Salad variety with fleshy pulp - Raspberry Dawn tomato

The Raspberry Dawn variety is part of a group of tomatoes with a raspberry color, which are united by low maintenance and wonderful taste. Sugary, juicy pulp combined with thin skin and an attractive heart-shaped shape will leave few people indifferent.

In this article we will talk in detail about the characteristics of the variety, the intricacies of its cultivation in a greenhouse and garden, possible difficulties and methods of combating late blight and insects.

Characteristics and description of the variety

The mid-season variety Raspberry Dawn was created by breeders of the Poisk agricultural company. It was included in the State Register of the Russian Federation in 2015. The crop is grown in greenhouses, greenhouses and open ground. Indeterminate bushes are formed into 2-3 stems and tied to supports.

The photo shows Raspberry Dawn tomatoes.

Distinctive features

The table shows the main characteristics of tomatoes:

Growing seedlings

Raspberry Dawn tomatoes are grown from seedlings.Sowing is carried out in the last ten days of March - the first ten days of April, 60–65 days before transferring to the ground.

Soil preparation and sowing

The seed material does not require additional disinfection, since it is processed in production. To increase germination, grains are soaked in a growth stimulator - “Zircon” or “Epine”.

Seeds collected by hand from previously grown tomatoes are disinfected in a 2% peroxide solution for 10 minutes or in a pink solution of potassium permanganate (30 minutes).

Universal soil in bags from gardening stores is suitable for growing seedlings. You can prepare the soil yourself.

To do this you will need:

• 3 parts vermicompost;
• 2 parts river sand;
• 1 part peat;
• 1 part perlite.

Before sowing, the soil is disinfected by heating it in an oven or microwave or by spilling it with a strong solution of potassium permanganate. Then the containers are filled with cooled soil, 2 cm indentations are made and seeds are laid out at intervals of 2 cm. 1 cm of soil is poured on top, the containers are covered with film for a greenhouse effect and taken to a warm, dark place.

The film is lifted daily to ventilate the soil. This will help prevent mold from growing. The first shoots appear at a temperature of +23 °C after 4-5 days.

Seedling care

After sprouting, the containers are taken to the sunniest place in the house and the film is removed. Water once every 5–7 days. Weak sprouts are periodically removed, leaving only strong ones.

After the seedlings reach 10 cm in height, they are planted in separate cups made of peat or plastic.

Feeding with eggshells helps strengthen the vitality of seedlings. To do this, it is first dried and ground into powder using a coffee grinder. Add 2-3 tbsp to 1 liter of water. l.powder and leave for a week. Cloudy water and an unpleasant odor indicate that the fertilizer is ready. Before watering, the infusion is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:3. Feeding frequency: 1 time per week.

Agricultural technology of tomatoes

The rules for growing tomatoes are no different from cultivating other raspberry-colored varieties. The crop is easy to care for and requires moderate watering, staking indeterminate bushes, pinching and fertilizing.

Landing

Transferring seedlings to a greenhouse or vegetable gardens begins in late May - early June. By this time, the soil will have time to warm up and the threat of night frosts will disappear.

Raspberry Dawn tomatoes love loose, nutritious soil. They prepare it in the fall by digging it up and fertilizing it with humus. In spring, the soil is loosened again and fed with humus (10 liters per 1 m²).

Strong bushes are planted in the evening or in cloudy weather in holes to a depth of 20 cm. Before this, the holes are disinfected with a dark solution of potassium permanganate. Planting pattern: 50×70 cm (no more than 3 plants per 1 m²).

After planting, the soil is mulched with sawdust, peat or pine needles. Mulch retains moisture and prevents bacterial infection and weed growth.

Care

Bushes form 2-3 stems. Stepping is carried out every 10 days. Shoots are removed from the leaf axils after reaching 5 cm in length using garden shears, a sharp knife, or carefully broken off by hand. The bushes are tied to a trellis or long supports.

Tomatoes prefer moderate watering: 2 times a week, 7 liters per bush.

Ready-made formulations are used as fertilizers: “Agricola”, “Kemira”. They replenish reserves of zinc, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, stimulate the appearance of ovaries, and accelerate ripening. The frequency of application of foliar fertilizers is once every 15 days.

Homemade fertilizers made from compressed yeast and eggshells are excellent.

Yeast dressing recipes:

1. Dissolve 200 g of fresh yeast in 1 liter of warm water and leave for 3 hours. Dilute the resulting concentrate with settled water (1:10).
2. To a barrel of water (50 l), add 1 bucket of fresh herbs (hops, plantain, nettle) and 300 g of yeast. Leave for 48 hours.
3. 100 g sugar, 50 g fresh yeast, 500 g ash, 500 g chicken manure. Leave the mixture for 2 days and dilute it in 10 liters of water.

Fertilizers are used once every 10–14 days. The infusion on eggshells described above is used for adult tomatoes twice a month.

Features of cultivation and possible difficulties

The variety is unpretentious to weather conditions and shows excellent results when cultivated in open and closed ground.

The only difficulty you may encounter is loss of taste in the fruit and cracking of the skin. This occurs due to excess moisture. The fruits become sour and watery and lose their flavor. To avoid this, water in the evening strictly at the roots, trying not to get on the leaves.

Advice. The best solution is to install drip irrigation. This way the earth will always be moistened, but in moderation.

Diseases and pests

The variety is resistant to fusarium and tobacco mosaic virus, but is susceptible late blight.

Prevention methods help prevent infection:

• ventilation and fumigation of greenhouses with sulfur bombs;
• moderate watering;
• mulching soil with sawdust, hay, pine needles, peat;
• application of potassium-phosphorus fertilizers;
• monitoring the level of nitrogen in the soil;
• soil disinfection copper sulfate;
• loosening the beds after watering.

Fungicides for tomatoes will help to cope with infection: “Quadris”, “Acrobat”, “Ridomil”, “Agate”, “Fundazol”, Bordeaux mixture, “Strobi”. Manufacturers indicate the dosage and method of dilution on the packaging.

To help in the fight against aphids, spider mite, whitefly, the medications “Fitoverm”, “Epin”, “Flumite”, “Borneo”, “Aktara”, “Zircon” will come by bear.

Those who prefer more environmentally friendly products prepare infusions of herbs, ash, and onion peels:

1. 200 g onion peels pour 10 liters of water and leave for 6-7 hours, then pour in 25 ml of liquid soap. Treat tomatoes with the solution once every 7 days.
2. 30 g of ash and 30 ml of soap dissolve in 5 liters of water and strain through a thin cloth. Spray the bushes once every 14 days.
3. 200 g dandelion roots pour 10 liters of warm water, leave for 2 hours, then strain. Use once every 2 weeks.
4. Pour 200 g of young pine needles 500 ml of water, leave for 7 days. Before use, dilute with water (1:10). Irrigate tomatoes once every 2 weeks.
5. 1 kg of fresh chopped celandine herb pour 5 liters of water, leave for 24 hours. Apply twice a month.
6. It is better to combat slugs by hand picking or spraying bushes ammonia (2 tablespoons of substance per 5 liters of water).

Advice. Plant marigolds, fragrant dill, chamomile, basil, mint, and fennel near tomatoes to attract beneficial insects that eat aphids.

The nuances of growing in open ground and greenhouses

Caring for Raspberry Dawn in open and closed ground is not particularly different. Planting in the garden takes place a week later than in the greenhouse. This is due to the heat-loving nature of the variety and the threat of night frosts. The optimal soil temperature for transferring seedlings is +16 °C.

To achieve good results, it is important to ensure a comfortable watering regime, apply fertilizing on time and form bushes into 2 stems.

Greenhouses are regularly ventilated. Air humidity is maintained at 60%.

Tomatoes in the garden, for the first time after planting, are covered with agrofibre at night to protect them from the cold and attacks by insect pests.

Collection and use of tomatoes

The harvest begins 110–115 days after the sprouts appear. Thanks to their sugary, juicy pulp with a slight sourness, tomatoes are ideal for fresh consumption. They make excellent juices with a rich taste and aroma, and sauces. Whole tomatoes are not suitable for canning due to their large size.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages of the Raspberry Dawn variety:

• wonderful taste;
• excellent presentation;
• large fruits;
• high productivity;
• ease of care;
• possibility of transportation;
• resistance to viral diseases;
• the ability to grow in any climatic conditions of the country in open and closed ground;
• thin skin.

The variety has fewer disadvantages. This is the need for garter and formation of plants and cracking of the skin due to excess moisture.

Reviews

There are only positive reviews about the Raspberry Dawn variety:

Vladislav, Yaroslavl: “Raspberry Dawn tomatoes have taken up residence in my greenhouse since the seeds appeared on sale. The variety does not require special care and tolerates heat and cold well. Tall bushes require garters to supports. The taste of the fruit is excellent, the flesh is sweet, slightly grainy.”

Igor, Penza: “I’ve been growing these tomatoes in a greenhouse for three years in a row. The result is always pleasing. The fruits are large, especially the lower ones. Some reach a weight of 1 kg.The skin is thin, the flesh is sweet, there is a slight sourness. I water it twice a week and feed it with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.”

Maria, Orenburg: “Raspberry Dawn tomatoes are one of my favorites. I plant the seedlings at the end of March and transfer them to the greenhouse at the end of May. I tie the bushes to a trellis and form them into two stems. This way I achieve maximum productivity. I collect 5-6 kg from one bush.”

Conclusion

Raspberry Dawn is a high-yielding tomato variety that shows excellent results when cultivated in different climatic zones of Russia, both in open and indoor ground.

Up to 15 kg of fruits are harvested from one square meter, subject to the principles of agricultural technology: forming bushes with 2 stems, moderate watering and fertilizing with complex compounds. Fruits with sugary pulp are suitable for fresh consumption, preparation of rich juices and sauces.