Growing tomatoes on the balcony

Housewives are very fond of growing indoor flowers in apartments, sometimes turning balconies and window sills into real greenhouses. Some gardening enthusiasts are taking it to the next level by growing vegetables or fruits in pots. Recently, small bushes of tomatoes have been especially popular, because households are always happy with tasty fruits. It is quite possible to grow such plants in apartment conditions, if you properly prepare for the process and carefully care for the green bushes. In this article, we will describe in detail how to grow tomatoes on the balcony and consider the varieties that are suitable for this.

Growing tomatoes on the balcony is a very interesting and unusual activity, which has its positive and negative sides. The advantages of balcony tomatoes are in the following aspects:

• ultra-fast aging of vegetables;
• the crop can be harvested both in summer and in winter;
• small fruits are very convenient to preserve;
• at home there are always fresh, beautiful and tasty vegetables for salad;
• you don't have to go to the country house for gardening;
• the bushes have an aesthetic appearance;
• the aroma of stems and leaves repels mosquitoes and ants.

The disadvantages of apartment vegetable growing include the following nuances:

• in the limited space of the balcony, the harvest will be small;
• it is necessary to carefully observe the temperature regime in the room and regulate the amount of sunlight received by the plants;
• in an apartment, only medium-sized varieties of tomatoes can be grown.

Balcony tomatoes will produce an excellent harvest if you carefully follow the advice of experienced growers. Ideal directions of windows for growing tomatoes are southeast and southwest. In the event that the balcony is turned exactly to the south, a special shading grid will have to be installed for the plants, otherwise they will dry out from excess heat. The northern direction is not at all suitable for growing seedlings, because without sunlight, tomatoes cannot survive.

Tomatoes will grow only if they receive enough sunlight every day: the rays should hit the plants for at least 3 hours. If the balcony is not glazed, fragile stems can break from strong gusts of wind, so plant pots should be placed closer to the walls or next to the railing. Indoors, it is better to place pots with bushes on windowsills or stands so that vegetables receive enough sunlight, and it is also necessary to regularly open windows for ventilation.

Plants of the Solanaceae family need not only sunlight, but also a certain temperature regime. The most suitable temperature for tomatoes is around + 25 ° C during the day and at least + 14 ° C at night.

A problem you may face when growing vegetables indoors is limited space.In an apartment, it becomes impossible to grow large varieties of plants because of their large size. Vegetable growers have bred several varieties of tomatoes that grow to medium-sized sizes and are great for planting in small spaces.

We suggest considering the best types of balcony tomatoes that are popular among vegetable growers.

• "Balcony Red F1". A hybrid plant, with proper care, bears the first fruits very quickly - about 86-90 days after raising the seedlings. "Balcony Red F1" produces 15 to 20 bright red tomatoes. Small tomatoes have a sweetish taste and pleasant aroma. The size of the bush does not exceed 30 cm, so there is no need to tie it up additionally.

• "Balcony miracle". One of the most popular types of vegetables for growing on the windowsill. Bushes are undersized - no more than 37-47 cm in height. Plants of the Balkonnoe Miracle variety are very productive - up to 2 kg of tomatoes can be removed in one season. The plant brings the main harvest 85-90 days after the emergence of sprouts, but the first early tomatoes ripen by 80-82 days.

• "Red Abundance F1". These are ampelous plants, so they can be planted in hanging pots. The stems reach 60 cm in length, they are quite strong, but need to be tied up due to the weight of the tomatoes on the branches. The fruits cover the branches abundantly, smell good, taste like cherry: sweet and juicy.

• "Gavroche". One of the earliest ripening types of tomatoes: 75-80 days after the rise of the shoots, the first ripe fruits can be removed. The sprouts reach a maximum of 35-40 cm and do not require a garter, so they can be placed on a window in balcony boxes or planted in hanging pots.

A rich harvest from cute little tomatoes can only be harvested if you carefully prepare for the growing process. Let's get acquainted with the features of preparation for balcony vegetable growing.

Plants of the Solanaceae family grow well in both ceramic and plastic containers. Seedlings can be germinated in 200 ml plastic cups, but later the bushes must be transplanted.

For convenience, you can plant several tomatoes in a special balcony box, observing the required distance between the seedlings. The amount of soil is at least 4 liters per plant.

For seedlings and growing tomatoes, you need to purchase a special universal soil or make it yourself. At home, fertile soil is created by mixing sand, humus and black soil in the same amount. To enrich the soil with minerals, sift some charcoal and mix it with the rest of the soil. Sod or sawdust can be added to the mixture for looseness.

Additional soil treatment will help prevent infection of the sprouts: before planting, fill the container with the mixture with boiling water. Hot water disinfects and moisturizes fertile soil well. Seedlings can only be planted after the soil has cooled down and dries out a little.

Experienced vegetable growers advise to germinate the seeds first, and only then plant them in a large container: this makes it easier to select the healthiest shoots and control the number of plants and their stepchildren. In order for the seeds to sprout as quickly as possible, it is necessary to check and process them before planting. Let's consider in more detail the features of seed germination step by step.

1. Soak. To prevent plant disease with fungal infections, it is necessary to treat the seeds with a 1% manganese solution. To do this, dissolve exactly 1 gram of potassium permanganate (1/14 teaspoon) in 100 ml of water. You need to measure it very carefully, because an excess of manganese can damage the seeds, and a deficiency will not cope with the task.In a solution of a light pink shade, the seeds must be placed for 10-15 minutes.
2. Iterating over. After the specified time, all fertile seeds will sink to the bottom, and the "dummies" will remain on the surface of the solution. Floating seeds must be selected and discarded.
3. Germination. Processed, fertile seeds should be removed and folded into a damp gauze cloth. In this state, they must be kept until the first shoots hatch.

Correct seed treatment provides a disinfecting effect, accelerates germination and stimulates the simultaneous germination of seedlings. If you use too much potassium permanganate, it will burn the shoots, so it is very important to be proportioned. In most cases, purchased seeds do not need to be processed, because producers apply a special film on them that protects and nourishes each grain.

Shoots can be grown either in 200 ml plastic cups or cut plastic bottles. In order to properly regulate the amount of moisture when watering seedlings, it is necessary to select the most transparent container as a container. The bottom of the containers must be left intact, because if you make holes in the bottom, a small amount of soil will pass the water too quickly and will not have time to get enough moisture.

Step by step instructions will help you to plant and grow seedlings correctly.

1. Priming. First, fill the container with the enriched soil so that it does not reach the edges by about 1 cm.
2. Landing. In the center of the glass, make a hole in the soil about 2 cm deep and dip 2 seeds into it. Carefully cover the grains with soil, but do not tamp.
3. Growing up. To avoid moisture loss through evaporation, cover each container with cling film. Then transfer containers with seeds to a dark room with a temperature of 23-25 ​​degrees Celsius. The seedlings will hatch in about 3-5 days.
4. Maintenance. When the sprouts begin to rise above the soil, they need to continue to grow for some time in the same container, but in a different place. Transfer the cups with shoots to a warm place with artificial lighting and water only when the top of the soil dries up.

It is necessary to transplant plants from plastic bottles into large containers only when the shoot releases three adult leaves. For hybrid plants, 4-6 liters pots are sufficient, but the more space there is for the roots, the better the yield will be. Dwarf tomatoes get along well in long balcony boxes, which greatly facilitates the gardener's work.

Let's consider step by step how to transplant seedlings into large pots.

1. Cover the bottom of the container with styrofoam or balls of clay pebbles to create proper drainage. A pillow at the bottom of the pot helps to regulate the moisture level: the litter retains some of the liquid during watering, gradually releasing it into the soil as it dries.
2. Sifted sand must be poured over expanded clay or pieces of foam plastic. The layer of the second filler should be about 2.5-3 cm thick. Then add some soil on top so that it covers the sand in a thin layer.
3. Add water to the glass with the germinated seeds to make them easier to remove. It is necessary to replant the shoots with the soil so that the shoots do not experience too much stress. Carefully remove the seedlings together with the soil from the glass and place them in the middle of the pot.
4. Fill the free space around the roots with a new substrate of chernozem and other impurities. After that, it is necessary to thin out the number of seedlings: if several shoots have sprouted in one container, leave the healthiest stem with leaves, and gently break off the rest with your fingers at the very root.
5. The transplanted tomato needs to be covered with another 2-3 cm of soil and well moistened.

If you have correctly sized a large pot, there will be about 4-6 cm of free space between the top layer of soil and the edges of the container.

Balcony gardening is suitable for both experienced and novice gardeners. Home-grown tomatoes will be the most fragrant, beautiful and delicious, because everything that is done with your own hands is used with pleasure. In order for the crop to be rich and of high quality, it is necessary not only to properly grow the seedlings and transplant the sprouts into pots. You also need to provide the plants with proper care. Let's take a closer look at several of the nuances of growing balcony vegetables.

To grow a good crop, it is very important to water the tomatoes differently depending on their stage of life. For 30-35 days after transplanting, water them every day, but little by little. Water the hardened plants before the ovaries appear every few days, but more abundantly than before. When the tomatoes bloom and the first ovaries appear, it is very important not to allow the soil to dry out: water them 2 times a week, thoroughly moisturizing the soil.

The best time to water is in the evening, before sunset. If you have to moisten the seedlings during the day, just fill the tray with water: regular watering can cause burns on the surface of the leaves and fruits due to the reflection of sunlight from the droplets of water. The optimum water temperature for irrigation is 21-25 degrees Celsius.

The moisture level of balcony tomatoes also depends on the season: on especially dry summer days, the bush can be additionally moistened with a spray bottle, but only after sunset.

Many balcony tomatoes are undersized and do not require shaping. However, some species or individual shoots grow to medium size and need a garter, otherwise the stem will simply not withstand the load from the fruit and will break. Hybrid tomatoes are rarely tall, so there is no need to prepare a support for them. For medium-sized varieties, when transplanting into a large pot, it is imperative to prepare a peg to which the tomato will be tied.

When transplanting sprouts next to the shoot, dig in a wooden or plastic peg 45-55 cm long. Then it will be convenient and easy to tie the grown bush to it. A pre-prepared fastener prevents stem breakage and root damage by digging in a support next to an adult tomato.

The formation of a bush also includes pinching - the removal of excess adventitious leaves that grow from the same sinuses as the main leaves. Gently pinch off your stepson with your hands when its length reaches 2-3 cm. Do not use a knife or scissors for this, so as not to infect. When forming a bush, do not pinch off the stepson next to the first inflorescence: it will help form a Y-shaped structure of the bush, which improves yield. Also, carefully monitor the health of the tomato: remove dried or yellowed leaves in a timely manner so that they do not take away nutrients.

Timely and moderate feeding of tomatoes will provide the bush with health and a rich harvest. It is recommended to add organic fertilizers once every two to three weeks. It is better to refuse chemical feeding, because it can lead to undesirable consequences and the death of the plant. The best fertilizer for a balcony greenhouse is rotted horse manure: unlike other organic fertilizers, it does not have a strong unpleasant odor. For such a top dressing, mix 2 tablespoons of manure with a liter of water and pour the solution over the tomatoes.

Tomatoes are self-pollinating plants, so there is no need to artificially pollinate them during flowering. But to better form the ovary, you can shake the branches with flowers a little. The procedure is carried out several times a week. Tomatoes continue to bloom and pollinate even when the bulk of the fruit has already begun. In order for the formed vegetables to receive a sufficient amount of nutrients, the excess flowers must be pinched off.

For the richest possible harvest, follow a few simple rules:

• do not allow the soil to dry out;
• carefully observe the temperature regime;
• choose self-pollinating varieties with small but abundant fruits and an average stem height;
• once during the day, turn the pot with the other side to the sun's rays;
• do not pick unripe vegetables;
• do not plant several plants in one pot (for such purposes it is better to use a balcony box that will hold a sufficient amount of soil);
• be sure to feed the mini-vegetable garden with organic fertilizers.

On glazed balconies, tomatoes can get very hot in summer, especially when the sun's rays hit them directly. To protect plants from burns, it is necessary to close the windows with a special shading mesh that allows only the necessary amount of light to pass through.