Pink Garant is a variety that combines excellent taste, good productivity, and low maintenance. Its long fruiting period makes it an attractive choice for both beginner and experienced gardeners. This variety is characterized by high disease and pest resistance and large fruit size, but only with proper cultivation practices.
History of appearance
This variety was developed by specialists at Sakata Vegetables Europe SAS. Breeders spent a long time developing a self-pollinating hybrid, and through careful selection, they succeeded in developing this cultivar.
An application to register the new tomato was submitted to the State Register at the end of 2017, but it was only three years later that the hybrid received official approval and was permitted for cultivation. It is recommended for cultivation in the North Caucasus region.
Description of the Pink Garant F1 tomato variety
It's an indeterminate variety, characterized by unlimited growth of the main stem. Over the course of the season, the bush reaches 2-2.5 m in height.
Distinctive qualities of the culture:
- shoots – strong, require tying to a support;
- leaves - light green in color, standard in shape, arranged alternately, with moderate foliage;
- inflorescences – simple: the first fruit cluster appears above the fifth leaf, and the subsequent ones appear after 1-2 leaves, with 8-10 tomatoes formed in each cluster.
- tomatoes - flat-round, as they ripen they acquire a rich pink color without a light spot near the stalk;
- weight - varies from 170 to 180 g, but with good care the weight can reach 300-350 g;
- pulp – fleshy and juicy;
- skin – thin but durable, not noticeable when in use.
The base of the vegetables may be slightly ribbed. They contain approximately six seed chambers. Each bush produces 10 or more fruit clusters per season. Ripe fruits have a sweet flavor with a light aroma. They are resistant to cracking, which improves their marketability.
Characteristics of the Pink Garant tomato
To objectively evaluate the crop and compare it with other tomato varieties, it's important to consider key characteristics. These will help you form a complete picture of the hybrid and determine its suitability for growing in your garden.
Resistance to diseases and pests
Pink Garant has strong immunity to major tomato diseases. Variety trials have confirmed its increased resistance to fusarium, cladosporiosis, verticillium wilt, and tobacco mosaic virus.
Whiteflies pose the greatest threat to the hybrid pests, but the hybrid is not susceptible to root-knot nematodes. However, preventative spraying is important.
Methods of application
This salad variety is ideal for fresh eating and for preparing summer dishes with greens. The vegetable is used to make delicious winter preserves:
- lecho;
- tomato paste;
- sauces.
Productivity and fruiting period
The first fruits of Pink Garant begin to ripen in late July. This hybrid is characterized by a long ripening period, continuing until late autumn, as long as weather conditions permit. During variety trials, yields reached 15.5 kg per square meter.
Landing features
It is recommended to grow this hybrid from seedlings. The seedlings should be 55 days old from sowing to transplanting. Therefore, plan your sowing for late February or early March.
Follow these recommendations:
- Place the seeds 0.5 cm deep in moist soil, then place the containers in a dark place with a temperature of +22°C until seedlings appear.
- When sprouts appear, move the container with seedlings to the windowsill, reduce the temperature to +18°C and provide 10 hours of daylight – use phytolamps if necessary.
- To transplant Pink Garant tomato seedlings into a greenhouse or garden beds, wait until the soil warms up, which usually happens in late April or early May.
- Two weeks before relocating the plants, dig up the soil and add 5-7 kg of humus per 1 square meter. Add a pinch of wood ash to each hole.
- ✓ The optimal soil temperature for transplanting seedlings should be at least +15°C.
- ✓ The distance between bushes when planting should be at least 50 cm to ensure sufficient aeration.
Plant 2-3 seedlings per 1 square meter and plant them deep enough to reach the first pair of true leaves.
Subtleties of care
As the bushes grow, tie them to the support regularly. If you're training the plant into two shoots, leave the bottom, well-developed shoot and remove the others.
Perform other agricultural procedures as well:
- Water when the top layer of soil dries out. Use settled water at 20°C.
- In hot weather, apply peat or straw mulch around the base of the bushes to prevent the roots from drying out.
- Start fertilizing the Pink Garant tomato plant two weeks after transplanting to its permanent location with nitroammophoska (30 g per 10 liters of water). During flowering and tomato formation, apply superphosphate (40 g) and potassium sulfide (30 g) per the same volume of water.
- Loosen the soil around the bushes regularly to improve aeration of the root system and prevent the formation of a dense crust. Carry out the first soil loosening 7-10 days after transplanting the seedlings, then repeat every 10-14 days, combining it with weeding.
- Remove weeds promptly, as they rob tomatoes of moisture and nutrients and can serve as a breeding ground for diseases and pests.
- × Avoid overwatering the soil, as this leads to the development of root rot.
- × Do not use fresh manure for fertilizing, to avoid burning the root system.
Pest and disease control
To successfully grow Pink Garant tomatoes, use preventative treatments with fungicides to maintain high disease resistance. The following products are effective:
- Ridomil Gold;
- Ordan;
- Quadris;
- Hom.
Spray the bushes every two weeks, alternating fungicides, taking into account the waiting period before harvest. Monitor air humidity throughout the growing season.
Ventilate the greenhouse regularly to prevent whitefly infestations. If signs of pest infestation are detected, simultaneously water the plants with Aktara and spray with Fitoverm. Repeat this treatment every seven days until the pests are completely eradicated.
Pros and cons
Before growing a crop, carefully study all its characteristics. The Pink Garant variety has many advantages:
Gardeners note the following disadvantages: the need for staking and regular pinching, the inability to collect seeds for planting, and sensitivity to fertilizer. Furthermore, the vegetables are unsuitable for juice and whole-fruit canning.
Reviews
Pink Garant are flat-round, raspberry-hued tomatoes weighing no more than 180 g. They have excellent flavor and a firm skin, making them excellent for transportation. Resistant to common diseases, they are ideal for greenhouse and open-field cultivation, delivering a consistent harvest of juicy, plump fruits.