Features of growing Honey drops in the garden, planting and caring for yellow tomatoes

The diversity of the range of seeds and seedlings of vegetable crops has created certain difficulties for those who like to delve into their own garden. It became difficult to choose, plunging into the abyss of market proposals.

Perhaps the unusual appearance will be the straw that will outweigh the scales with the tomato Honey drop in his favor. Who made this choice will not regret.

Honey drop is a variety of tomatoes, the original appearance of which is followed by excellent yield, disease resistance, unpretentiousness and excellent taste.

Honey drop: description and characteristics of the variety

The group of tomatoes of a cherry variety includes the Honey drop, in the description and characteristics of which there are exceptionally pleasant words for the gardener's heart.

Forming powerful bushes tall (up to 2 m in greenhouses, up to one and a half - in the garden) shoots, each of the branches of which are covered with clusters of a half dozen small (12-15 g) bright yellow pear-shaped tomatoes, similar to large amber drops.

These tomatoes, whose mass can sometimes reach 30 g, are called honey drops for a special sweetness of the pulp, which, according to the description of experts, is the largest sugar content among tomatoes.

Features of landing Honey drops

Honey drop requires careful observance of certain growing conditions.

Terms of planting tomatoes

Vegetable growers choose time for planting, being guided by the forthcoming terms of harvesting. The early terms of ripening Honey drop suggest, in accordance with the description of the variety, planting seeds for seedlings at the very beginning of spring. The very seedlings are planted in greenhouse or open ground in May - early June.

Honey Drop Requirements for Lighting and Soil

The soil must be nutritious.The most preferred option is a light fertile soil composed of a mixture of garden soil with humus and sand. It is necessary to loosen and weed weekly. Before sowing, some potash fertilizer and superphosphate are added to the ground.

The capriciousness of the Honey drop in relation to the quality of the soil makes it necessary to replace the top layer of greenhouse soil annually. Successful development of planted tomatoes is possible in bright sunlight. The negative impact on seedlings of cloudy days should be overcome by additional lighting with electric lamps.

How to choose a quality planting material

The originality (not hybrid) of the varieties of tomatoes Honey drop adds to its positive characteristics also the ability to use its own quality seeds for planting. Cutting, rubbing and rinsing completely ripe tomatoes through a sieve, dry the remaining seeds (on a napkin), put them in sachets and put them in a dark place that is not accessible to mice.

After two or three years, they will ascend most effectively (up to 96%), but germination itself lasts up to 7 years. Bags with seeds bought in stores are sold along with instructions for using them.

Planting Honey Drop Seeds

Before sowing seeds disinfect. This is done by soaking in aqueous solution of potassium permanganate or hydrogen peroxide. Next, the seeds are placed at a depth of 2 cm in a moistened soil.

Then the transplant boxes covered with film are placed in a warm (+ 22 ... +25 ° C) room. After 7-10 days, the first shoots will sprout.

Growing tomatoes Honey drop: how to care for crops

Growing a honey drop tomato variety also has its own characteristics.

Sampling of seedlings and subsequent care of Honey drop

The first real leaf that appeared indicates the need for a dive of tomatoes (you can wait for the second sheet). After abundant watering, tomatoes should appear in separate pots or cups directly in the boxes.

The essential point of the picking procedure is pinching the main root in order to form new roots. The stem must be buried in the soil to the level of the leaves.

Transplanting seedlings in the greenhouse

The displacement of seedlings to a permanent habitat is preceded by its tempering. Saplings spend several hours in the fresh air.

Greenhouse receives new guests in the first half of May.If, after all, an open ground has been chosen for planting, then the dates are shifted to the end of May - the beginning of June.

The general rules stipulate the planting of tomatoes Honey drop in the soil in accordance with the 40 x 70 cm scheme. Experience shows that the intervals between rows can also be reduced to 40-45 cm without harming the future harvest - limited area will be considerably saved and optimized.

The soil must be warm enough, and the air is not too humid, for which the greenhouse must be constantly ventilated. When grown in the fresh air, young plants are covered with film, and all frosts should be behind.

Rules for watering and feeding

When watering is important systematic with a moderate amount of water (not more than once every 6 days), which should be warm and defended. Top dressing water solutions of complex mineral and organic fertilizers are made once every two weeks during the period of growing the seedlings, and after planting in the greenhouse or open ground. When the ovaries appear, it is also supplemented with potash fertilizers of tomato bushes, which leads to an acceleration of the ripening process.

How to make a support for tomatoes

The high growth of tomato stalks Honey drop has determined, no matter how and where it is grown, obligatory manufacturing of strong supports. Garter is carried out both in the greenhouse and on the garden bed.

Greenhouse cultivation requires the use of vertical or horizontal trellis. Smaller height of plants in the open field allows you to attach them to long pegs or to the grid. Shrubs form no more than two to three stalks, mercilessly removing the side stepsons.

How to deal with pests and plant diseases

Resistance of Honey drops to the usual for the family solanaceous diseases - late blight, gray rot, black leg - does not give a reason for complete complacency. Especially careful you need to be just in the greenhouses, where most often grown and planted this variety denser.

For prophylaxis soil mulching with straw or peat is used. Preventive spraying "Fitosporin"or other non-toxic preparations (antiviral and antifungal) will help to save the plants during cultivation and give an opportunity to harvest a decent crop.

To combat insect pests used:

• frequent airing;
• soil mulching;
• spraying with an aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide or celandine.

Honey Drop Harvesting

Honey drop is a medium early variety, that is, the harvest of its fruits can be removed after 3-3.5 months - simultaneously with the collection of the first red tomatoes. Fruiting lasts a long time - from mid-summer to late September.

Honey drop tomato: merits and demerits of the variety

According to experts and reviews of gardening amateurs, it is possible to make approximate lists of the advantages and negative sides of the Honey Drop tomato variety.

The first list will include the following information:

1. Lovers of dense food, while not gaining excess weight, will find in the Honey drop more pulp with low calorie content.
2. Adherents of natural support for good vision and strengthening the walls of blood vessels will find in these tomatoes, plus a higher content of vitamin A yellow drops.
3. The variety has a strong immunity to a number of diseases, especially to the black leg and phytophthora.
4. The plant is quite resistant to drought and not too much lower temperature.
5. Tomato seeds have good and long-term germination.
6. Miniature fruit contributes to the ease of canning.

Among the shortcomings could be included the following points (sometimes resulting from the merits):

1. Due to the predominance of the pulp, the honey drop is less juicy. They are unsuitable for the preparation of traditional products - tomato juice and tomato paste.
2. Compared with other varieties of tomatoes in these lower levels of vitamin C (for those suffering from high acidity, this may be a plus).
3. Care in the process of growing Honey drops, especially the removal of stepsons, takes a lot of time.
4. The plant is too sensitive to fluctuations in air humidity and nutritional value of the soil, which is bad for the yield.

The superiority of the advantages of Honey Drop over its insignificant, in general, disadvantages, leads to the fact that summer residents and gardeners make its presence permanent in their beds.

Its mass popularity, due to its ease and pleasantness in its use, makes it necessary to look more closely at Honey Drop and industrial producers of agricultural products.