Tomato Diadema: variety characteristics, reviews (photo)

Tomatoes

With the new gardening season approaching, it's worth checking out the Diadema tomato. This is a relatively new hybrid, but its characteristics exceed all expectations. Gardeners who planted these tomatoes last summer are eager to share their feedback, enthusiastically describing the variety's yield.

Diadema is an early-ripening, indeterminate variety. The medium-sized fruits reach 200 grams and have a sweet, balanced flavor. They ripen evenly, making them ideal for harvesting and winter storage. The bright red, pointed fruits are suitable for eating in any form.

The main advantage of this hybrid is its relatively long fruiting period. The variety is highly resistant to various types of rot, leaf spot, and can withstand diseases such as nematodes and cladosporiosis.

Another undeniably positive characteristic of the Diadema tomato is its ability to thrive in any conditions. This variety boasts tremendous growth vigor, a very robust root system, and is capable of producing a good harvest even in challenging conditions.

Features of planting and growing

Like many other nightshade varieties, the Diadema tomato is first planted as seedlings. The optimal time for germination of this variety's seedlings is considered to be 45-50 days. It's best to plant Diadema in the ground in early June, while late May is a good time to plant it in a greenhouse. Experts recommend not rushing the planting of this hybrid, as this can result in the hybrid losing all its energy to growth.

Since Diadema seeds are factory-processed, pre-sowing treatment is not necessary. Healthy seeds are green or pink. All information about them is provided on the original packaging.

Traditional containers are used for growing seedlings. You can use seeding soil or prepare your own:

the soil is mixed with river sand and peat, you can add rotted leaves;
add humus, but never use fresh manure;
freeze or warm up the resulting soil;
After these steps, add fertilizer, but you should not do this earlier, as the effect will be muted;
Before planting seedlings, the fertilized soil is kept for several days.

Seedlings are sown in the traditional manner. The container is covered with plastic wrap until the first shoots appear.

Interesting! Many gardeners have adapted to growing seedlings in peat tablets. These are then very convenient for planting in the ground.

Until the sprouts emerge, maintain a warm temperature. This is necessary to speed up germination. Then, reduce the temperature to 18°C (64°F) and hold for another 3-4 days. During this time, the seedlings will even out, meaning new seeds will sprout, and the first shoots will slow down slightly.

Throughout the seedlings' subsequent growth period, the optimal temperature is considered to be 25 degrees Celsius. A slight drop in these temperatures is possible at night.

Please note! The room where the seedlings are growing must be thoroughly ventilated. At the same time, take care to protect the young plants; they are sensitive to drafts.

Experts recommend watering Diadema sparingly before transplanting. As a preventative measure, sprinkle the soil mixture with wood ash.

Diadema tomatoes are pricked out after the first 2-3 leaves appear. After this, be sure to shade the seedlings and reduce the temperature.

Planting tomatoes in the ground

Ten days before planting, the seedlings must be periodically taken out into the open air, gradually hardening the plants.

For fruitful planting, wait until the soil warms to 15 degrees Celsius. Hardened seedlings tolerate planting well and are not afraid of extreme conditions.

Advice! Diadema tomatoes are much more weather-resistant if planted in the evening or on a cloudy day.

The tomato holes are prepared in advance, adding a little humus and a spoonful of phosphate fertilizer. After a couple of days, the seedlings are planted, covered with soil, and compacted. Once finished, mulch and water with warm water.

and a note! Supports on the beds are installed before planting the seedlings.

Caring for tomatoes

Over-watering of the soil is undesirable for this type of tomato, so watering is done rarely, but abundantly.

Since the plant is quite vigorous, it requires ample fertilizing. A rough schedule might be as follows:

18-20 days after planting, Diadema is fed with mullein diluted in water;
after the next two weeks, potassium and phosphate fertilizers are added to the mullein fertilizer;
After another two weeks, feed with sodium humate.

Avoid letting the mixture come into contact with the plant itself, otherwise you risk burning the tomatoes.

Please note! Immediately before feeding, Diadema needs to be watered generously.

This tomato appreciates fertilizing and spraying with a water solution containing boric acid. This accelerates fruit formation.

The plant is trained into two stems, with timely side-shooting to improve ventilation. Since nightshade crops grow vigorously, the formation process must not be left to chance, otherwise, instead of a bountiful harvest, you'll end up with a thicket of green shoots.

Pinching Diadema's side-children has some peculiarities. Each stem should have about seven to eight inflorescences. The best-growing side-children are those left at the bottom of the first flower cluster.

Experts recommend removing all lower leaves on the stem. This process should be continued until the plant reaches 30 centimeters from the ground. This procedure prevents fungal infections and oxygenates the soil. It's also advisable to loosen the soil around the plant.

Once 7-8 flower clusters have formed, it's advisable to pinch off the top of the Diadema. Failure to do so will cause the vigorous plant to sap all its energy, which will limit the harvest. This procedure should be performed so that there are approximately two leaves at the top of each cluster. Pinching improves the supply of nutrients to the fruit.

Diadema tomatoes are characterized by a low-growing first flower stalk, which forms after the first 5-7 leaves. For this variety, it is recommended to combine the initial pinching process with tying the bush to a support. This will help keep the plant intact and remove the side shoots before the first bloom.

Harvesting

Fruits that ripen on the bush have a distinctive flavor. However, it's best to wait until the second crop ripens. It's recommended to harvest the first Diadema harvest while it's still green and wait for it to ripen in a stationary position.

Advice! Experienced gardeners know many recipes for dishes made from green tomatoes.

It's important to note that you mustn't delay harvesting tomatoes under any circumstances. The fruits must be picked from the bush before the temperature drops to 4°C (39°F). Otherwise, you risk losing part of the harvest.

There are three degrees of tomato ripeness:

whitened or green ripe tomatoes, they are already sufficiently formed, have reached the optimal size and, when picked from the bush, are quite capable of ripening;
Blanched tomatoes are characterized by a pink color near the stem and the same color of the flesh.

They are quite suitable for consumption, although they do not have a rich taste;
Ripe fruits have all the characteristics of their variety.

Reviews from gardeners

Lyudmila, 62 years old. Kyiv:

"I planted this hybrid for the first time. It's now my second-best-yielding variety. But these tomatoes are great for pickling in jars. Despite all my expectations, I didn't encounter any particular hassle. Everything is as usual. I'll definitely plant more this season."

Vladimir, 54 years old, Kirov:

"We planted it at random. Even the most resilient plants don't grow well in our harsh climate. We didn't do anything special, but the harvest was excellent. The Diadema grew over a meter tall, and we couldn't even make or prepare salads."

https://youtu.be/3bjEMe5enYs

Nina, 35 years old, Moscow:

"I was tempted by the pretty name. My husband scolded me. When the first fruits came out, he bit his tongue. I really liked them pickled. My son-in-law and daughter-in-law decided to order some for themselves this year."