Description of the Shaggy Kate tomato, cultivation techniques and growing the variety

The Hairy Kate tomato is a rare variety with pubescent fruits. This exotic tomato is characterized by high yields, excellent flavor, and the ability to be grown in any conditions.

Benefits of Culture

The mid-season, determinate "Shaggy Kate" variety reaches a height of 70-100 cm during the growing season. The leaves and fruits are pubescent. The plant is suitable for cultivation in open ground and plastic greenhouses.

High yields are achieved when the plant is trained to three stems and side shoots are removed promptly. Tomatoes require staking.

Due to the presence of colored plant glycosides (anthocyanins), the fruits develop a purple tint near the stem when ripe. The average weight of a single tomato is 60-80 g. Tomatoes are distinguished not only by their fluffy, decorative appearance but also by their nutritional value, containing a powerful antioxidant. A horizontal cut reveals seed chambers nestled within the red flesh.

Among the varieties of fluffy tomatoes known as Fluffy Kate is the yellow Shaggy Kate. This late-ripening variety produces a bushy plant up to 70 cm tall throughout the growing season, requiring no side shoots.

All stems, leaves, and tomatoes are covered with fine hairs, giving them a bluish tint. The round fruits, weighing 50–70 g, are blue with a purple tint when ripe.

When fully ripe, the skin near the stem turns black, and the top of the fruit is yellow-orange. The skin is not peeled before eating. When cut, the tomato is yellow, and the flesh is juicy, buttery, and sweet.

Tomatoes are eaten fresh. When canned, the fruit retains its shape thanks to its thick skin.

Agrotechnical conditions for cultivation

This fluffy tomato, when cultivated skillfully and under favorable growing conditions, produces a high yield per plant. The Shaggy Kate variety is grown from seedlings. Seeds are sown 60-65 days before the expected planting date.

It's recommended to plant no more than four bushes per square meter to allow for convenient watering, hilling, and fertilizing. Before planting the seedlings, add a mixture consisting of the following ingredients to the prepared holes:

• 3-4 kg of humus;
• 150 g superphosphate;
• 30 g of potassium fertilizer and urea;
• 50 g of wood ash.

This mixture is thoroughly mixed with soil in the hole and left for 10 days. Before planting, the seedlings and holes are watered generously. For ease of transplanting, the plants are pricked out into individual peat pots when they have developed one or two true leaves.

After planting, water the bushes again with warm water at a rate of 1 liter per bush. A week after planting, mulch the soil with last year's grass and straw. The recommended layer depth is 3-5 cm.

This procedure helps maintain moisture balance and ensures air access to the root system, making it easier to care for the crop during cultivation. The soil under the mulch is not compacted, eliminating the need for periodic loosening.

This growing method ensures drip irrigation, excellent warmth, and a weed-free environment. The mulch, which decomposes by the end of the season, provides additional nutrition for the plants.

In early summer, the bushes develop rapidly, requiring periodic staking and removal of excess shoots. The first feeding is applied 10 days after planting.

When applying an aqueous solution of organic fertilizer, you must be careful not to burn the leaves and stems. Fertilize twice a month during the growing season. It is recommended to water tomatoes at the roots.

Opinions of vegetable growers

Reviews from gardeners who cultivate the Shaggy Kate variety indicate the excellent taste of this exotic crop.

Irina Gavrilova, 53 years old, Tomsk:

"I've been a tomato grower for many years, so I often order seeds by mail when I like them. The description of the 'Shaggy Kate' variety caught my eye due to the appearance and color of the fruits. I grew them using seedlings in a greenhouse. The bushes reached a height of about 80 cm, producing clusters of small, intensely blue-red fruits. As they grew, I pinched out the side shoots to a single cluster. The fruits ripened fully in the greenhouse. An unusually beautiful variety with very sweet tomatoes."

Valery Emelyanov, 56 years old, Balashikha:

"I grew the 'Shaggy Kate' tomato outdoors. The unripe fruits had to be ripened in a warm place. The tomatoes stored well and ripened perfectly, maintaining their appearance and aroma. An excellent variety, sweet in taste."