray with water, cover the cups with film and put them in a warm, bright place.

Important! Immature seedlings are protected from direct sunlight.

Growing and care

The first shoots appear on the 4-5th day. The film is removed. Water at the root using a spoon or syringe so as not to wash out the weak roots.

At the age of 10-14 days, when 2 true leaves appear on the sprout, the seedlings are planted in individual containers. Mineral fertilizers are added to the new soil at the rate of 1 tbsp. l. per 5 liters of soil. The seedlings are buried up to the cotyledon leaves. 10 days after picking the seedlings fed with complex fertilizer. Feeding is repeated every 2 weeks.

Water at the root as it dries, being careful not to wet the leaves. 2 weeks before moving to the garden, they begin to harden off the seedlings. It is taken out into the open air (balcony, summer veranda or gazebo) for 2-3 hours. Before moving, the seedlings are left in the open air overnight. Hardening off helps seedlings adapt to low temperatures and sunlight.

Important! Summer residents note that the peculiarity of Koenigsberg is the external lifelessness and lethargy of the seedlings - this is not something to be afraid of.

How to grow tomatoes

They are transplanted into a greenhouse at the age of 50 days, and into open ground at 60 days. During this time, the seedlings grow up to 25 cm.

Landing

For tomatoes, choose an area where cucumbers, zucchini, and dill grew last season, so as not to violate the rules of crop rotation. Vegetables from the nightshade family will be unfavorable predecessors and neighbors.

The soil for Koenigsberg is prepared in advance. In autumn they fertilize: per 1 sq. m add a bucket of humus, 40 g of superphosphate, 500 ml of wood ash. The day before transplanting, the soil is spilled with boiling water or a solution of potassium permanganate.

For 1 sq. m plant 3 bushes. Choose from two schemes:

1. Staggered in 2 rows. The distance between plants is 60 cm, between rows 70-80 cm.
2. Parallel, 2 lanes. The distance between plants is 60-70 cm, the tapes themselves are placed 90-100 cm from each other.

Care

Powerful roots allow plants to easily survive lack of moisture, but excess is harmful. Therefore, water tomatoes abundantly, but not often, at the roots, avoiding water getting on the stem and leaves. With each watering, weeds are removed and the soil is loosened to ensure oxygen supply to the rhizome.

Fertilizers are applied once every 2 weeks, alternating complex and mineral fertilizers.

Tomatoes are formed into one or two stems. Stepchildren more than 3 cm long are removed every 2 weeks.

The bushes are tied to supports immediately after the seedlings are planted in the beds.

Features of cultivation and possible difficulties

Gardeners gradually remove the lower leaves, and after the seventh cluster is formed, they also pinch the top of the bush.

After the formation of the first tomatoes, pinching is stopped.

Tomatoes have difficulties with self-pollination, so in greenhouses farmers manually pollinate the inflorescences with a brush, and in open beds they gently shake the bushes. If you don’t help the tomatoes, few ovaries will form, which means the yield will decrease.

Diseases and pests

Koenigsberg has high immunity against common tomato diseases. However, to prevent phytosporosis, tomatoes are treated with special preparations:

1. "Fitosporin".
2. "Ekosilom".
3. "Quadris".
4. "Ridomil Gold".

Summer residents noted that due to a lack of potassium in the soil, fruits in greenhouses are affected by blossom end rot. To avoid this, fill each hole with ash when planting (1 liter per bush).

Harmful insects do not attack tomatoes. But if this happens, the plantings are treated with special preparations. “Bison” will help against aphids and thrips, “Prestige” against the Colorado potato beetle, and “Confidor” against whiteflies.

The nuances of growing in open ground and in a greenhouse

Agricultural technology in a greenhouse and in open beds is no different. Farmers note that in greenhouse conditions, with the same care, tomatoes bear fruit longer.

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Harvesting and application

The first fruits are harvested on day 110-115. They are consumed fresh, canned in sauces, lecho and other snacks. This is not the best variety for making juice; there are juicier tomatoes.

They are also not suitable for pickling whole fruits - the tomatoes are too large to fit into the jar. Tomatoes are suitable for long-term storage and transportation.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

The advantages of Koenigsberg include:

• productivity;
• taste, color and shape of fruits;
• resistance to weather changes, drought, cold, heat;
• possibility of growing in open ground;
• immunity to disease.

The disadvantages of the variety are mid-ripening, the need constantly tie up and pinching bushes, reducing productivity under unfavorable conditions.

Farmer reviews

A review of opinions about Koenigsberg tomatoes speaks of the high quality of the variety: gardeners like their taste, variety of shapes and colors, productivity and disease resistance.

Alla Zmeeva, Moscow region: “I’ve been planting the Golden Konigsberg tomato variety for a long time. I plant it a lot and constantly. This variety succeeds both in open ground and indoors. In open ground, the plant does not grow so tall, but it still needs to be tied to stakes, and the tomatoes themselves are smaller. This circumstance does not affect either the quality of the harvest or the quantity. A very productive variety. Resistant to late blight."

Dmitry Bruev, Tomsk: “Konigsberg disappointed me this year. The first bunches on the bush didn't set well. There are two or three tomatoes on them. The second tassels were thrown very high - and even there, three of them were tied. But for me, perhaps the reason is that this year I collected my own seeds. When I planted seeds from Biotechnika, what a fairy tale these tomatoes were! They were one of the last to ripen, fleshy, sweet, there was a lot on the bush! I really fell in love with this variety.”

Elena Stroeva, Tambov: “We have been growing Koenigsberg Red at our dacha for five years now. We always plant seedlings in open ground, since there is simply no greenhouse. We grow the seedlings ourselves, they really look frail and fragile, the tomato stems are thin, the leaves are limp.But after planting in the ground, everything changes dramatically: the tomatoes quickly grow, the leaves become large and fleshy. This variety is grown in one stem, but I plant two plants in each hole. I pinch all the ovaries except the first 6-7. Here in Tambov, Koenigsberg has time to ripen on the bush. The tomato never got sick, although I didn’t process it. Next year I will definitely buy Golden Konigsberg seeds, they say its fruits are even tastier and last longer.”

Conclusion

Koenigsberg tomatoes are suitable for growing in open ground and greenhouses. Its advantage over other varieties is its resistance to cold, hot and dry weather, which allows it to be harvested in all regions of Russia. Gardeners love tomatoes for their taste, a large selection of colors, shapes and sizes of tomatoes: red, yellow, pink, striped, heart-shaped. The thick skin allows tomatoes to be stored and transported for a long time.

There are no difficulties in care, but the variety requires pinching and staking, abundant but not frequent watering, and sometimes hand pollination. Depending on the weather and care, tomatoes yield a yield of 5 to 20 kg from three bushes. At the same time, Koenigsberg is not susceptible to fungal diseases and attacks by harmful insects. Large tomatoes are consumed fresh, used in preparing soups: lecho, sauces and appetizers, but are not suitable for whole-fruit canning.