Little by little we add more chips tomato varietiesand it is that Spain has a rather interesting list with high quality fruits.
One of them is known as Barbastro pink tomato, from Huesca, Aragon. This fruit has always been characterized by being a large tomato and, above all, by its characteristic pink color.
In this article we present the main characteristics of this variety of tomato and the points in which it stands out.
Contents
Characteristics of the Barbastro pink tomato
There is a lot of traditional tomato varieties distributed throughout Spain. One of these is the Barbastro pink tomato, which gives its name to the specific color of the fruit’s skin and to the town it originated from, Barbastro.
Although its main name is “pink Barbastro tomato”, it is also known as “maiden skin tomato”.
- Fruit: thin and very fleshy skin, interesting for salads. It has few seeds and less water than other tomatoes.
- Cut: large size (up to 1 kg in weight)
- Color: pink.
- To taste: sweet and low acidity.
Barbastro Pink Tomato Growing Guide
In general, its cultivation is very similar to that of other varieties of tomatoes. It can be grown both outdoors and in greenhouses.
plant preparation
Barbastro pink tomato is sown by seed, planted indoors in small pots.
We will use a universal substrate mixed with sand or coconut fiber, in order to be able to maintain the humidity longer and to guarantee good drainage.
We will present the seed between 0.5 and 1 cm deep and we will locate it in a protected environment, in partial shade and without wind.
We water continuously to maintain moisture, it is advisable to use a fine droplet sprayer so as not to disturb the seed.
On average, every 2-3 days a small amount of water.
When the tomato plant is 10 cm tall and has several true leaves, It will be ready to be transplanted.
Location and weather
Outdoor cultivation: planted at the end of April or the beginning of May to harvest during the summer and until the beginning of autumn.
Cultivation in greenhouse: short cycle planted in February or March to advance the natural season by 30 to 40 days.
The Barbastro pink tomato is usually planted in the province of Aragon, so it is grown outdoors until spring, since we are talking about a fairly cold area in winter.
In this way, we avoid possible frosts that reduce the number of branches or damage flowering.
- Temperature: optimal from 20ºC to 30ºC.
- Optimum growth: 20ºC-25ºC.
- Stops its growth: 10-15 ºC.
- Flowering period: 23 ºC to 26 ºC.
- Flash: grown in full sun, it needs high doses of light to produce open bouquets.
- Humidity: between 40 and 60% is considered optimal.
Soil type and subscriber
Barbastro’s pink tomato requires a type of fertile soil and with a large reserve of nutrients. Thus, before planting, a good base of organic matter or compost is available, about 3-4 kg/m2.
As in spring and summer it needs a large number of irrigations, we will have deep soil with good drainage.
- pH: optimal between 6 and 7.5.
- Structure: any type
- Organic material: minimum content 1.5%.
Recommendations to subscribers
| physiological stage | Nutrient balance | g/m2 and day | EC (mS/cm) |
| Transplant until flowering | 1-2-1 | 1.5 | 0.5 + water |
| Flowering and fruit set | 1-1-1 | 3 | 0.8 + water |
| Maturation and harvest | 1-1-1.5 | 4 | 1 + Water |
Applying Barbastro Pink Tomato Micronutrient Correctors is recommended, especially in soils with an alkaline pH, where iron chlorosis can force yellow leaves.
How to water the Barbastro tomato
An irrigation plan for the spring and summer months would be as follows:
- Spring watering: 3-4 waterings per week, with a supply of 2-3 L/adult plant.
- Watering in summer: 4-5 waterings per week, with a contribution of 2-3 L/adult plant.
Water only if the soil is not very wet, otherwise we will force ourselves to have problems with waterlogging, root death and the appearance of neck diseases, such as Phytophthora.
Tomato pests and diseases
Buy tomato plants
On the Internet we can find different sites to buy the seeds or, even faster, plants already grown and directly planted.