Tomatoes are one of the most popular vegetables in the whole world. Currently, there are a huge number of varieties of this plant, differing not only in taste, but also in ripening, so it is difficult for an amateur agronomist to make his choice. We will try to help with this choice, advising us to pay attention to the Riddle variety. It is interesting in that it bears fruit before the rest. What is more remarkable this variety, we will tell in this article.

Characterization and description of the variety

The Riddle variety was bred at the Agricultural Research Institute in Transnistria. It has the following characteristics:

• bush determinant, stunted (not more than 50 cm in open ground and not more than 60 cm in a greenhouse), with a powerful trunk;
• the plant belongs to ultra-early varieties (gives fruit already 82–88 days after emergence);
• practically does not let out lateral shoots, therefore there is no need for pinching;
• average density of foliage;
• the first inflorescence appears over a 5-6 leaf;
• fruits are formed of 5-6 pcs. on the brush, the same size;
• the fruit is round in shape, faces are weakly expressed, has a bright red color, fleshy flesh with a pleasant taste, weighing 80-100 g;
• high productivity (6-8 bushes gives about 22 kg of fruit).

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

• We note such positive aspects of the variety:
• ultra early;
• good taste of pulp;
• compact bush;
• almost no stepsons;
• not demanding on lighting, can bear fruit in a shaded place;
• not particularly demanding in care;
• well tolerate transportation, do not crack;
• uniformity of fruit size;
• resistant to most diseases and pests, as they manage to bear fruit before the onset of activity of all misfortunes.

Those who have already planted a tomato Riddle in their area, note that the plant has no shortcomings. The only inconvenience that may arise after harvesting is the need to harvest tops and land reclamation, so that if late blight has crept up to the Riddle tomato, it would not be able to hit the plants that will be planted on the garden after the tomatoes.

Features of growing varieties

Riddle tomato seeds can be purchased at any seed store. On their packaging is always the inscription: "Plasma seeds." This means that they have been treated with low-temperature gas plasma.

Did you know? The technology of plasma treatment of seeds was patented in 1990 in St. Petersburg. It allows you to increase the germination of the seed and its immunity without chemicals.

Optimal conditions

Before germination, the planted seeds should be in a dark room with a temperature of +22 ... + 23 ° С. When the first shoots appear, the seedlings are transferred to light and to a cooler place with a temperature of +18 ... + 20 ° С.

Sowing Features

Sowing of seed material is carried out in March. Each day of the month should be sowed, each agronomist decides individually, since 55-60 days should pass between sowing and planting in open ground, and by this moment the frost should recede. And for each region, this is its own time period.

Soil preparation

The soil can be used universal, only it should be enriched with peat in a ratio of 1 to 10. The soil is taken out for a week in frost, then thawed in a warm week. After that, it is ready for use.

Seed treatment

Seeds do not need processing, as their producer has already taken care of this. The maximum you can do is soak the seed so that it swells. This will accelerate the growth process. To do this, it is immersed in warm water for a day.

Did you know? There is one legend related to tomatoes. The French king Louis, who imprisoned one of the guilty marquises in the Bastille, ordered the prisoner to be fed tomatoes for a month, believing that the convict would die from the vegetable. What was the monarch’s surprise when the Marquis not only did not die, but acquired a rather healthy and flowering appearance. This fact struck Louis so much that he had mercy on the convict.

Step-by-step sowing instructions

After the preparation process, we begin to plant the seeds:

1. Pour the soil into a plastic box or a special container. Moisturize it a little.
2. On the surface of the earth in a row we spread the seeds with an interval of 1.5–2 cm. Each seed needs to be slightly pressed into the soil by 2-3 cm.
3. Crops are sprinkled with soil and covered with a film.
4. With the advent of two real leaves, the seedlings are picked according to the 8 x 8 cm pattern.

Timing and proper planting of seedlings

As we have already said, seedlings are planted in open ground 55-60 days after emergence and in the absence of frost. The day should be overcast.

1. The place chosen for planting is fertilized (per 10 sq. M 300 g of ammonium nitrate and 500 g of superphosphate and potassium each).
2. On the bed, holes are dug out according to the scheme 50 x 40 cm or 60 x 30 cm.
3. Seedling with an earthen lump is taken out of the pot and placed in the hole along the first leaflet.
4. The seedling is sprinkled with earth. The soil around it is compacted and irrigated in double volume.

Tomato Care

Care of the variety The riddle is not complicated: watering, loosening, weeding, fertilizer. This is all that a plant needs for normal growth and fruiting.

Fertilizers and watering

The tomato loves moisture, so you need to water it abundantly, but not often, once a week. It is advisable to use drip irrigation technology, since the plant really does not like it when moisture gets on the foliage. During fruiting, watering should be a little more often, every 4-6 days. The bush is fertilized 3-5 times over the entire growing season. The first top dressing is carried out 10-14 days after transplanting.Ammonium nitrate (10–20 g / 10 l) is used. The next time you need to top up during flowering. You need to apply manure mixed with azophos (20 g / 10 l). Then, with an interval of 14 days, water the bush two times with a solution of mullein or inorganic fertilizers (15 g of ammonium nitrate and 25 g of potassium sulfate in 10 l of water).

Important! It should be watered in the evening and with warm, standing water.

Pasynkovka and formation of a bush

The plant practically does not give stepsons, so you do not need to cut them. You can only slightly cut the side shoots before flowering, so that the fruits ripen earlier. Riddles bush also does not need a garter. Although if you notice that the fruits are on the ground, the plant must be tied up, as the fruits will ripen on the ground longer.

Soil cultivation and weeding

Soil care consists in loosening it before watering and weeding as weeds appear. It is also necessary to mulch the bed. This will not only solve the problem of weeding and loosening, but also make it possible to keep moisture longer. For mulching, use hay or straw.

Pest and Disease Control

The Tomato Riddle has time to grow and practically end fruiting until the moment when the diseases characteristic of tomatoes begin to massively develop, so the plant does not need to be processed with chemicals. The only thing you need is to follow the rules for care and to prevent soil from getting stuck so that rot or late blight does not appear before time.

Important! To protect the tomato and other crops from the possible exchange of diseases and pests, it should be planted away from other crops.

Harvesting and storage rules

The variety begins to bear fruit in the last days of June and until the end of August (in warm regions). In regions with a cooler climate, fruiting periods are shifting - the first ripe tomatoes appear by mid-July. The fruits ripen unevenly, so the harvest process can take several weeks. Harvested tomatoes are not stored for a long time, so if you can’t eat them all fresh, send them immediately for conservation.If you dream to enjoy your tomatoes before anyone else, then the Riddle variety is just for you. In addition, this undersized bush does not need special care. And it will bear fruit for quite a long time due to uneven ripening.