Characteristics and description of the tomato "Italian Delicacy"

Those who enjoy a variety of tomatoes in their garden will be interested in the Italian Delicacy tomato: it is productive, the fruits are suitable for pickling and store well, and care is the same as for other varieties.

Characteristics and description of the variety

The main characteristics of the variety will tell you whether the chosen material is suitable for your site, greenhouse, and your requirements for the expected harvest.

Characteristics of the variety:

• indeterminate;
• tall (up to 200 cm);
• mid-season (100-125 days);
• disease resistance – good;
• extended fruiting;
• fruitful;
• cultivation – greenhouse, open ground;
• stem formation – 2-3;
• good preservation during transportation;
• feature - short internodes.

Fruit description:

• shape - elongated cream with a “pipo” at the tip;
• color – red;
• weight – 100-120g;
• skin – smooth, thick, dense;
• taste – sweetish-sour;
• use – fresh, canning;
• storage – long-lasting.

Growing and caring for indeterminate tomatoes

There are various agricultural techniques for growing tomatoes: differences in seed treatment methods, planting with and without picking, a variety of fertilizing options, and planting seedlings.

The proposed option for tall tomatoes does not include a picking stage and has special features when planting in a greenhouse.

Growing seedlings:

1. Prepare a solution of aloe juice (keep one leaf in a bag in the refrigerator for 2-3 days) and a glass of water and soak the tomato seeds in it, placing them in a gauze bag, for 1-2 hours.
2. Place them in a plastic container, seal the container in a plastic bag, and place them in the refrigerator on the first shelf overnight. During the day, move them to a warm place indoors. Repeat this process three times, periodically opening the bag to allow air to enter.
3. Fill one-liter containers with holes in the bottom (such as mayonnaise buckets) halfway with potting mix and add moss to the bottom. The composition of the potting mix should be similar to that of the permanent planting site. Filling the containers halfway allows for additional soil as the seedlings grow. Plant two seeds in each bucket and add moss on top.
4. Place the containers in a tray of warm water. The moss at the bottom absorbs moisture, so the seedlings don't need to be watered, and the top layer of moss prevents water evaporation.
5. When the sprouts appear and become stronger, leave one - strong and powerful, and cut off the second one.
6. Feed (once) with whey, spraying the leaves.
7. Maintain the temperature at around 20°-20°.
8. With this method of cultivation, the roots develop powerful, strong and the plant does not need to be pricked out.
9. If necessary, you can tie the plants to a support (pegs) and then plant them together with it.

Planting seedlings in a greenhouse:

1. The timing of planting in a greenhouse depends on the climate of the region: mid- or late May, early June.
2. The seedling bushes should have 8-10 leaves and one flower cluster.

Information! Seedlings of mid-season tomatoes grow, on average, in 50-60 days, seeds germinate in 5-6 days.

3. To warm up the soil in the greenhouse, you can cover it with dark film.
4. Prepare the holes in the fall by digging them larger to lay down layers of fertilizer:

• sand for drainage;
• moss to retain heat and moisture;
• eggshells (calcium);
• hay for warmth;
• superphosphate;
• 2-3 grains of granular fertilizer;
• any vegetables cut into small pieces to enrich them with potassium;
• sprinkle each layer with soil;
• the top layer is humus.

5. The resulting bed can be edged with mulch (grass or tops) to retain heat in the spring, and then winter rye can be sown on top. Before planting the seedlings, cut back the rye where the holes were, and the remaining rye will protect the plants from cold temperatures and strong sunlight.
6. Mix the soil in the holes, adding a spoonful of wood ash, and water with warm water (one bucket per hole).
7. Cover each plant with 5-liter bottles, cutting off the bottoms, and pour 1.5 liters of warm water over them. The lid on the neck allows you to regulate the temperature: remove it when it's hot and close it when it's cold.
8. Place plastic bottles of water (2 liters) around the holes in the garden bed; they retain heat by heating up in the sun during the day.
9. Cover the bed with covering material (the bottles will hold it at a certain height, protecting the plants), install arches, and then cover them with plastic film. Later, you can open the ends of the bed, removing either the plastic film or the covering material.
10. After the bottles are removed, mulch the soil with moss, sawdust, straw, or hay to retain moisture.
11. The first watering should be done upon planting, the second – after 14 days, the third – also after 14 days.
12. To make EM silage (according to V.A. Bublik), place grass from the plot in a 200-liter container, add microbiological fertilizer (100 g), chopped carrots, beets, sugar, old jam, and water. Stir the mixture periodically. When the infusion begins to foam (after about 10 days), remove the silage, spread it on top of the mulch in the garden bed, and water it to release the microorganisms into the soil. Some of the silage can be left for fermentation.
13. Root feeding is no longer necessary. Leaves can be sprayed with whey, boric acid or iodine solution, or silage infusion.
14. Form two stems, cut off the leaves under the first brushes.
15. Remove lateral shoots when they reach 5 cm in size, leaving stumps to prevent new shoots from growing.
16. In mid-August, pinch off the top, leaving 2-3 leaves.

With proper care, tall tomatoes will begin to bear fruit by mid-July and will reward you with a decent harvest.

Advantages and disadvantages of the Italian Delicacy variety

Variety Italian delicacy It has, like all tall varieties, its advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages:

• fruiting until frost;
• the tall growth of the plant allows for efficient use of planting space and uniform illumination;
• good yield;
• good disease resistance;
• the fruits are smooth and small – ideal for pickling and canning;
• consumption - fresh and canned;
• The dense skin allows for long-term storage of the harvest and transportation of the fruit with good preservation.

Flaws:

• tying (several times per season) to a support: pegs, trellis;
• removal of lateral shoots (pinching) throughout the season;
• the seedlings are stretching out a lot;
• They grow worse in open ground than low-growing ones.

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Reviews

Galina

—This Italian delicacy is truly productive, as the description says. The tomatoes are all uniform and identical, and the short internodes make the entire plant seem covered in tomatoes. The skin is very thick (I peeled it off), but this helps with storage—mine lasted a long time without spoiling. The flavor wasn't particularly distinctive—a typical tomato flavor. It's excellent for canning: the thick skin prevents too much salt from being absorbed, and the fruits retain their shape without falling apart. You can grow this variety specifically for canning and storage, and then grow another variety for eating.

 

Ilya Stepanovich (Sverdlovsk region)

The Italian Delicacy variety isn't very common, at least not well-known, but it's interesting. I was attracted by the name and decided to buy it, although I prefer tried-and-true varieties. There were three varieties of tall-growing tomatoes, and the care is the same—it's not difficult. I was pleased with both the yield (I wasn't aiming to calculate the yield for the season) and the shape of the fruits: all are even, small, and neat. They look beautiful in the jar, and the skins don't burst during canning. The different flavors and sizes of tomatoes add variety to preserves—I personally like that.