A variety with amazing taste that you will definitely love - the Raspberry Giant tomato.

Tomato varieties with large fruits attract special attention from summer residents, because they produce a good harvest of fruits, the weight of which sometimes reaches 1 kilogram! Let's consider one of the most famous large-fruited varieties - Raspberry Giant.

Description of the variety

The Raspberry Giant variety was bred by Russian breeders. The patent holder is the Sedek agricultural company. The authors are recognized as A. N. Lukyanenko, S. V. Dubinin, I. N. Dubinina. The variety was included in the State Register in 2007. This chic tomato is intended for growing both in open ground and under film covers.

The variety is declared as early ripening, tall, determinant, which does not require pinching. It reaches a height of 90 centimeters. The stem is powerful, the foliage is dense, the rhizome is well developed.

The fruits are truly gigantic: reaching 200-400 grams. During the season, 6 kilograms of such fruits are collected from one plant. Tomatoes have a slightly flattened shape and are pink in color. The skin is dense, so the fruits retain their presentation for a long time and do not crack even during transportation. They have few seeds. Giants are good not only in the photo - the taste is also excellent. The pulp of the fruit is juicy, tastes sweet and sour.

We grow seedlings

Tomatoes are grown in seedlings and without seedlings. It all depends on the climate in which they will grow. But even when grown in the southern region, where the climate allows tomatoes to be planted directly in the ground, growing through seedlings accelerates fruit ripening and increases yield.

Seed preparation

Tomato seeds sown after March 10. Before this, they need to be checked for germination and prepared for planting.

Reference. When choosing seeds, you may encounter first-generation hybrids Raspberry giant F1. Know: The Crimson Giant does not have any hybrids, it's just a marketing ploy! Both in the package of the “parent” variety and in the package of the F1 hybrid, the seeds are absolutely identical. Manufacturers are simply trying to attract attention to already known varieties, allegedly improving them through hybridization.

We check for germination like this: Place all the seeds in a glass of water and wait 20 minutes. We only need those seeds that fell to the bottom. If the seed does not sink, it means that it was poorly preserved and it will not produce a healthy plant.

After checking for germination, you can soak the seeds in a growth stimulator. This will increase the germination rate.

Soil and planting container

The soil must be nutritious. A substrate made of soil, sand and peat is perfect. To reduce acidity, ash is added to the soil. If you don’t want to create a suitable substrate yourself, buy a ready-made one. Choose special soil for seedlings.

Any container for planting is suitable - from a plastic container to a peat pot. The main thing is to make drainage holes at the bottom.

Sowing and cultivation

Let's start sowing. We will plant in a common container.

Usually, to moisten the soil when sowing, it is sprayed with warm water, but we will tell you about another method. After covering the seeds with soil, fill the container to the brim with snow.

This method is good because, in addition to moistening the soil with melt water, which has long been called “living”, we carry out mini-stratification. This increases germination and accelerates seed germination. If you no longer have snow, use melt water.

How to plant seeds:

1. Lightly compact the soil. The container should be half filled.
2. We make grooves about 2 centimeters deep. Leave the distance between the grooves 2-4 centimeters.
3. Place the seeds at the bottom of the grooves. The distance between seeds is 2-4 centimeters.
4. Sprinkle the seeds with soil.
5. We moisten the soil.
6. Cover the container with a transparent lid or film and place it in a warm, bright place.
7. Once a day, be sure to ventilate the greenhouse and remove condensation from the lid.
8. As soon as friendly shoots appear, we open the seedlings.
9. Water as the soil dries. It is important not to overdry, but also not to over-moisten.
10. To prevent the seedlings from stretching, we provide illumination.
11. When the plants have two true leaves, we plant them in separate pots.
12. We continue to care for the seedlings and wait for the right time to plant them in open ground.

Planting in open ground

When the threat of return frosts has passed, you can plant the seedlings in open ground:

1. We plant seedlings in holes at a distance of at least 50 centimeters from each other. When planting, you can add fertilizer to the holes. The most suitable one is phosphorus-containing.
2. The crimson giant definitely requires a garter. Take this into account when landing.
3. We water our giants as needed, trying not to get it on the foliage. Water for irrigation must be warm (cold water causes plants to stop growing and the roots may rot). For convenience, you can organize drip irrigation.
4. Plants need to be fed several times a season. Feeding stops 3-4 weeks before fruit ripening.
5. Plants require partial pinching. A good solution would be to form bushes into two stems. Remove all lower leaves up to the first ovary.
6. We tie the formed bushes with ropes made of cotton fabric 10-15 centimeters wide. Thin threads or stiff wire are not suitable - they injure the stem.
7. We periodically loosen the soil to saturate it with oxygen. The heavier the soil, the deeper we loosen it. We do this carefully so as not to damage the roots of the plant.

Features of cultivation

In general, the Raspberry Giant tomato is no different in care from other determinate varieties. However, difficulties may arise due to the large weight of the fruit. The bush may simply not withstand the weight and break. Therefore, be sure to tie up the tomatoes. In order for the tomatoes to ripen well and the harvest to please you, you need to leave no more than five fruits on the bush.

Growing in open ground

The raspberry giant feels great in a greenhouse, but outside a greenhouse, experienced gardeners advise growing it only in warm climates. If you do not have such conditions, at least provide the bushes with temporary shelter in case of bad weather.

Diseases and pests

Breeders claim that the variety is resistant to all diseases, especially blossom end rot. However, reviews of the variety often mention that late blight And cladosporiosis dangerous for plants as well as for other varieties of tomatoes.

And although the tomato has good immunity to diseases, it can be threatened by pests. To prevent thrips, aphids, spider mites or Colorado potato beetles from reaching your bushes, spray them with general pest control products for prevention.

Harvesting

The harvest ripens 90-110 days after planting. The fruits tolerate long-term transportation well and are stored for a long time. The main thing is to keep them in a dark, dry place where there are no temperature changes.

The raspberry giant is good both in salads and in canning. However, it is inconvenient to preserve it due to its large size. Some housewives cope with this problem by simply cutting the tomatoes before cooking. The variety is ideal for making ketchup.

Advantages and disadvantages

Gardeners love the crimson giant for:

• large fruits;
• precocity;
• good transportability and presentation;
• immunity to many diseases;
• relative ease of care;
• Possibility of use both fresh and prepared;
• a large number of useful substances and hypoallergenic.

However, the variety also has disadvantages:

• it is difficult to preserve whole tomatoes for the winter;
• large rhizomes take up a lot of space;
• although special care is not required, it is necessary to shape and plant the bush;
• Despite the declared resistance to almost all diseases, the most common of them can still affect the plant.

Reviews

In general, reviews about the variety are positive. Some summer residents note that official information about tomatoes differs from the real one. For example, a variety declared as early ripening, in terms of ripening time, is more suitable for the characteristics of mid-ripening.

Lyubov Salmanova, Novosibirsk: “Raspberry giant – I really, really liked the taste: sweet, meaty. Raised by an employee.Seeing my unhealthy passion for tomatoes, she brought me one for seeds. It is growing in a greenhouse and is now bearing fruit safely. The yield is high: the fruits are large and there are a lot of them. What’s surprising: I don’t tie up my brushes, and nothing breaks.”

Nadezhda Pavlova, Volgograd: “My Crimson Giant was very tall, in open ground it grew to almost three meters in height. Fruited from June to October. Tasty, sweet with sourness, not bland. I will definitely repeat it."

Polina Arslanova, Nizhny Novgorod region: “I have this amateur variety, and there is a difference with the description. The tomato is indeterminate and has an average ripening period. The fruits are large and do not subsequently become smaller. I noticed that it’s better to grow in 1-2 stems.”

Conclusion

The Raspberry Giant variety is ideal for growing in a greenhouse even in northern regions, because it has early ripening periods. Growing it is especially beneficial for those gardeners who rarely go to the country. After all, the plant is relatively unpretentious, produces a good harvest and is resistant to many diseases.

However, only a small number of bushes can be planted in a greenhouse. By planting only the Crimson Giant, you risk being left without any preparations for the winter. But there is a way out: although these sweet giants won’t fit in the jar entirely, their delicious pulp is worth spending a little time cutting them into pieces. We wish you success in growing a great harvest!