Tomato Riddle is a truly unique variety. Combines ultra-early fruit ripening, high yield and good taste. It can be grown both for sale and simply to start enjoying delicious tomatoes in the summer as early as possible.
| Height | Landing location | Ripening time | Fruit color | Fruit size | Origin | Fruit shape |
| short | Greenhouse, Open ground | Ultra early | Reds | Average | Variety | Round |
Description of tomato Riddle
Despite the fact that Riddle tomatoes are quite short and rarely grow above 50 cm, their trunk is powerful, and the bushes themselves are highly branched. In the greenhouse, the plant height reaches 60-65 cm.
The shoots form dense, compact clusters of 5-7 fruits. The amount of green mass of plants is average, the foliage is not too dense, and the leaves themselves are small in size.
Description of fruits
The fruits of tomatoes of the Riddle variety have a rounded shape with slightly pronounced ribbing at the stalk itself. The color of ripe fruits is bright red, and the skin is dense, so they do not crack in high humidity conditions. Reviews from those who planted Riddle tomatoes specifically note the sweetness and juicy pulp of the fruit.
The weight of ripe tomatoes grown in open ground reaches an average of 80-95 g. In greenhouse conditions, tomatoes grow up to 110-115 g.
As you can see in the photo below, the appearance of the presented Riddle tomatoes corresponds to their description: the surface of the fruit is smooth, with ribbing only in the area of the stalk, the color is rich.
Advantages and disadvantages
Tomato fruits are a mystery of smooth and beautiful shape. They have high commercial qualities.
The dense skin of Riddle tomatoes does not crack even when over-moistened.
pros
- excellent taste;
- earlier maturation;
- high and stable yield;
- friendly fruiting;
- low light tolerance;
- possibility of growing without seedlings;
- good immunity;
- minimum stepchildren;
- versatility of use;
- resistance to cracking.
Minuses
- requires tying;
- risk of late blight.
Characteristics of tomatoes Riddle
Despite the fact that the yield of the variety is at an average level, it has many other advantages: versatility in the use of fruits, resistance to infections, early ripening. In addition, Riddle tomatoes are shade-tolerant and unpretentious.
Tomato yield Riddle
From the moment the first shoots appear until full ripening, 80 to 90 days pass. In other words, the bushes begin to bear fruit in early June.
The yield of the bushes is average - 1.8-3 kg of fruit can be collected from one plant.
Advice! The already early ripening time of tomatoes can be reduced by removing side shoots.
Area of application of fruits
Tomatoes of the Riddle variety are praised in reviews for the versatility of the fruit. Due to their small size, they can be used for whole-fruit canning for the winter, but fresh tomatoes, which are used for salads, are no less popular.
Due to the fact that the skin of the Riddle variety tomatoes is quite dense, when transporting fruits over long distances they do not crack or wrinkle, maintaining a presentable appearance.
Attention! To keep tomatoes fresh and attractive in appearance for as long as possible, it is recommended to place them in containers with their tails down.
Resistance to diseases and pests
A distinctive feature of the Riddle variety tomatoes, which is often emphasized in reviews, is resistance to typical tomato diseases. This is partly due to the fact that tomatoes have time to ripen before the period when the likelihood of late blight infection is highest. The same applies to other fungal infections.
Early ripening allows you to save on chemical protection products, since this variety gets sick extremely rarely and does not require serious preventive treatments.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
The advantages of the Riddle tomato variety include:
- super early ripening;
- attractive presentation - the fruits ripen almost identical in size;
- high transportability;
- pleasant sweet taste (5 points out of 5 according to tasting rating);
- the compactness of the bushes, which makes them easier to care for;
- immunity to diseases typical of tomatoes;
- shade tolerance - fruits ripen normally even in insufficient light;
- unpretentiousness;
- ease of care.
The variety has no obvious deficiencies. Reviews about the Riddle tomato are generally positive.
History of variety selection
Tomato Riddle is an ultra-early variety of Russian selection for open and closed ground . The culture is not included in the State Register. Engaged in seed production (St. Petersburg). Scientists and technologists have developed a unique plasma technology for seed treatment using an electric charge in gas. How it works? The seed material is immersed in a technological chamber, where it is treated with ionized gas.
Advantages of the technology:
- improved germination and increased growth energy;
- improving the taste characteristics of fruits;
- increasing resistance to fungi and bacteria;
- increase in productivity;
- increasing the shelf life of seeds.
The photo shows the Riddle variety.
Growing rules
This variety is grown by seedling method. Seeds for seedlings are planted from the 20th of March until the first ten days of April. When purchasing planting material in a store, one should not forget about the expiration dates of seeds - old seeds lose from 20% to 50% of their germination capacity.
Planting seedlings
If you wish, you can prepare planting material for sowing seedlings yourself. To do this, take the first ripened tomato and squeeze the seeds out of it into a glass. Then they are filled with water 1/3 and soaked for 3 days. By the end of the 3rd day, the seeds should sink to the bottom of the glass. After this period, the water is drained, and the seeds are washed in running water and dried.
The container for planting seedlings should have a height of 5 to 8 cm. Fill the container with industrial specialized soil or a soil mixture made independently.
In order to prepare soil for tomato seedlings with your own hands, you need to mix peat, fine-grained sand, humus and turf soil in equal parts. You can also use another composition: mix compost and turf soil in a 1:1 ratio with the addition of 2 tbsp. l. wood ash (per 1 bucket of soil mixture).
Regardless of what components are included in the soil for Riddle tomato seeds, the main requirement remains lightness and high permeability of the soil - the soil must allow air and moisture to pass through well, and also be fertile. After watering, dry crusts should not form on its surface.
The landing procedure is as follows:
- In moist soil, press 3-4 shallow grooves located at a distance of 4 cm from each other.
- Seeds are placed in the resulting grooves, trying not to separate them.
- They are buried 2-3 cm and sprinkled with a thin layer of earth.
- After sowing, the soil is lightly pressed down, but not compacted too much.
- The next step is moderate watering.
- The planting is completed by covering the container with glass or a plastic bag.
Important! If you plant seeds too often, serious damage to plant roots may occur when the seedlings are planted.
A container with Riddle tomato seedlings is placed in a room with a temperature not lower than + 22-23˚ C, otherwise the seeds will not germinate. With the appearance of the first shoots, the cover is removed from the container.
There is no need to fertilize the seedlings - they will have enough nutrients contained in the soil mixture. Excess fertilizer can only harm plants.
As soon as the seedlings form 2-3 true leaves, the seedlings are planted in separate containers. Most often, ordinary plastic cups are used for this.
After picking, Riddle tomatoes are moderately fed with any mineral fertilizers. When transplanting tomatoes into one large container, they must be placed in a new place at a distance of at least 10 cm from each other.
Tomato transplant
Tomato Riddle is resistant to shade, but the bushes develop best in well-lit areas, protected from strong winds. The type of soil doesn't really matter.
In the fall, the area chosen for planting is dug up and fertilized. A mixture of the following composition is used as fertilizer:
- superphosphate – 50 g;
- potassium sulfate – 40 g;
- ammonium nitrate – 30 g.
This amount is enough for 1 m2.
They begin to plant Riddle tomato seedlings 50-60 days after planting the seeds. It is important to take into account weather conditions - it is recommended to wait, if necessary, for some time until the threat of the last frost has passed. In addition, it is best to plant tomatoes in cloudy weather or in the evening hours.
Advice! When transferring seedlings, do not place the seedlings on their side. This can damage the planting material.
Tomatoes are replanted as follows:
- Holes with a depth of 18-20 cm are dug at a distance of 40 cm from each other. The row spacing should be at least 50 cm, otherwise watering the bushes will be quite problematic.
- Each hole is filled to the top. When the water drops, the seedlings are removed from the container along with the earthen lump and lowered into the holes.
- Sprinkle a little compost around the seedlings.
- The plants are carefully sprinkled with soil up to the first leaf and the soil is lightly compacted.
- Immediately after transplanting, young bushes are watered abundantly. Approximately 1 liter of water is poured under each plant.
- A small support in the form of a peg 40-50 cm high is installed near each seedling, after which the tomatoes are tied up.
Important! Artificial materials cannot be used to tie up stems - they easily damage young seedlings. Hemp ropes are best suited for these purposes.
If the transplant took place in cool weather, then the bushes can be covered with film until constant warmth sets in. This will make it easier for tomatoes to take root in a new place, and the soil will not dry out.
Subsequent care for tomatoes
Tomato Riddle is an unpretentious variety, the care of which comes down to regular watering. The bushes are watered in the evening, but only with warm water. In this case, you should not pour tomato leaves - sunburn may occur.
Before the tomatoes begin to set fruit, the frequency of watering is adjusted based on the condition of the top layer of soil - the soil should not dry out or crack. As soon as the bushes begin to bear fruit, the regularity of watering is reduced to once every 5-7 days. But even during the ripening of fruits, gardeners largely rely on the weather conditions of the region.
Tomato Riddle practically does not form stepsons, and if it does, they should be torn off immediately. Placed in the ground, they take root in a matter of days and form new bushes.
Tomatoes do not need garter, except for the first weeks after transplantation, when the bushes are still small. There is also no need to feed tomatoes; however, weeding and loosening the soil are required. In addition, it is recommended to mulch the soil for better moisture retention. To do this, use sawdust or dry grass.
Advice! Experienced gardeners do not recommend mulching the soil with fresh sawdust, as they strongly oxidize the soil, which is harmful for the Riddle variety.
You can learn more about the peculiarities of growing the variety and its characteristics from the video below:
Care in the ground
The good thing about this variety is that it does not require special care.
- Watering is carried out in the evening, at the root of the plant, without affecting the leaves. Tomatoes do not like waterlogging; it is enough to monitor the condition of the soil and prevent it from drying out and cracking. During fruiting, water once a week.
- There is no need to form a bush. Very few stepsons are formed; they need to be cut off.
- It is better to tie the plants to a support so that the fruit clusters have additional support.
- The variety does not require fertilizing; 1-2 times per season is enough. You can limit yourself to adding humus and complex fertilizers to the hole before planting tomatoes in the ground.
- The soil is regularly loosened and mulched, and weeds are removed.
Reviews
Reviews from gardeners about the Riddle variety are more than positive.
Ivan, Vyazma: “The characteristics and description of the Riddle tomato variety presented on the packaging are true. I prefer to plant early varieties in the greenhouse, and mid-season varieties in the garden. Riddle is liked because of its high yield and disease resistance. During three years of cultivation, the bushes never suffered from late blight. The plant produces vigorous shoots, tomatoes are almost the same size, very tasty, sweet, suitable for pickling. The skin is dense, but not tough.”
Sofya, Voronezh: “The Riddle variety (not to be confused with the Riddle of Nature) is one of the best varieties of domestic selection. I've been growing it for four years in a row and haven't had any problems with it. I buy seeds from the manufacturer, so I do not carry out pre-sowing treatment. The seedlings are strong and do not get sick. After a week of hardening, I plant them in the garden. It is important to provide moderate watering and feed with minerals, then the harvest will be a success.”
Dmitry, Ivanovo: “I chose Riddle tomatoes for their ease of care and lack of acid. They are ideal for winter preparations and seasonal salads. The diameter of the fruits is small, so they fit into a jar without any problems. I pick the tomatoes as soon as they start to turn red and ripen them on the windowsill. I keep it in the cellar for about a month.”
