Golden Fleece Tomato: Variety Description with Photos, Characteristics, and Reviews

Recently, original tomato varieties have become popular, as consumers value not only their taste but also their aesthetic appearance. Tomato "Golden Fleece" is one of such varieties.

Characteristics and description

"Golden Fleece" tomatoes are considered an early variety, with an average ripening period of approximately 80-90 days from planting. This determinate variety reaches a height of 40-50 cm, and can reach 60 cm in greenhouses. The bushes are compact, with standard-sized, dark green leaves.

The bushes produce fruit of a unique egg-shaped form with a small beak-like appendage at the bottom. The fruit turns golden yellow when ripe, giving the variety its name. The average fruit weight is 90-100 g. A single bush can yield up to 1.5 kg of fruit, with a yield of approximately 10 kg per square meter.

This variety was officially included in the State Register of Vegetable Varieties of the Russian Federation in 2008 and has since become a staple in gardeners' gardens. It is suitable for both open-air and indoor cultivation. It is grown in southern and central Russia, but can also be successfully grown indoors in cooler regions.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

The obvious advantages of the Golden Fleece variety are:

• early ripening;
• original commercial appearance of fruits;
• tomatoes have good taste;
• the bushes are small in size and do not require pinching or tying to supports;
• resistant to the main diseases that affect tomatoes.

No drawbacks have been identified for the "Golden Fleece" variety, unless one considers its relatively low yield a drawback. However, it should be noted that the bushes of this variety are compact, so the yield is quite high relative to its size.

Features of growing the Golden Fleece variety

Like most other tomato varieties, "Golden Fleece" is a heat-loving variety and, in Russia's climate, is grown only from seedlings. However, before planting the seeds, careful pre-planting preparation is essential, ensuring a successful and healthy harvest in the future.

In agricultural technology for growing tomatoes, the following stages are distinguished:

1. Seed preparation.
2. Preparing soil for seedlings.
3. Planting seeds and caring for seedlings.
4. Planting seedlings in open ground and care until harvest.

Seed preparation

Seed preparation for the next season begins at the end of the current one. Select the ripest tomatoes, wash them, and thoroughly mash them. Leave the tomatoes in this condition for 2-3 days, then rinse them in warm water through a fine sieve. Dry the seeds in the sun on a windowsill and store them for the winter in a cloth or paper bag.

A month before planting, the seeds need to be calibrated. The easiest way is to manually select any obviously spoiled, mechanically damaged, or diseased seeds. You can also prepare a solution of table salt by dissolving 1 tablespoon in 1 liter of water. Soak the seeds in the resulting solution for 5 minutes. During this time, the unsuitable seeds will float to the surface, while the good ones will sink to the bottom.

It's equally important to treat the seeds with growth stimulants, such as Immunocytophyte, Ideal, Kornevin, or Epin-Extra. Place the seeds in a light cloth bag and soak them in the solution for up to six hours. Afterward, don't rinse the seeds; simply dry them thoroughly.

It's equally important to disinfect the seeds, as they may harbor pathogens. Suitable fungicides include Acrobat, Quadris, Ridomil, and others.

Three to five days before planting, the seeds should be hardened off. The treated and well-dried seeds are placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, where the coldest air reaches. Hardening should begin with half an hour and be continued for several hours. After removing them from the refrigerator, be sure to place the seeds in a warm room.

Preparing soil for seedlings

The base of the mixture can be regular garden soil, mixed in equal parts with humus, peat, sand, and turf. Additionally, you can add 0.5 cups of ash per bucket of this mixture.

To prevent seedling diseases, the soil is sprayed with fungicide solutions. Alternatively, you can water it with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Instead of chemical treatment, you can use heat treatment by baking the soil in an oven at 100ºC.

The prepared soil is distributed among pots or other prepared containers. However, before adding the soil, the pots must be washed with a solution of laundry soap and soaked in a potassium permanganate solution for about 20 minutes. Now the containers are clean and disinfected, ready for adding soil to the seedlings.

Planting seeds and caring for seedlings

Since the "Golden Fleece" variety of seedlings are planted outdoors at 50 days old, the seeds are sown in mid-March. Before planting, the soil is watered with warm water and fertilized with a small amount of complex mineral fertilizer.

The seeds are planted in the soil to a depth of 2 cm, and then the pots are covered with plastic film to create the optimal temperature for growth. When the first shoots appear, the film is removed. The "Golden Fleece" variety is transplanted when two true leaves emerge.

Caring for seedlings involves watering them regularly and loosening the soil. Watering should be sufficient to prevent the soil from drying out, but not excessive.

Planting seedlings in open ground and caring for the bushes before harvesting

The plot is prepared while observing crop rotation rules: peppers, tomatoes, and other nightshades should not be chosen as predecessors. Tomatoes grow best after root vegetables, legumes, cabbage, cucumbers, and greens. In the fall, the plot is fertilized with humus, which is then plowed into the soil.

Before planting seedlings in the spring, clear the soil of any existing weeds, and loosen the beds thoroughly. Seedlings are planted towards the end of May or early June. The planting pattern is 70 cm between rows and 35 cm between plants within a row. The planting holes are watered and fertilized with a small amount of nitrogen or phosphorus fertilizer.

Further care for the seedlings consists of regular weeding and loosening the soil. "Golden Fleece" responds well to hilling. Watering should be done 1-2 times a week, but during rainy or cold weather, reduce the frequency. If possible, water the roots with warm water. Avoid overwatering the stems, leaves, and buds, as this can lead to fungal diseases.

Fertilize tomatoes 2-3 times during the growing season. Solutions of mullein or bird droppings in a 1:10 ratio are suitable for this purpose. Mineral fertilizers containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are also beneficial.

Disease resistance

The main pests of tomatoes are the Colorado potato beetle, aphids, and spider mites. Like all nightshades, tomatoes are susceptible to fungal diseases such as late blight, early blight, and fusarium. The "Golden Fleece" variety is considered resistant to the most common diseases on this list, but preventative treatments for the bushes are a good idea. The main prevention is following proper agricultural practices, such as moderate watering, timely weeding, and loosening the soil.

Thus, the "Golden Fleece" tomato is an excellent, undemanding variety with a good appearance and taste, and given its unpretentiousness, it is suitable for novice vegetable growers.

Reviews

Alina, Ufa

Tomatoes are my favorite summer vegetable. Not only are they healthy, but they always add a touch of color to salads. The "Golden Fleece" variety is very interesting with its unique shape and coloring. It also has an excellent and rather unusual sweet flavor. It's easy to grow, even for beginners, as it's very low-maintenance. I recommend it for beginning vegetable gardeners.

Marina, Omsk

I grow the "Golden Fleece" variety in my greenhouse. The bushes are compact and easy to care for, and I consider the fact that they don't require staking or pinching a few side shoots a plus. Considering its size, the plant is very productive, with juicy and delicious fruits. It produces good results with generous feeding.