A variety with impeccable taste and aroma - the “King of London” tomato: reviews, photos and care secrets
The King of London tomato looks more like a tomato tree than an ordinary bush. This giant, two meters tall, is distinguished by large and delicious fruits, shaped like a heart.
Lovers of large-fruited varieties have long paid attention to it, planting it in their beds every year. Also considered a huge plus is the hardened Siberian character of the culture, which helps to survive and provide a rich harvest under any circumstances. Description of the variety, agrotechnical techniques and secrets of productivity - in the review of the article.
Description of the variety
Despite the name, the variety has nothing to do with England - it appeared thanks to amateur selection by Siberian scientists. It is not included in the State Register of Selection Achievements. But this does not prevent it from taking its rightful place among tomato crops and remaining a favorite among hundreds of gardeners.
Distinctive features
Indeterminate type, bush height – 1.5-2 m, strong stem, powerful root system. The foliage is moderate, the leaves are medium sized, light green in color. The inflorescences are simple, the first inflorescence is formed after the 9th leaf, the subsequent ones - every 2 leaves. Each brush forms 4-5 fruits.
Mid-early species, from the moment of sowing the seeds until full ripening, 105-110 days pass.
Productivity is high, up to 5 kg is harvested from 1 seedling, provided that no more than 3 plants are planted per 1 sq. m.
Differs in stable immunity to major diseases the nightshade family, such as late blight, tobacco mosaic virus and powdery mildew.
Culture requires mandatory systematic stepsoning and tying up tall bushes.
Recommended for breeding in open ground and greenhouse conditions.
Fruit characteristics
The fruits are large, average weight - 700-800 g, heart-shaped, pink or crimson in color. The taste is excellent, sweet with a characteristic sourness, and has a high content of nutrients. The pulp is juicy, fleshy, the skin is dense. There are 6-8 seed chambers, few seeds.
Universal purpose: the fruits are used to prepare various fresh dishes, cold and hot. For winter preparations, canning, marinades and pickling, vegetables have to be cut due to their large size. They are also excellent for processing into tomato products: juices, pastes, ketchups.
Ripe vegetables can be stored for a long time when creating the necessary conditions: the room must be dry and cool. Thanks to the dense peel, transportation over any distance takes place without loss of presentation.
The photo shows the King of London tomatoes.
It will be interesting:
Ideal for preservation and non-capricious “Japanese truffle”
An excellent variety for greenhouses and open ground - “Nastenka”
How to grow seedlings
Sowing seeds for seedlings begins 2 months before planting in the ground. All indeterminate types of plants are grown through seedlings, and this tomato is no exception.
Seed preparation
After careful inspection for visible defects, the seed is placed in a saline solution for 10 minutes.. In this way, the emptiness of seeds is determined: those that float to the surface are not suitable for sowing.Then the seeds are disinfected in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 20 minutes. After disinfection, they are washed with running water and dried.
To improve germination, the seed is germinated on damp gauze for 2-3 days. To do this, the grains are laid out on gauze slightly moistened with warm water and left in a dark and warm place at a temperature of at least 28°C. After the sprouts appear, the seeds are ready for sowing.
Reference. Germinating seeds on damp gauze significantly improves the germination rate.
Container and soil
The soil is prepared from garden soil, humus, peat and river sand in equal quantities. All components are thoroughly mixed and the resulting mixture is treated with a hot solution of manganese to destroy pathogenic flora.
Reference. Soil disinfection is a necessary and mandatory procedure for the healthy growth of seedlings.
The disinfected soil is laid out in planting containers, filling them halfway. As the seedlings grow, the remaining soil is added to containers, thereby providing additional enrichment of the root system with useful substances.
Planted both in a common box and in separate containers. When sowing in a common container, you must remember that in the future you will need to pick the plants, which can be avoided when planting in individual containers. In addition, plastic cups are convenient for transporting seedlings to a summer cottage.
Sowing
Seeds are sown to a depth of 1 cm with a distance of 2 cm from each other and sprinkled with soil on top. Lightly compact and water moderately with warm, settled water using a spray bottle. The planting containers are covered with film and left in a warm room at a temperature of 22-24°C.
The film is periodically removed to ventilate the soil.As the top layer dries out, the soil is moistened with warm, settled water.
Growing and care
When shoots appear, the containers are moved to the windowsill. The duration of daylight for seedlings is 14-15 hours, so additional lighting is installed in advance. Water the seedlings moderately, without flooding the sprouts, with warm, settled water using a shallow watering can. After watering, the soil is loosened, thereby providing oxygen to the young roots.
When 2 true leaves appear, the seedlings dive, seating in separate containers. The picking procedure involves removing the main root by one third, after which the lateral roots are intensively grown. During picking, weak plants are disposed of, leaving only strong and healthy bushes.
Reference. If seedlings are left in a common container after picking, it is necessary to increase the distance between seedlings to 15 cm.
During picking, the bushes are fed liquid fertilizer for tomato seedlings.
2-3 weeks before transplanting, seedlings are hardened, taking it out into the open air for 1 hour in the daytime. Gradually this interval is increased to 12 hours, while simultaneously reducing the night temperature in the room to 13°C.
How to grow tomatoes
After two months, the seedlings are ready for transplanting. By this time, the bushes already have 5-7 true leaves and a fully formed root system.
Landing
The soil is prepared in advance, digging with the application of complex fertilizers.
Planting scheme: 50 cm – distance between seedlings, 70 cm – row spacing. For 1 sq. m place 3 plants.
Transplanted on a cloudy day or in the evening into holes 20 cm deep. After transplantation, they are watered generously with warm, settled water and left to adapt to new conditions for 8-10 days.
Reference. While getting used to new conditions, the bushes are not watered or fed.
Further care
The main attention in caring for this variety is given to watering. Water generously with warm, settled water, strictly at the root, without getting on the leaves. However, it is strictly not recommended to flood the plants: the roots do not like excess moisture and can rot. On dry days, the amount of watering is increased, preventing the soil from drying out, and watering is stopped during fruiting.
After watering, the ground is loosened, removing weeds with roots.. Weeds take a lot of nutrients from the soil, which are so necessary for the full development of cultivated plants, so the proximity of tomatoes to weeds is not desirable. In addition, weeds are the cause of most fungal infections.
To keep moisture in the beds longer, they are mulched with peat or straw.. This is especially necessary on hot days when moisture evaporates quickly.
To obtain excellent large fruits, it is important to follow the feeding regime:
- 2 weeks after transplantation, the plants are fed with nitrogenous fertilizers. After adding nitrogen, plants intensively increase their green mass, which is necessary for healthy growth.
- During flowering, complete complex mineral fertilizers or organic matter are used. From organic matter, use mullein infusion or bird droppings in a ratio of 1:15.
- At the moment of fruit set, they are fed with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers for faster ripening of vegetables.
Read also:
Tomato “Aphrodite f1”, beloved by gardeners in all regions of the country
Features of care and possible difficulties
Culture needs mandatory stepsoning, otherwise unnecessary shoots will take away a lot of useful substances. Plants grow in 1 or 2 stems. They plant regularly, once every 10 days, thereby not only increasing fruiting to the maximum, but also eliminating the density of plantings.
Tie up the bushes immediately after transplanting. To do this, a wooden or metal support is installed next to each plant, to which the stem is fixed. This helps the formation of a strong and even stem and protects the bushes from gusts of wind. As they grow, the fruit-bearing branches are also tied to a support, otherwise they will not support the weight of ripe vegetables.
The ideal option for fixing tall plants is a garter on a trellis. To do this, install supports on different sides of the bed and stretch wire between them. The stem and leaves of the seedlings are fixed to a horizontally stretched wire with soft fabric tapes.
Diseases and pests
The tomato has proven itself to be resistant to dangerous diseases., which often infect the nightshade family. But it cannot withstand attacks from insect pests, so preventive measures are aimed specifically at combating insects.
Aphids, whiteflies, mole crickets and Colorado potato beetles are dangerous for tomatoes.. Strong-smelling herbs planted next to the beds protect against whiteflies and mole crickets. The mole cricket is also afraid of the smell of garlic, so crushed cloves are dug into the beds.
Treating the stem with a soap solution helps against aphids. If there is a lot of it, the plant is sprayed as a whole, removing the affected areas.
Colorado beetle - a serious enemy of the tomato crop, capable of destroying a significant part of the plantings. When there is a large accumulation of it, the drug “Prestige” is used. Bushes are inspected daily for the presence of pests.
The nuances of breeding in open ground and greenhouses
The crop is planted in open ground in the southern regions. In areas with a temperate climate, cultivation under film is recommended, and in the northern regions - only in greenhouse conditions.
In greenhouses, the weight of ripe vegetables exceeds those grown in open beds. The yield is also higher here - up to 8 kg is harvested from 1 seedling.
The growth of greenhouse plants reaches 2 m, so you can’t do without pinching the top of the head. This procedure is needed to indicate the growth point, since under favorable conditions the indeterminate type grows continuously.
Closed structures are regularly ventilatedso as not to exceed the permissible humidity level. Otherwise, there is a risk of developing fungal spores and damaging plants with various infections. In addition, due to moisture disturbances, the fruits crack. If cracks appear, they must be coated with vegetable oil.
Harvesting and application
Ripe vegetables begin to be collected in July. Large fruits are of the salad type, so they are ideal for fresh consumption. They are used to prepare excellent summer salads, vegetable stews, and hot dishes: soups, stews with vegetables and meat. As for canned food, vegetables have to be cut due to their large size. Therefore, they do not try to make winter preparations from them. But they are allowed to process tomato products, since tomatoes perfectly retain sourness in juices, pastes, adjika and ketchup.
Thanks to their thick skin, ripe vegetables can be stored for a long time. in a cool, dry room until November. This is undoubtedly a big plus, since you can pamper yourself with fresh summer salads all fall.
Advantages and disadvantages
Culture has many positive properties:
adaptation to weather conditions;- high resistance to diseases;
- ease of care;
- high fruiting rate;
- mid-early maturation;
- excellent taste;
- large fruits;
- universal purpose;
- long storage;
- long transportations.
Negative properties include:
- regular stepsoning;
- obligatory garter;
- cracking of fruits due to high humidity.
Farmer reviews
Judging by the opinions of gardeners, the culture is very popular among gardeners.
Julia, Odessa: “The variety is tall, the bushes have grown 1.8 m. Despite the fact that I did not completely plant them, the harvest turned out to be large. The fruits weighed 500-600 g, so one tomato is enough to prepare a salad for two people. I was especially surprised by the taste - real, tomato.".
Georgy, Chelyabinsk: “I was visiting a friend and he showed me photographs of his favorite tomatoes. I immediately noticed the massive bushes with huge heart tomatoes. I planted it in my greenhouse. Watered and fed infrequently. The vegetables are ripe, delicious, meaty and without unpleasant veins. Very satisfied!".
Conclusion
The King of London tomato is one of the few large-fruited species that can grow in all regions, even the coldest. Thanks to its unique characteristics - high fruiting rate, stable immunity to diseases, simple agricultural technology - the culture has gained mass recognition and continues to conquer new gardeners, increasing the number of its fans.