Tomato Black Russian?
Buckfast.Beeman
Posts: 63
Hi everyone I'm looking for a bit of advise on the strain of tomato I have selected this year and was wondering if anyone had any experience with this strain of plant. I have planted 31 seeds and every one germinated and all of them bar one is establishing itself into a vigorous plant. I wanted to try something that I haven't grown before and something that would be a good pick for the UK weather as I grow outdoors but I'm new to tomatoes. I selected tomato black Russian for my main-crop. I did some research and this seems to be a perfect selection to withstand our dodgy climate and the tomatoes are said to be a good one for canning and also eaten off the vine and are said to have a somewhat smokey and good combination of sweet to acid ratio. They are said to have an old school flavor and were developed in Russia. I started them off in individual pots around 2 months ago then re potted them into larger pots around 6 or 7 inches tall around 2 weeks ago and ever since they have shot up and are now all about a foot or more tall. I keep them in windowsills at the moment and don't get 8 hours full intense sun but seem OK. The compost I used was one that said it had up to six weeks of feed in it but I'm not sure if I should feed them now as I was told this strain is a very greedy feeder so should I supplement the feed and if so what is a good organic feed? How often should I be feeding? and what are the signs over and under watering? When should I start hardening them off and for how long before I start to leave them out all night? Does anyone know if this strain has resistance to some fungal problems I keep reading about we get over here in the UK? I live in the midlands in Derbyshire. Any advice will be appreciated thanx
Posts
Hi Christopher! I grew Black Russian here in Switzerland last year in my raised bed and was very pleased with them, grew well and were very tasty. They are indeterminate, i.e. get quite tall so need staking and breaking out the side shoots. Do NOT feed them until the first trusses of tomatoes appear and use tomato fertilizer, I think it's called Tomorite in the UK. Water sparingly, too wet is not good.
I'm growing 4 different sorts this year just for the hell of it. They are now in 4" pots and about 6" tall and I have had them outside since about two weeks. I move them out into the sun during the day and under cover of the pergola roof at night. I will not plant mine out until about mid-May, although I have a home-made tomato house.
Also, have a look here, very useful advice:
http://www.tomatogrowing.co.uk/html/tomato_growing_tips.html
SwissSue Thank you for your reply I think ill start to put mine out on sunny days now then and Bring them in when its starts to cool down. The place I got my seeds from claims they can produce up to seven kilograms of tomatoes per plant and this seems a lot to me is that an accurate estimation or is it a bit far fetched? I have just planted some Amish paste tomatoes and they came up today. I don't Know if I'm a little late on those to get a good crop but time will tell. Thanx for the link ill check that out now
Well, I think 7 kg per plant is stretching it a bit, you'd have to have at least 7 full trusses on it which might put a bit of strain on the plant, but I guess it depends on how happy it is, so you'll just have to wait and see!
Good luck!
I've grown them for a few years in a cold greenhouse in central UK and they do quite well producing about 3kg per plant with some individual fruits up to about 3-400g. They grow well outside in a good summer but, like any 'outdoor capable' tomato grown in the UK, in a poor wet summer they will produce a poor crop and likely get blight, so fingers crossed for decent weather this year!
Sue is right - due to the weight of the fruits they do need good support so make sure you tie them with a soft twine or similar material which won't cut into the stems.
I grew these last year for the first time and also Gardeners Delight which is my usual crop. I grew them in a cold greenhouse and was astonished at the quantity of tomatoes that appeared. The plants needed far more room than Gardeners Delight and a lot of support - these tomatoes are huge and heavy. They need a lot of support as not only are the tomatoes themselves huge and heavy but they grow away like trees. A cork on the end of the stakes is essential to avoid eye damage!
They seemed to be more resistant to blight than Gardeners Delight and have a really gorgeous flavour - we were all very impressed and I shall definitely grow them again next year. This year I am trying my usual G Delight but also Maskotka and Roma as I make a lot of pasta sauces and am particularly addicted to tomato based sauces. I was going to grow Black Russian this year but could not obtain the seeds in time. However, I shall definitely do so next year.
SwissSueBobTheGardenerSylvia Woolhouse Thanx for the cork trick that's a good idea as we are always inspecting our plants. I will make sure that I give my plants plenty of room to get the best out of them and if I manage to ripen them I will be collecting the seeds from my strongest biggest tomatoes. I've also germinated just a few Amish paste tomatoes to see what they are like. Back to the support thing would canes be sufficient if I make kind of a fence type structure on both sides of my plants going up the rows with supports every foot or so up and tie the stems to this with soft string?
I don't tend to start my tomatoes off until April, my first lot are up and producing their first true leaf, but the others should be shooting through by Easter. I was interested to read about the Black Russian as I am growing them for the first time this year - try a new variety every year. Last year I grew (amongst others) Hungarian Strawberry, and was thrilled with the quality and taste. Saved my own seeds and they are growing well. Also tried Ildi, a small yellow tomato, that produces more tomatoes on each truss than you could ever imagine, so growing them again this year. My trusty Sungold and Costa DeVoluta are also being grown. Like you Sylvia I make loads of what I call 'Tommy Gunge'. Just take out the majority of seeds and render down with garlic and herbs, then freeze in plastic containers and use in all my stews and curries. So delicious and not at all bitter, but sweet and lovely. Hope you have a good crop Christopher. I always grow Tagetes in pots in the greenhouse and never have problems with pests.
Hello Christopher. My parents live in Latvia and have a big allotment with two greenhouses, where they grow different verities of tomatoes and papers, including Black Russian tomatoes too. They never grew tomatoes outdoor considering that the summer in Latvia is warmer, more sunny days, than in the UK. Black Russian can grow very tall, about 2 metres and weight of one tomato can be 400 grams.