Each gardener wants to surprise his relatives or neighbors with the fruits of his labor: extraordinary yield, outlandish size of vegetables or their amazing appearance.
In this sense, the variety of tomatoes "Chocolate" is suitable as no other.
Description of tomatoes
This variety is a selection novelty (bred in the XXI century), its fruits have an exotic color and have excellent taste. But first things first.
Bushes
The bush is of medium height (from 120 to 150 cm), with a strong, horizontally branched root and sturdy stems that need a garter - 2-3 stalks are recommended to be formed. Leaves - rich green, medium size. Inflorescences once branched (intermediate, the first inflorescence is formed after the 8th leaf). On the brush is formed up to 5 fruits.
Fruit
Black tomatoes have a rounded, slightly flattened shape. Ripe berries become red-brown in color and gain weight from 200 to 400 g, while having a juicy, fleshy, sweetish taste. In cooking, they are well suited for making salads, vegetable snacks, sauces and just for juice. For ripening this "miracle of selection" is not suitable. 
There are many ways to process a tomato — jam, pickling, salting, freezing, and sourdough.
Characteristic variety
By type of growth, "Chocolate" refers to semi-determinant non-stembered tomatoes of average ripening time - the first crop can be harvested as early as the 16th week after sowing. Seasonal yield - from 10 to 15 kg / m2.
Advantages and disadvantages
The advantages of this variety include:
- plant simplicity to growing conditions;
- the average height of the bush;
- ease of cultivation;
- resistance to infections and physiological disorders (tip and root rot practically does not get sick);
- unusual appearance of the fruit;
- excellent taste.
Landing guidelines
Tomatoes varieties "Chocolate" can be grown in a variety of climatic conditions, planting them either in open ground or in the greenhouse.
Planting dates
Sowing of seeds is carried out two months before planting sprouts in open ground or in the greenhouse. If you plan to grow in a greenhouse, then they are sown 10-15 days earlier.
Important! When calculating the sowing time, you need to focus on the forecast of possible frosts. Otherwise, the plant will slow down in growth and give a meager yield.
Seed and soil preparation
Seeds of "Chocolate" tomatoes, like other hybrids, do not need disinfection, hardening and soaking.
First, they are sown in large (1 liter), deep (up to 10 cm) containers filled with a special earth mixture. Usually it is bought, but you can cook it yourself, mixing turf, humus and peat in equal proportions, adding ash (a tablespoon to the mixture bucket), phosphorus and potash fertilizer (a teaspoon). 
It is necessary to disinfect such a mixture by calcining in the oven for a few minutes at 200 ° C) or by heating for a couple of minutes in a microwave with a power of 800. For disinfection, you can also pour earth with a solution of potassium permanganate.
Did you know? If an earthy mixture for seedlings is allowed to settle in a warm moist state for at least a week, then a colony of favorable microflora will develop in it.
Scheme of sowing tomatoes in seedlings
On the day of sowing, the mixture is tightly placed in a container, shallow hollows are made in it with an interval of two fingers, into which seeds are then thrown, at a distance of one finger from each other and finally sprinkled.
Seedling care
Large containers with seedlings are stored in a lighted place at an air temperature not lower than +18 ° C, but not higher than +25 ° C, daily monitoring the humidity of the earthen mixture and spraying it if necessary. To maintain humidity, containers can also be covered with a transparent PET film or glass - for two weeks, airing the container daily.
Important! With the development of mold in the box with the seedlings, it is necessary to remove the infected soil layer and disinfect it with an antifungal solution.The shelf life from the moment the germs appear is approximately 6-8 weeks.
During the time when the beginnings are growing up, on warm, quiet days, they must be taken out under the open sky (so that the sprouts get used to the sun): on the first day for 5 minutes, in the second - for 10 minutes, and so on.
In addition, any seedlings, including "Chocolate" variety tomatoes, after sprouting, need systematic feeding: once every two weeks.
On the tenth day of the sprout’s life, when they have two true leaves, they pick it up and put them out of a large box (the ground must be watered and dried beforehand) into individual small containers of no more than 200 ml: plastic cups, special pots, etc. n. Planted sprouts must be carefully along with the earthy ball in the tank. 
Planting a variety in open ground
When floral brushes appear on the seedlings - this is a signal that it is time to cook the open ground, because in a couple of weeks the transplanting will take place.
To ensure a good yield of "Chocolate" variety tomatoes, they need light soil with a neutral acid-base medium (pH ≈ 6-7), with good air access and a humus content of more than 2%.
Soil preparation is reduced to the following activities:
- loosening on the spade bayonet;
- warming up to +15 ° С and higher, having covered the landing site in advance with a black film;
- fertilization at the rate of 3-4 kg / m2 of fresh organic matter.
On a plot of one square meter, you can have 3 bushes, forming them for 2-3 stems. 
When planting seedlings should adhere to the following scheme: planting depth - phalanx of the hand, 3 bush per 1Q. m
Landing conditions - lack of sun and wind.
Agrotechnical culture
Cultivation of "Chocolate" tomatoes is simple, and for its implementation requires standard activities - it was noted in the characteristics and description of the variety. That's just the formation of the bush should be monitored carefully: in a timely manner, tie up and remove excess ovaries so that the vegetables grow large and juicy.
Watering
Despite the fact that black tomatoes are very unpretentious, they still require regular watering so that the earth does not dry out. And so - until the fruit is fully ripe. This is one of the conditions of good fruiting.
Important! In the first week after planting in the open ground, the seedlings acclimatize, at this time they are not watered.Watering time - early morning or late evening.
The method of irrigation is best underground drip, but if it is difficult to organize, then under the roots or in the aisle with ash water.
Top dressing
Feeding "Chocolate" variety tomatoes is necessary three times per season, and even better with regularity 1 time in 2 weeks, until they mature. Any fertilizer containing phosphorus and potassium is much more suitable than nitrates. In addition, the "young" in need of magnesium, and during flowering - also in boron. And with a calcium deficiency, you need to add drugs with a high content of this element.
Important! Mineral fertilizers should be applied to the soil, taking into account its agrochemical composition.Start feeding - the 10th day after landing in open ground. The second feeding is desirable on the 20th day.
Soil care and weeding
The yield of “Chocolate” tomatoes also depends on this part of the cultivation process, so the beds on which they grow need to be weeded and loosened regularly, so that the land is always light, has good aeration and drainage. These jobs also include weed removal. However, the struggle with the latter requires greater care, as weeds take away moisture and nutrients, and in addition, create bushiness and shade.
Did you know? Breeders of the University of California, crossing wild Galapagos tomatoes with different cultivated varieties, brought samples salty to the taste. In addition, they found that their salty hybrids grow beautifully on sandy soils and are well aware of their watering by sea water.
Masking and garter
Shrubs "Chocolate" tomato need a garter, because they eventually become very heavy and can break under its own weight. Tie them to the pegs immediately after disembarking in open ground, so that they take root well and quickly grow.
Pegs with a length of 1.2-1.5 m are driven into the ground by a third of their size, on the north side of the plant, departing 10 cm from the stem. The garter should be soft so as not to injure the stems.
Steps, unnecessary lateral shoots growing from the leaf axils, lead to bushiness, due to which a lot of shade is formed, there is a risk of infection of the whole planting, and fruit ripening slows down. To avoid this, pasynkovanie is made.
Important! In order to reduce the likelihood of infection of vegetables, pasynkovanie and other cultivation work should be carried out in the morning, on dry, quiet days. Then any wounds on the stem will dry out very quickly and thereby close the "entrance" to the infections.Proper agricultural technology is a guarantee of high yields of any vegetables, including varieties "Chocolate".
Separately about diseases and pests
As already noted in the characteristics of black tomatoes, they have good immunity. But this is not a reason to relax, throw preventive work. After all, the probability of the disease still exists. Moreover, the prevention of infections is reduced to adding ash or bone meal to the soil, as well as to weekly alternating sprays of greens with whey, a weak solution of potassium permanganate, ash decoction, copper sulphate and other inorganic fungicides.
In addition, pests of various infections are insect pests such as cicadas, ticks and aphids. They need to be fought with the help of permanent pest control.
Harvesting and storage of the crop
As mentioned earlier, the first harvest of Tomatoes "Chocolate" can be harvested as early as the 16th week after sowing. However, only separate cleaning is possible, since this crop does not have a long shelf life. So green fruits will not be left to roasting.
Due to its undemanding to growing conditions, black tomatoes are gaining more and more fans among gardeners amateur. You can achieve high yields of this exclusive variety, adhering to all the listed recommendations, and the vegetable will thank you generously.
