Characteristics and description of the tomato variety Russian Size F1

One of the most popular Russian tomato varieties is the Russian Size F1. This hybrid boasts numerous positive qualities, which is why it quickly found high demand among gardeners. The Russian Size has been sold for 20 years. And some gardeners buy seeds of this particular tomato year after year. It is loved for many qualities, but the most important is the size of the fruit. With proper cultivation techniques, you can grow truly gigantic tomatoes that will also delight you with their excellent taste.

Description of the variety

This tomato is primarily chosen by experienced gardeners. This is because it's quite demanding to grow. Therefore, harvesting a decent crop of large fruits requires considerable effort.

The characteristics and description of the variety indicate that Russian Size is a late-ripening variety. From sowing the seeds for seedlings to harvesting the first ripe tomato, it takes at least 125 days. This is a month longer than some early hybrids available to Russian gardeners. Nevertheless, many are willing to wait for a great harvest.

The Russian Size tomato has additional advantages. Harvesting can be done quite late, most often in August. However, fruiting should be very prolonged. Sometimes the bushes produce new tomatoes for three months, so you can enjoy delicious tomatoes until October. Most often, active fruiting ends only with the onset of cold weather. If grown in southern regions, the fruit can be harvested even until November.

The difficulty in caring for this tomato variety lies in the fact that it's an indeterminate hybrid. The bushes can grow very large. The average height of a plant grown outdoors is 180 cm. Therefore, it's essential to tie the bushes to a sturdy support. Otherwise, the plant will fall to the ground, and upon contact with the soil, the fruit will rapidly deteriorate, negatively impacting the yield.

Russian Size tomato plants grow tall and branched. It's best to remove excess branches immediately, as they drain the plant of energy that could otherwise be used to produce fruit. If you don't prune the side shoots, the plants won't produce large tomatoes.

Experts recommend leaving just two main stems. This will be enough to produce many tasty, large tomatoes. Tomatoes appear in clusters, which it is advisable to tie to the main stem so that they do not break off due to excessive weight.

The first cluster should appear after the ninth leaf. Expect further tomatoes every three leaves. A single plant can produce a large number of delicious tomatoes.

Given that the "Russian Size" variety's bushes grow spreading even with shaping and pinching, overly dense planting is not recommended for this hybrid. It's best to plant no more than four plants per square meter of fertilized soil. This will prevent branches and leaves from blocking the sunlight needed for normal fruit development.

For the "Russian Size" tomato, proper watering, oxygenation of the roots by loosening the soil, and weeding are essential. A plant grown near weeds will not produce large fruits. Fertilizers can also increase yields. This tomato thrives on both mineral and organic fertilizers. With proper cultivation practices, each plant can yield up to 10 kg of fruit. Even under less favorable conditions, gardeners can harvest 7-8 kg of delicious tomatoes.

Characteristics of fruits

These tomatoes produce record-breaking yields. Those who have planted Russian Size tomatoes claim they grow to be truly enormous. Even if gardeners violate some of the growing guidelines, they can still get fruits weighing around 1 kg. But this isn't the limit for Russian Size tomatoes, as gardeners have harvested tomatoes weighing up to 2 kg, which can't even fit in the palm of their hand.

The fruits are round and flat. They have ribbing, but it's not very pronounced. While developing, the tomato is light green, and when fully ripe, it turns a rich red.

The tomato skin isn't very thick. They're best suited for salads. However, some gardeners also use Russian Size tomatoes for canning for the winter. Large tomatoes can be processed into juice or sauce, or they can also be pickled in pieces. Given the high yield of Russian Size tomatoes, there's plenty for any purpose.

A major advantage is the gradual harvest. While other varieties have already stopped producing, these bushes are just beginning to produce. You can enjoy fresh tomatoes throughout almost the entire fall.

Reviews

Gardeners leave mostly positive reviews about this variety:

Galina Andreyevna, Ryazan: "We're growing this variety for the first time; it was recommended for greenhouse use. It really does grow well under plastic. The fruits are absolutely gigantic. We felt sorry to use them for canning, so we ate almost all of them fresh!"

Tamara, Taganrog: "These are huge and delicious tomatoes. They ripen late, so it's best to plant them alongside other, earlier tomatoes. They're not suitable for canning, but they're a joy to eat fresh!"