Advantages and cultivation techniques of the Bull's Heart tomato variety

Description

The bush type is determinate, capable of reaching a height of 150–170 cm. The resulting bushes are rather spreading, not standard, with few leaves, and their growth can be described as vigorous. Growth ceases only when 5–6 fruit-bearing clusters have formed. The stems are typically 1.5–1.8 m long. The first ovary appears above the 8–9th leaf, and the remaining fruit-bearing clusters can be found a couple of leaves apart. Each cluster typically produces about 5 fruits.

Continuing with the description of the variety, it's worth noting that it typically produces fruits of varying sizes and shapes on a single plant. The largest tomatoes appear at the bottom, weighing between 300 and 500 grams. The top tomatoes barely reach 100–150 grams. Record-breaking tomatoes of this variety have weighed 600–800 grams, and in some cases, up to 1 kg.

The fruit is described as follows: most of them are perfectly heart-shaped. The tomatoes are bright red. Their skin is very thin and easily separates from the pulp. Inside, each fruit is fleshy, with a dense, low-water structure. It is characterized by a high dry matter content. Tomatoes of this variety are almost veinless. Four to five small seed chambers can be seen inside the fruit, located near the edge.

It's worth describing the flavor characteristics of these vegetables, which is why gardeners value them so highly. Tomatoes have a pleasant taste and a high sugar content in their pulp. A slight tartness only enhances their exceptional flavor.

Growing this variety in a greenhouse can actually yield better results than growing it in a garden bed. A single greenhouse plant can yield approximately 10 kg of select tomatoes.

This variety is mid-season. Ripe fruits are harvested 4–4.5 months after the shoots become visible. They are rich in vitamins C, K, and B, and contain fiber, niacin, folate, pectin, and minerals such as magnesium, calcium, chlorine, sodium, phosphorus, iron, sulfur, silicon, and iodine.

Characteristics

The advantages of tomatoes include a moderate immunity to common diseases. However, their vulnerability to dangerous late blight is a drawback.

To grow this variety, fertile and light-structured soils are required.

Transportability: The vegetables perform well even when transported over long distances. Losses during transport can be no more than 5%. The fruits have a normal shelf life. Tomatoes can be stored in a cool place—a cellar or refrigerator is suitable. However, tomatoes retain their original shape and flavor for only a few weeks. If stored longer, the fruits become soft and can only be used for cooking.

Yield characteristics: 7 to 8 kg can be harvested per square meter with average cultivation practices. Fruit flavor is 90% genetically determined, with only 10% dependent on cultivation practices.

Ox's heart is a table variety grown for fresh consumption and as the main ingredient in healthy salads. For preserving, the fruits are pre-chopped. They are also a good base for various dressings, pastes, sauces, and ketchups.

Varieties

Bull's Heart tomatoes are represented by 4 main subspecies:

• The Orange Bull's Heart tomato produces large fruits, weighing between 300 and 800 grams. This variety is mid-season. To grow tomatoes earlier, it is recommended to use seedlings. This variety is resistant to drought conditions but is susceptible to late blight. It requires training into a single stem, providing secure support, and regularly pinching out the side shoots.
• Bull's Heart, a late-ripening variety with black fruits, is a burgundy, almost black, cherry-red tomato. Its heart-shaped, delicate flavor and nearly seedless flesh characterize this variety. This variety produces fruit on all available clusters, each producing 2-4 fruits. The average tomato weight is 400 to 600 grams.
• The Red Bull's Heart is a vigorous cultivar with a spreading bush bearing scarlet, heart-shaped fruits. It is a mid-season variety. Its distinctive feature is the ability to produce fruits of varying weights on a single plant. The first tomatoes harvested weigh 600–800 grams, while subsequent ones weigh 300–400 grams. The smaller ones are oval in shape.
• Bull's Heart Pink is a late-ripening variety, with fruits weighing 800–900 grams at first harvest, and up to 200 grams later. It exhibits resistance to common vegetable diseases. A subspecies of the pink tomato, called Giant, has a beautiful raspberry hue and is a mid-season variety. It can be grown in temperate climates without covering.

Agricultural technology

Sow seeds of this variety for seedlings in early March, planting them at a depth of 3 cm. The seedlings should be treated with a potassium permanganate solution and then rinsed with water. Planting should be done when at least two fully developed leaves are clearly visible.

To get a large, high-quality harvest of your favorite vegetables, be sure to apply fertilizer 2-3 times. Complex mineral fertilizers are recommended.

A week before planting the seedlings in the area, they need to be hardened off.

When growing in a greenhouse, planting should take place in early April if the greenhouse is equipped with a heating system. Otherwise, planting should take place in early May. The recommended planting pattern for a greenhouse is 40 x 50 cm.

Water only with warm water at the roots. Avoid allowing water to come into contact with the leaves.

Pinching out side shoots of this variety is more difficult than pinching out any indeterminate variety. Inexperienced gardeners can accidentally remove a shoot essential for the growth of the entire plant when pinching out side shoots. The main shoot of a determinate variety always ends in a culm, which means a cluster forms at the end. To avoid damaging important shoots during pinching, do not begin the procedure before they reach 4–5 cm. The shoot that will become the growth shoot is determined. If in doubt, the shoot is left to grow. Later, it can be pinched back, thereby stopping its growth.

Pinching out side shoots of this variety is especially important if greenhouse conditions are created, as gardeners strive to maximize their yield and recoup the costs of greenhouse maintenance. The variety also requires shoring up the trunk as it grows.

To prevent condensation from accumulating on the walls of the shelter, it must be regularly ventilated. To prevent disease, the bushes are treated with fungicides twice during the growing season. If infections cannot be avoided, infected leaves and fruit are removed and burned outside the garden.

Video: "Bull's Heart Tomato Harvest"

This video is about the Bull's Heart harvest and the features of the first fruit picking.