Night Candle tomatoes will appeal to lovers of orange vegetables with fleshy flesh and a unique shape. They make delicious salads – the tomatoes are sweet and juicy. The fruits are ideal for winter preservation. They ripen early and produce good fruit sets even in hot weather. This makes them an ideal choice for both beginners and experienced gardeners.
Description of the bush and fruits
An indeterminate variety with good productivity and large tomatoes. Distinguishing features:
- The plants are of medium height, reaching 180 cm, and have strong and well-developed foliage, protecting tomatoes from sunburn.
- The tomatoes are bright orange in color.
- The vegetables have a heart-shaped configuration and weigh up to 300-400 g. Sometimes the first specimens weigh 500 g.
The flesh is meaty and sweet, making them an excellent choice for fresh cooking, canning in wedges, and making ketchup and paste.
Main characteristics
Night Candle is a mid-season variety. The tomatoes begin to ripen 105-115 days after germination, and the fruiting period lasts from late July until the first frost.
Each bush can yield up to 5 kg of fruit, which is excellent. This variety has good resistance to most diseases and pests, but insect treatment is recommended for prevention.
Growing and care
The crop requires proper preparation and care to achieve good results. The main stages of cultivation are:
- Sowing for seedlings. Sow seeds in late February or early March. Prepare containers with light, nutritious soil suitable for tomatoes. Place the seeds in furrows 1-1.5 cm deep, distributing them evenly over the surface.
After sowing, lightly compact the soil and water. Then cover the container with plastic or glass to create a greenhouse effect. - Caring for seedlings. Once the seedlings emerge, provide the plants with sufficient light to prevent them from becoming leggy. The room temperature should be around 22-24°C during the day and slightly lower at night.
As soon as the seedlings have 2-3 true leaves, transplant them into separate cups so that the root system develops more actively. - Hardening of seedlings. Seven to 10 days before planting outdoors, begin hardening off the seedlings, gradually acclimating them to cooler temperatures and sunlight. To do this, take the plants outdoors daily, increasing their time outdoors.
- Planting in the ground. Once the danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed to 15-18°C, move the plants outdoors. This usually happens in late May or early June.
The plant thrives in a spacious, well-lit area to allow the bushes to develop. The distance between plants should be 50-60 cm, and the row spacing should be 70-80 cm.
Caring for seedlings involves several important steps. Follow standard agricultural practices:
- Watering. Provide regular watering, especially during periods of active growth and development. Apply water to the roots, avoiding contact with the leaves, to prevent disease.
Use warm, settled water. Avoid overwatering, as this can lead to root rot. During flowering and fruiting, water more intensively, but not excessively. - Top dressing. Apply the first fertilizer 2-3 weeks after planting. Use complex mineral fertilizers, then alternate them with organic fertilizers such as well-rotted manure or herbal infusion.
Repeat fertilizing every 10-14 days. Pay special attention to the crop during flowering and vegetable formation. - Pinching out stepsons. Regularly remove side shoots growing in the leaf axils. This will help direct their energy toward the development of the main stem and fruit ripening. Remove side shoots as they appear, leaving only 1-2 stems.
- Garter. To prevent stems from breaking under the weight of tomatoes, secure shoots to supports. Use tall trellises or stakes to tie the plants to. This will ensure good airflow to the green foliage, reduce the risk of disease, and help prevent tomato rot.
Prune lower leaves and old, diseased, or damaged branches. This is necessary to improve air circulation and protect against fungal diseases. - Mulching. To maintain optimal soil moisture and prevent weed growth, cover the tree trunk circle with straw, chopped grass or peat.
- Protection from pests and diseases. The crop is resistant to most diseases, but preventative measures are a good idea. Regularly inspect plants for insects (aphids or spider mites) and apply appropriate protection measures.
Avoid using chemicals by treating plants with biological products or folk remedies, such as garlic or tobacco dust infusions. Maintain humidity levels in the greenhouse or open garden beds.
Pros and cons
Before planting bushes in your garden, carefully examine their characteristics, including their advantages and disadvantages. The Night Candle variety has the following advantages:
Among the disadvantages, gardeners note the difficulty in finding planting material, the impossibility of preserving whole grains, and the small number of grains for self-collection.
Analogues
The Night Candle tomato has several similar varieties. Gardeners recommend the following:
| Name | Description and characteristics |
| Lyuba's Heart | The bush grows up to 170 cm in a greenhouse, with both large and small, standard-shaped leaves. This mid-season variety begins to ripen 105-115 days after germination. Ripe tomatoes have a rich orange color and a heart-shaped form, and their weight varies from 300 to 400 g. The crop is sensitive to sudden temperature changes and does not tolerate frost well. |
| Golden domes | In open ground, plants don't exceed 1.5 m in height, but can grow even taller in greenhouses. The average tomato weight is around 400 g, but with controlled harvesting, some can reach up to 750 g.
The vegetables ripen 90-100 days after sowing. This variety is characterized by excellent productivity, yielding 10.5 to 13.6 kg per square meter. |
| Southern tan | On average, tall bushes reach 170 cm. Unripe fruits acquire a rich orange color as they ripen, reminiscent of a setting sun or ripe tropical fruits. The average weight is 211 g, and the maximum can reach 380 g. The shape is elongated and cylindrical.
This mid-season variety ripens 110-115 days after germination. Yields up to 13.8 kg per square meter. |
| Honey Savior | This indeterminate plant, 120-160 cm tall, grows indefinitely. Its leaves are large and dense, but thin, making them sensitive to heat.
Tomatoes are smooth, round or slightly elongated, with a rich orange hue reminiscent of persimmon, amber, or honey. Color may vary depending on growing conditions. Unripe tomatoes are light green with a dark spot near the stem. The average weight is 160-218 g, but early specimens can reach 600 g. Ripening takes 110-120 days from germination. Yields in open ground are 5.6 kg per square meter, and in plastic greenhouses, from 14 kg. Fruiting continues from July to September. |
Reviews
The Night Candle tomato is a reliable and high-yielding variety that will delight you with its appetizing, large fruits. It requires little care, tolerates high temperatures well, and produces a consistent harvest. Despite some difficulties in acquiring seeds, this variety is worth considering for those who want to harvest delicious and juicy vegetables from their garden.