Today, many already know that tomatoes do not have to be round and red. Among the representatives of this genus, part of the nightshade family, very interesting varieties began to be found, the fruits of which are yellow, milky white, orange and even dark purple. Moreover, today you can find tomatoes that have a very bizarre configuration - heart-shaped, cylindrical, cone-shaped, etc.
Among the unusual varieties can be attributed to the variety, which stands out against the background of other exotic forms with the special pretentiousness of its ribbed large fruits, outwardly similar to lush scarlet flowers - this is the “Lorraine beauty”.
Tomato: Description of the "Lorraine Beauty"
The purpose of this variety is determined by experts as a decorative gift. Outwardly, these are scarlet, flat-round, corrugated tomatoes. Cultivation and care in the open field are not particularly difficult. What experts appreciate. Nevertheless, the tomato "Lorraine beauty" can hardly be called farmer. It is rarely found in vegetable gardens, although it is incredibly elegant. For its beauty, this variety has many times won prizes at vegetable shows.
Tomato "Lorraine beauty" is used only fresh. Its spectacular cross-section, resembling a flower in shape, makes it one of the most popular decorations for holiday salads. Neither in general form for salads, nor in a processed state for juice, tomato or lecho is not suitable.
Origin
Tomato "Lorraine Beauty" bred in the United States. It has no industrial value and is mainly cultivated by those gardeners who collect rare and unusual vegetable crops on their personal plots.
Designed for outdoor cultivation, this tomato - an American ribbed variety - also survives well in greenhouses. And if the plant begins to bear fruit in the heated shelters in July, then in the household plots the first fruits are tied only in August. Tomato "Lorraine beauty" prefers moderate humidity and high temperature.
Main characteristics
Specialists call this variety mid-early. However, the practice of domestic gardeners proves that ribbed American tomato is more likely to be an average tomato, and in cold conditions an average late ripening period.
This variety is indeterminate, not standard. On average, the height of its bushes reaches one hundred and seventy centimeters, although when grown in a greenhouse, some specimens reach a mark of two meters. Moreover, the tomato "Lorraine Beauty" has a low yield of varieties.
When growing crops in the open, this characteristic is directly dependent on the weather. Under optimal conditions, for one season of vegetation, the bush of the “Lorraine beauty” can bear from eight to twelve fruits. In cold and rainy summer weather, the number of ovaries formed significantly decreases. The smallest ones stop developing, and as a result, the plant can produce only two or three tomatoes for the entire season.
Fruit
Tomatoes of this variety are rounded flat and very ribbed. Sometimes they are densely corrugated and very large. On average, each fruit of this variety can weigh 500 g, and some champions in the mass reach even a kilogram or more.
Tomato "Lorraine beauty" - scarlet, blood red or ruby. A surprisingly beautiful cross-section of these tomatoes makes a large number of empty inner chambers. These are the so-called crypts. Seeds in fruits contain very little. Tight, not prone to cracking, with thick and sweet flesh, but slightly dry because of the voids - this is how these tomatoes characterize breeders.
Outdoor cultivation and care
As already mentioned, the weather factors significantly affect the taste qualities of the “Lorraine beauty” and the productivity of her bushes, therefore, in those regions where the climate is mostly cool or unstable, these tomatoes are best grown in a greenhouse. For seedlings, seeds are sown about 60 days before the deadline for transplanting young seedlings into open ground. As a rule, the last process should be carried out in the second decade of May.
Bushes should be planted in rows, maintaining an interval of 40-50 cm between individual plants. As a rule, this variety is formed into one stem. The bush should be regularly stepsoned and tied to mesh trellises. For optimal development of the ovaries and to increase the sugar content in the fruits, the lower leaves from the plants should be gradually removed.
Advantages and disadvantages
Despite the fact that these tomatoes are not suitable for canning, many people like the Lorraine Beauty variety. Tomato, reviews on the taste of which is mostly positive, has become widespread among our compatriots. Among the advantages of gardeners note:
- collected at the stage of their technical maturity, the fruits are stored for a very long time and ripen excellently at home;
- they have an attractive and very original appearance;
- the taste is quite pleasant, moderately sweet;
- they are resistant to many diseases;
- optimally tall bushes are very conveniently tied;
- good yield indicator.
The disadvantages of the variety are as follows:
- insufficient juiciness and hollowness;
- decrease in yield when growing in open ground from cool weather;
- a short period of fruit setting, which is especially noticeable when the temperature is not high enough.
Finally
Tomatoes "Lorraine Beauty" are not suitable for cultivation on farms for the purpose of further processing. This beautiful extravagant tomato will be appreciated by those lovers of exotic garden crops for whom the original appearance and decorativeness of fruits is more important than productivity and economic efficiency.