Tomato Zhenaros: characteristics, variety description, reviews, photos

Zhenaros has proven itself to be an excellent choice for both greenhouse and open-air cultivation. It's a relatively new addition to Russian gardeners' and summer residents' arsenals, having been bred by Dutch colleagues and belonging to a hybrid subspecies. This means it's impossible to obtain high-quality seed material at home.

Zhenaros is renowned for its high yields in the mid-early season, relatively resistant to major diseases, and good fruit set in areas with unstable climates. However, like all tomatoes, it prefers a greenhouse spring due to its unique characteristics.

Characteristics of the bush

This variety is indeterminate, so in the southern regions of the country and in various types of greenhouses, its growth continues as long as its root system is in the ground. This ability necessitates constant pinching of the side shoots to form a single stem.

Throughout the growing and fruiting season, it is recommended to tie the plant to a pre-prepared trellis. This will help keep the bush compact and prevent infection of the stem and leaves by various fungal spores present in the soil.

Zhenaros has a well-foliated bush, with the first ovary forming in the axil of the ninth leaf. It tolerates high temperatures well, so even in dry summers, the flowers don't fall off, ensuring strong ovaries.

Characteristics of fruits

The berries fully ripen 124 days after planting, and if all agricultural practices are followed, they have the following characteristics:

• maximum fruit weight – 220 g;
• shape – flat-round, slightly ribbed;
• taste – aromatic, sweet and sour with thick pulp and dense glossy skin;
• Storage life: at room temperature, fully ripened tomatoes of a bright red color can be stored for about 12 days; in a cool room, a little longer.

Suitable for all types of preparations – juices, pastes, sauces, salads, pickling and canning, both whole and in assorted form with other vegetables.

Under optimal growing conditions, the Zhenaros tomato variety produces approximately 13 kg of high-quality fruit per square meter, with good transportability.

Features of the variety

According to the growers, timely fertilization with complex, slow-release fertilizers and moderate watering significantly influence the intensity of Zhenarosa's fruiting. It's advisable to loosen the soil around the tree trunks as needed and prevent weeds from growing.

However, poor soils aren't a particular problem for this variety; tomatoes of this subspecies are sensitive to bright light and won't produce fruit in dark areas. Therefore, the Russian State Register recommends growing the Zhenaros tomato variety throughout the country's third light zone.

Disease resistance

According to the manufacturer, the variety tolerates the most common tomato diseases typical of this tasty berry:

• tobacco mosaic virus;
• Cladosporiosis;
• late blight;
• fusarium;
• Verticillium wilt.

Golden nematode galls do not form on the roots and stems of the plant, so it is quite possible to eliminate this small pest without the use of specific chemicals throughout the growing season.

Important! In cool summers, it is essential to pinch off the lower leaves on the bushes to prevent them from rotting from damp soil.

Timing of seed planting

Since tomato packaging indicates that the appearance of a tasty harvest on young shoots is expected to be 124 days after planting, in the third light zone, it is recommended to plant seedlings of this variety in early March.

If you plan to grow the hybrid in open beds, when calculating the optimal sowing time, you should take into account the onset of spring frosts in the central zone, as subzero temperatures can destroy young plants.