Rubylicious F1 Tomato seeds

The 'Rubylicious' F1 Tomato is a cherry variety that produces long clusters of 15 to 25 fruits, which are bright red and filled with very sweet flesh. The tomatoes are round, 2 to 3 cm in diameter and weigh about 15 grams. They are firm and not prone to splitting. They can be enjoyed raw as soon as they are picked. Crisp, juicy, and flavourful, children love them. They enhance the flavours of salads, sandwiches, kebabs, gratins, and even clafoutis.

The 'Rubylicious' is a high-quality, vigorous and productive hybrid variety, highly resistant to mildew. The plant grows well and produces a plentiful and fruitful harvest. It is suitable for cultivation in open ground, in greenhouses, or outdoors. It is an indeterminate variety that continues to grow as long as the conditions are favourable. Sow from February to April in a warm place, for a harvest that extends from June-July to October.

The Tomato is native to South America and Central America. It belongs to the Solanaceae family, like potatoes, aubergines, and peppers. Several varieties were cultivated by the Incas long before the arrival of the Conquistadors. We are still amazed by the variety of this Solanaceae. The term "Tomato" comes from the Inca word "Tomatl" and refers to both the plant and the fruit it produces. There are fruits of all colours, except perhaps blue, in all shapes and sizes. The tomato is one of many foods that came to us from the New World, along with beans, corn, squash, potatoes, and peppers. It took much longer for the tomato to reach our taste buds as it was long cultivated for its aesthetic and medicinal qualities. It was thought to be toxic because it resembled to the fruit of the Mandrake, another Solanaceae. It only became regular on our tables at the beginning of the 20th century.

The tomato plant is a herbaceous perennial in tropical climates, cultivated as an annual in our latitudes. It becomes woody over time and produces small, insignificant yellow flowers grouped in clusters that will turn into fruits.

Its fruit is very beautiful and pleasantly colours the vegetable garden. It also has many nutritional advantages. It is low in calories like most vegetables and rich in water, it contains lycopene, a powerful antioxidant. And the longer the tomato is cooked, the more available lycopene it releases. It is also rich in vitamin C, provitamin A, and trace elements.

Today, its taste and nutritional qualities are well established. For gardeners, the tomato is one of the essential vegetables of summer. You just have to decide how you want to use it among all the existing varieties. Is it for salads, sauces, consuming directly on-site, cooked, etc.? Also consider when you want to harvest it. The answer will of course depend on the average summer sunshine in the region where your garden is located. Rest assured, the choice is vast and there is a tomato for every situation! And though the tomato needs a lot of sun and heat, it does not necessarily require a lot of space. That is why it can be grown in a container on a balcony, where varieties with small fruits are preferred. Be careful, immature fruits, stems, and leaves contain solanine and should not be consumed.

In the kitchen, tomatoes can be consumed raw or cooked in many ways: in salads or as appetisers, grilled, stuffed, marinated, preserved, in ratatouille, as a sauce... They come in all colours, shapes, and sizes. Take advantage of this and grow several varieties in your vegetable garden to vary the pleasures!

Note: This variety is labeled F1 for "F1 hybrid" because it is a variety resulting from the crossbreeding of carefully selected parents to combine their qualities. This results in a variety that can be particularly flavourful and/or early while being resistant to certain diseases. Sometimes criticised or wrongly associated with GMOs, F1 hybrid seeds are useful both for their uniformity and their resistance, but unfortunately, their qualities do not pass on to subsequent generations: it will therefore not be possible to save the seeds for future sowing.

Harvest: Harvest periods vary depending on the earliness: early varieties are harvested from 55 to 70 days after planting, mid-season varieties from 70 to 85 days, and late varieties beyond 85 days. Harvest when the tomato has reached its final colour and when its texture, while remaining firm, shows a slight softening. For better keeping, pick the fruit with its stalk. Be careful, immature fruits, stems, and leaves contain solanine and should not be consumed.

Storage: Tomatoes do not keep well if they have a high water content. They can be stored for a few days in the vegetable drawer of your refrigerator or spread out in the open air. To keep them longer, consider culinary methods such as tomato confit, sun-dried tomatoes, sauces, frozen fruits, preserves, jams, or juices. We love to confit them because it's simple and so tasty: cut your tomatoes in half and collect the juice. Place your half tomatoes face up on the baking sheet of your oven. Season with salt, pepper, and sugar, then bake at a very low temperature for at least an hour. Remove your tomatoes and consume them immediately, or store them in a glass jar and cover them with olive oil.

Gardener's tip: It is a good idea to grow several varieties of tomatoes each year to minimize the risk of a complete loss of harvest due to climatic conditions or specific diseases.
To prevent the phenomenon of blossom end rot in tomatoes – which is not a disease but a calcium deficiency – spray a comfrey maceration rich in calcium on your plants.
When transplanting, ypu can bury the stem up to the first leaves. This will stimulate the root system, ensuring a bountiful fruit harvest.
Winning combinations in the garden are often the same on the plate. It's a good reminder that tomatoes and basil go well together.