Tomato Chocolate is a universal hybrid variety. It has a more pronounced flavor compared to regular red tomatoes. The dark red-brown color is given by the substance anthocyanin, which also gives tomatoes antibacterial properties. This is not a chemical, but a natural component: anthocyanin is found in both beets and blueberries. Therefore, Chocolate tomatoes boost immunity and have a beneficial effect on the heart. In the end, they are just very tasty and sweet. A worthy result of domestic selection.
Description of tomato Chocolate
Semi-determinant, non-standard variety, mid-early - 16 weeks pass from sowing to the first tomato harvest.
This tomato grows up to 1.5 m in height and is independently completed with a flower brush. The root system is powerful and branches horizontally. The stem is strong, thick with dark green leaves, and needs staking as it grows.
Chocolate tomatoes usually form 2-3 stems; the variety is characterized by intermediate inflorescences. The first inflorescence is formed after the 8th leaf; the stalk has an articulation. You can harvest up to 5 tomatoes from one bunch of this variety.
Description of fruits
Tomatoes are red-brown, spherical, slightly flattened and large - they grow weighing from 200 to 350 g in suitable conditions (warm, fairly humid). Dark-colored tomatoes are characterized by a high sugar content and a good balance of acid and sweetness. Inside, the pulp is sweet, aromatic, red in color with 4 chambers and average dry matter content. The walls of the tomato and the chamber are also brown, but with a greenish tint (green is characteristic of the Chocolate variety and does not indicate unripeness).
Important! Shelf life is maximum 20 days. Chocolate tomatoes do not ripen; they must be picked when they are ripe, not green. Transportability is good.
Advantages and disadvantages
- Tomatoes have good resistance to many diseases.
- Under favorable conditions it produces excellent fruit yields.
- Tomatoes have sizes that are convenient for preservation. Because the fruits are easy to pick from the bush, harvesting is quick and easy.
- Tomatoes of this variety have excellent taste.
- The Chocolate tomato variety is easy to care for.
- The fruits are marketable, so they can be grown for further sale.
In reviews of the Chocolate variety there are only positive statements, but there is no information about the shortcomings. Some vegetable growers, accustomed to red tomatoes, do not immediately get used to this color of tomatoes. But, thanks to the unique properties of the Chocolate variety of tomato, they soon change their minds.
Characteristics of tomato
In the description of the Chocolate tomato, it is worth mentioning that this is a fairly young variety. It was bred by Russian breeders in the 21st century. However, the first dark varieties (which is why they are called Chocolate for their brown-red color) appeared back in the 50s of the 20th century. Then the goal was to develop delicious sweet tomatoes that are pleasant to eat – both in their pure form and in hot salads. The variety is included in the State Register.
Productivity and fruiting
Chocolate tomatoes grow in any climate zone: in central Russia it is advisable to grow them in a greenhouse, and in the south - in open ground. For the season from 1st quarter. meter you can collect 10-15 kg of tomatoes, from 1 bush - 2-3 kg.
This is a mid-early variety that bears fruit for a long time - from June until the first autumn frosts. If we take into account that this variety does not ripen and is harvested only in small batches, then there will be fresh tomatoes in the house all summer and early autumn. The first harvest is harvested 110-115 days after sowing the seeds. If you sow in February, then there will be tomatoes already at the beginning of June.
Warning! The yield of the Chocolate variety is affected by air temperature: if the tomatoes suffer frosts or the summer is cold, then the yield will be smaller. The bushes themselves slow down their growth due to the cold.
Area of application of fruits
Chocolate tomatoes make excellent salads, juices and sauces. Suitable for canning, making jam and fresh food (for sandwiches, for example). Tomatoes of this variety are not intended for long-term storage, so if for sale, then only in small batches.
How to make juice from Chocolate Tomatoes:
Resistance to diseases and pests
The Chocolate variety has good immunity: it almost never suffers from crown and root rot. But it is not the most resistant to other fungal diseases - in densely planted conditions, a tomato can get late blight.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
According to reviews, the Chocolate tomato variety has the following advantages:
- unpretentious variety;
- medium height - easy to care for;
- not afraid of infections, almost never suffers from root and crown rot;
- tasty and beautiful-looking fruits.
Flaws:
- short shelf life: tomatoes last about 2 weeks;
- impossibility of ripening - must be collected ripe.
Positive and negative traits of the variety
Advantages of the Chocolate tomato variety:
- Good yield.
- Sweet and juicy tomatoes.
- Disease resistance.
- Fruiting throughout the entire growing season.
- The tomatoes are large in size.
The variety has no significant disadvantages. If only under unfavorable growing conditions the bushes can be affected by late blight. Also, for many, the height of the bush and its size may be a minus. The plants are tall and grow up to 1.3 m in height.
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Growing rules
The Chocolate tomato is quite easy to grow even in a summer cottage. It will not cause daily hassle, just follow a few rules:
- Garter.
- Circumcision of stepchildren (leave 2-3 branches).
- Water as it dries (once a week is enough).
- Treatment with fungicides against fungus (before flowering).
Read more about cultivation below.
Planting seedlings
The Chocolate variety is sown 2 months before planting in a greenhouse or open ground - that is, around the end of February or early March. Landing occurs as follows:
- The seeds of this tomato variety do not need to be hardened or soaked, as they are initially disinfected.
- You can buy the soil or prepare it yourself by mixing peat, turf and humus in a ratio of 1:1:1, adding ash, phosphorus and potassium fertilizer at the rate of 1 tbsp. spoon each onto a bucket of soil.
- The mixture is disinfected by pouring it with a solution of potassium permanganate or calcining it in the oven at a temperature of 200°C.
- Tomatoes should be sown at a distance of 2-3 cm in large containers up to 10 cm deep with drainage holes at the bottom.
- The seeds are laid out and sprinkled with soil on top, covered with film and put in a warm place for a week. When they sprout, the film is removed and the boxes are transferred to a bright window.
Advice! You can cover the container with transparent film for 2 weeks, opening it slightly from time to time. This will form a greenhouse inside - so the tomato sprouts will sprout faster and get stronger.
Chocolate tomato seedlings should be in the following conditions:
- air temperature – from 18 to 25°C;
- constant moisture – prevent drying out by spraying the sprouts;
- once every 2 weeks – fertilizing with fertilizers;
- drafts and watering with cold water are unacceptable;
- if mold suddenly appears, you need to carefully remove it, and treat the soil and tomatoes with an antifungal compound;
- fertilizing once every 10 days with nitrogenous fertilizers.
After the appearance of the 2nd leaf, the tomatoes are planted: first, the soil in the container is properly spilled, and then the seedlings are carefully planted together with a lump of earth in separate cups with a volume of up to 200 ml.
Warning! When diving, you cannot bend the main roots of the seedlings - this is why you need to dig them out with a clod of earth, carefully.
6 weeks after sowing, the pickled tomatoes will have grown and you can begin to harden them. To do this, on warm days, seedlings are taken outside to a place sheltered from the wind, in the sun. First for 1 hour, day after day, increasing this time to 12 hours. It is better to bring it home at night - there is a risk of frost.
Tomato transplant
Transplanting tomatoes into open ground is done at the age of 60 days, approximately 2 weeks after the first flower clusters are set. Usually this moment occurs in the second half of May. But you need to take into account frosts - in regions with a harsh climate, it is better to transplant later, in June, when the danger of sub-zero temperatures has passed.
The Chocolate tomato variety is transplanted into light neutral soil with a pH of approximately 6-7. Humus content – from 2%. When planting in a greenhouse, it is important to ensure air flow (open windows). Soil preparation includes 3 procedures:
- loosening to a depth of a shovel;
- warming up to 15°C - for this you need to cover the area with black film for a couple of days;
- fertilization with manure or humus at the rate of 3 kg per 1 sq. meter.
You need to plant Chocolate variety tomatoes infrequently - 3 bushes per 1 square meter. meter according to the scheme 70*50 cm. They cannot grow thickly.
Subsequent care for tomatoes
What is included in caring for the Chocolate variety tomato:
- Garter - pegs are driven in at a distance of 10 cm from the bush.
- Removal of excess ovaries and stepsons. If the bush becomes too dense and shady, the risk of infection will increase, the tomatoes will not get enough sun, and the fruits are highly likely to rot. For a Chocolate tomato, 2-3 branches are enough.
- Regular watering in the morning or evening, when the sun is gone. Better than drip. If this is not possible, then water at the root. Do not spray from above!
- Feeding with fertilizer containing potassium and phosphorus, starting from the 10th day from the moment of planting and then once every 2 weeks. While the seedlings are very young, additional magnesium is needed; during flowering, boron is needed.
- Drainage and aeration – it is advisable to loosen the soil around the bush.
Warning! Tomato planting is carried out in dry weather, during the day, so that the wounds can heal without provoking the development of diseases.
Cultivation care
The final result is largely determined by how much effort the gardener spent on his plot. Caring for the Chocolate tomato variety is carried out according to general rules, but with a number of individual clarifications.
Watering and fertilizing
“Black” tomatoes require regular watering, but without excessive zeal. Too much water can cause the root system to rot. Its deficiency increases the risk of yellowing of leaves and drying out of bushes. It is necessary to water so that the soil does not dry out.
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In this case, in the first week you need to stop watering. During this period, the plant acclimatizes, so any changes may be treated inadequately. The event is recommended to be held in the afternoon or early morning. This way, more water will go to the vegetable crop - the process of evaporation under the influence of sunlight is eliminated.
Watering is not the only thing needed to achieve the intended result. Another important agrotechnical activity is fertilizing. It must be carried out taking into account the following features:
- Fertilize should be at least three times per season. It is recommended to feed the plants at regular intervals of two weeks;
- The first fertilizer should be applied 10 days after planting in the ground. The second – after 20 days;
- it is allowed to use any fertilizers that contain phosphorus and potassium;
- When forming fertilizer for seedlings, you need to use magnesium. For tomatoes during flowering - boron;
- mineral fertilizing should be selected in accordance with the agrochemical composition of the soil used.
Depending on the deficiency of a particular element, it is necessary to additionally introduce into the soil preparations that contain the deficient substance.
Bush formation
The Chocolate tomato variety requires garter. As the bushes grow, they become heavy and can break under the weight of their fruits. It is recommended to tie it to pegs after planting in the ground.
To avoid excessive bushiness and shade, which can lead to infection and delayed ripening, you need to promptly get rid of:
- extra side shoots;
- leaves growing from the axils;
- stepsons.
Removal of unnecessary elements should be carried out on dry, windless days in the first half.
Preventative treatments
The Chocolate tomato variety is resistant to many diseases, but this does not mean that additional protection should be neglected. To prevent infection you need:
- add ash or bone meal to the soil;
- treat the land with whey;
- spray the soil with a solution of potassium permanganate or copper sulfate.
In addition to diseases, pests can also attack the plant. To get rid of them, constant pest control is required.
Methods of use
The fruits are excellent for fresh consumption. They make very tasty salads, very presentable and exotic in appearance. Tomatoes are also suitable for canning, for making juices, ketchups, and sauces. Despite the brown color of the skin, inside the vegetables have the usual red color and the juice or ketchup from such tomatoes turns out to be the usual red color. Such vegetables also harmonize as part of various stewed or boiled vegetable dishes. Tomatoes can also be frozen for the winter and dried.
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Description of the tomato variety Drying, its characteristics and cultivationRead
Reviews from summer residents and gardeners
Reviews from summer residents who planted the variety on their site.
Valentina, 42 years old: “I’ve been planting this variety for several years in a row. Productivity is always high. The tomatoes are large and sweet, dark red in color with a brown tint. The bush bears fruit almost all summer. It’s best to eat tomatoes fresh; it’s a shame to send them for processing. The fruits are very tasty."
Konstantin, 32 years old: “The variety is good, productive. True, the bushes are tall; if the area is small, this is not very convenient. Overall, I'm happy with the tomato. I will plant more. The tomatoes are sweet, it’s even a pity to use them for canning.”
Tomato Chocolate is a universal hybrid variety. It has a more pronounced flavor compared to regular red tomatoes. The dark red-brown color is given by the substance anthocyanin, which also gives tomatoes antibacterial properties. This is not a chemical, but a natural component: anthocyanin is found in both beets and blueberries. Therefore, Chocolate tomatoes boost immunity and have a beneficial effect on the heart. In the end, they are just very tasty and sweet. A worthy result of domestic selection.
Comparison with other “chocolate” varieties
The Chocolate tomato is not the only variety that bears brown tomatoes. Several varieties even contain this word in their name. Thus, the Chocolate hybrid produces small fruits of good taste, and the Chocolate Apples variety bears small tomatoes, the taste of which is rated excellent.
In 2021, three varieties with similar names were registered in the State Register of Breeding Achievements of the Russian Federation: Chocolate Hare, Chocolate Gingerbread and Chocolate Banana. The first two fruits have an excellent taste, the banana has a good taste, but it has a very high yield. The declared yield of the Chocolate Hare is also twice as high as that of the Chocolate variety. All these varieties can be grown in any climatic regions.
