An extremely unusual variety from Siberian breeders - the Japanese Crab tomato, which will not leave anyone indifferent

If you like unusual varieties of tomatoes, then Japanese crab is exactly what you need. The fruit, which resembles a crustacean in appearance, will delight you not only with its interesting shape, but also with its excellent taste.

Characteristics and description of the variety, photos, rules for caring for tomatoes and the secrets of a bountiful harvest are in our review.

Description of the variety

The originators of the tomatoes were the breeders of the Demetra-Siberia agricultural company from Barnaul. In 2007, the variety was registered in the State Register of the Russian Federation. The description of the tomatoes states that they are suitable for growing in greenhouse conditions and in open ground throughout the country.

Distinctive features

An indeterminate variety, in open ground the bushes reach a height of 100-120 cm, in greenhouses - 200 cm. The first flowers form above the 7-8 leaf, 6-10 ovaries grow on each brush. The leaves are light green and medium in size. The fruit ripening period is average, we get the first tomatoes 110-115 days after the sprouts appear.

Fruit characteristics and yield

The fruits of the Japanese crab are of a rich pink hue, round, flattened to the stalk. Tomatoes got their name from their ribbing - the pronounced segments resemble the claws of a crustacean.

Other fruit characteristics:

• not dense, but fleshy, juicy pulp;
• pleasant tomato taste and aroma;
• pronounced sugar content;
• 5-6 seed chambers;
• weight from 250 to 350 g.

Interesting! According to reviews from vegetable growers, the maximum fruit weight that was obtained was 600 g.

Tomato yield is up to 11 kg per 1 sq.m (from four bushes).

How to grow seedlings

To get seedlings, sow the seeds in the first ten days of March, but remember that under favorable conditions, the tomatoes will quickly begin to stretch and will be too tall by the time they move to the beds.

Seed preparation

Preparation will help you speed up seed germination, reduce the risk of infections, and increase tomato yields.

First of all, select the planting material. Pour out the grains and examine them - discard the small, crooked and empty seeds. Prepare a saline solution: dissolve a tablespoon of salt in a glass of water. Drop the seeds into it. After 15-20 minutes, remove the grains that have floated to the surface and throw them away, and take the ones that have sunk to the bottom for planting.

Warm the seeds: spread them on cotton cloth or newspaper, in bags and place them on the radiator.

Disinfect planting material. Prepare a 1% solution of potassium permanganate: dissolve a teaspoon (without top) of potassium permanganate in three glasses of water. Place the seeds in the solution for 15-20 minutes, then rinse them with running water.

Important! If there is no potassium permanganate, use hydrogen peroxide. Dissolve 1 tbsp in 400 g of warm (40 degrees) water. l. 3% peroxide and place the seeds in the solution for 12 hours. This method both kills infections and accelerates seed germination, but is not suitable for coated (with a nutrient coating) and encrusted (with a thin water-soluble layer containing disinfecting and growth-stimulating components) grains.

Place the seeds in warm water (26-30 degrees) and stir hourly for 15-18 hours (if you have an aquarium compressor, use it). This procedure is called bubbling - oxygen enrichment. The process increases the germination and growth of the crop.

Soak the seeds in water or biostimulants: at a temperature of 20 degrees for 12 hours. Popular biostimulating drugs among Russian summer residents: “Zircon”, “Epin”, “Immunocytophyte”.

Wrap the seeds in cotton cloth and plastic and place in the refrigerator for 8 hours. Remove to a warm room for 8 hours. Repeat changing temperatures 5-6 times. Hardening off will help grow frost-resistant bushes. According to farmers, yields will increase by 30%.

Important! Hardening is a complex process in which there is a high risk of spoiling the planting material. If you are not sure about the procedure, do not do it or do not use all the seeds.

Place seeds, wrapped in gauze, on a flat dish (saucer or Petri dish). Constantly moisten the fabric with warm water (25 degrees). When embryos 2-3 mm in size appear, sow the seeds in the ground.

Container and soil

Use plastic cups, containers, and bottles as containers for seedlings.

Buy universal tomato soil at the store. It includes:

• humus;
• peat;
• river sand.

You can prepare the soil mixture yourself. To do this, mix:

• 1 part of soil from the garden (take from the area where cucumbers, zucchini, carrots, dill grew);
• 2 parts non-acidic peat (pH 6.5);
• 0.5 parts sand (river or washed);
• 1 part humus or sifted mature compost.

Add wood ash (dolomite flour), sphagnum moss and fallen pine needles.

Disinfect both the soil and containers before use with a solution of potassium permanganate or heat them in the oven at 200 degrees.

Sowing

Bury the seeds into the ground 1-1.5 cm, spray with water from a spray bottle, cover the containers with film or glass and put them in a warm, well-lit place.

Growing and care

When sprouts appear, remove the film. Water with a spoon or syringe, being careful not to get it on the plants.

In the phase of 3-4 true leaves, pick. Add mineral fertilizer to the new soil (1 tbsp per 5 liters of soil). Plants are planted in separate containers and dripped down to the cotyledon leaves. 10 days after transplantation, feed with complex fertilizer. Repeat feeding every two weeks.

When watering, avoid getting water on the stem and leaves.

Harden the seedlings, so the tomatoes will quickly get used to new conditions and will be able to withstand sudden temperature changes and night frosts more easily. 2-3 weeks before moving, start taking the seedlings out into the open air: in the first days for 3-4 hours, in the last days leave them overnight.

Important! WITHObserve the air temperature during hardening: during the day +20, at night +7-+11. Do not leave seedlings in a draft; strong winds can damage weak leaves and stems.

How to grow tomatoes

Tomatoes that are ready to move to a permanent location reach a height of 20-25 cm and have at least 6 true leaves. Plant Japanese crab tomatoes under the “film” at the age of 45-50 days. On unprotected beds - after the night temperature has established above zero.

Landing

The day before planting seedlings, treat the soil with boiling water or a solution of potassium manganese. For 1 sq. m plant from 2 to 4 bushes. Immediately decide on the method of gartering plants:

• pegs;
• trellises;
• fastening to a wire frame;
• fastening to the mesh;
• linear fastening.

Remember! Do not tighten the tomato garter loop too much to avoid breaking the stem.

Care

Water the plants in the morning or evening with warm, settled water at the roots. Avoid getting moisture on the stem and leaves. After each watering loosen and weed the soil. To reduce the number of waterings and weedings, put mulching layer (sawdust, hay, straw, agricultural material).

Apply fertilizer every two weeks depending on the phase of plant development:

1. During leaf growth - nitrogen.
2. At the beginning of the formation of the ovary - phosphorus-potassium fertilizer.
3. To preserve the ovary, fertilize with the addition of boric acid.

Shape the Japanese crab into 1-2 stems. Rest stepsons remove regularly. When the bush reaches a height of 2-2.5 m, pinch the top.

Advice! From 6 to 10 flowers are formed on inflorescences. Leave 4-5 buds so that the tomatoes grow larger.

Tie up bushes as they grow.

Features of cultivation and possible difficulties

Cut off excess shoots - they take away nutrients and moisture, which is why the ovary is poorly formed and the fruits grow smaller.

Despite the fact that tomatoes are resistant to cold, when the temperature drops to +2-4 degrees, the ovary begins to fall off. Therefore, monitor the temperature.

Do not feed with mineral fertilizers more than three times during the entire season, otherwise the greenery will grow, not the inflorescences.

Diseases and pests

According to the originators, tomatoes are immune to the tobacco mosaic virus, root and blossom end rot.

In case of high humidity (in an unventilated greenhouse), low temperatures and frequent rains, treat the bushes with Fitosporin to prevent fungal diseases.

Tomatoes are attacked by harmful insects. For aphids and thrips, use the drug "Bison", for the Colorado potato beetle - "Prestige", and for whiteflies - "Confidor".

The nuances of growing in open ground and in a greenhouse

In open ground, pinch the top above the fifth cluster, in a greenhouse - above the seventh.

In open beds in constantly hot, sunny weather, fertilize with nitrogen, and in the absence of sun - with potassium.

Ventilate the greenhouses so that fresh air reaches the bushes and insects fly in that will pollinate the tomatoes. Make sure there are no drafts.

Harvesting and application

The first fruits will ripen 110-115 days after emergence. Use them fresh: for salads, sandwiches, slicing. Prepare tomato paste, lecho, snacks or sauce. For juice and pickling in whole fruit form, Japanese crab is not the best choice: the juice is thick, large tomatoes do not fit through the neck of the jars.

Tomatoes have poor shelf life, so consume them within 7-10 days after picking them from the bush.

Pick tomatoes when they are fully ripe (the whole fruit is pink); they may spoil as they ripen. If there are no other options, when using unripe fruits, remove the dense green area near the stalk.

Tomatoes are varietal, not hybrid. Collect seeds to plant next season.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

Summer residents love this variety for its unusual shape.

Other benefits of Japanese crab:

• large size;
• taste, aroma;
• productivity;
• resistance to temperature changes and immunity to diseases.

Minuses:

• difficulty in care: the need for garter, molding and removal of stepsons;
• ovary abscission at a temperature of +2-4 degrees;
• impossibility of long-term storage and transportation.

Farmer reviews

Summer residents note that plants produce high yields when the required temperature conditions are observed. Read below to see what else farmers encountered when growing “crustacean” tomatoes.

Ekaterina Ivanova, Moscow region: “For several years I have been breeding Japanese crab tomato varieties. Tomatoes are very tasty, I use them not only fresh, but also in making juices, sauces and other pickles. I don’t experience any particular difficulties in caring for them, the bushes are tall, reaching 150-160 cm, I form them into 2 trunks, and periodically add branches. The tomatoes are large and store well.”

Tatyana Nechaeva, Perm region: “For several years I grew this tomato without shelter in a risky farming zone in the north of the Perm Territory, without experiencing any problems. The exception is the cold summer of 2014. During periods of low temperatures (up to +2 degrees), the fruit set poorly. In the greenhouse, the harvest was excellent, only late due to lack of light and heat. I would also like to note the good quality of the seeds: germination is excellent, no mis-grading was observed.”

Alexander Kharlashin, Perm: “I’ve never planted pink tomatoes before. Somehow the family doesn’t particularly like them. But last year, the store persuaded me to buy the Japanese crab variety. It surprised me with its fertility, and my family received even greater surprise and delight from the taste. Now this tomato occupies the most honorable place in the greenhouse. My recommendations!"

Irina Gorko, Tomsk: “Advantages: productive, little late blight, tasty. Disadvantages: Some fruits had an area of ​​dense white-green fiber in the stalk area.They taste juicy and meaty! There is one nuance due to which, in my opinion, my tomatoes were deficient (except for watering with ice water): they were deprived of morning (eastern) sun throughout the first half of the day. The variety, in my opinion, is very productive. I didn’t keep track of the keeping quality, since everything was eaten; I had a ripe red tomato in the refrigerator or in a cool underground for about a week.”

Conclusion

Japanese crab tomatoes bear fruit in any conditions, but in a greenhouse they give a more abundant harvest - up to 11 kg per square meter. m. Bushes need gartering, shaping, pinching. To increase the fruit, remove 2-3 inflorescences, leaving 4-5 flowers, and pick off the leaves.

Use the fruits for preparing fresh salads, in canning: for making lecho, sauces, snacks. The disadvantage of this variety is the inability to transport and store tomatoes for a long time (only up to 7-10 days).