Are you not averse to getting a new experience, landscaping your windowsill in an original way, saving your budget and surprising your friends? Then it's time to find out how to grow tomatoes on the balcony. Fortunately, this does not require much space, money or effort, and the result will definitely please you. It is unlikely that anyone will remain indifferent to the fragrant and bright fruits grown in close proximity to kitchen table. You just need to choose the right variety of tomatoes, as well as create suitable conditions for them.

You can grow tomatoes either open balcony, and on glazed. Both options involve some restrictions and conditions for creating a comfortable microclimate for plants.

An open balcony is suitable if you plan to harvest in the warm season. The minimum night temperatures at which seedlings can be taken out into the open space are +8…+10°C.

It is important to understand that the lack of glazing makes plants vulnerable to precipitation, wind and temperature conditions. For this reason, it is better to foresee in advance the possibility of bringing tomatoes into the room or the presence of a windproof and shading structure. This could be curtains, a screen, etc.

Tomatoes on the balcony open type are taken out no earlier than April-May

The glazed balcony allows you to enjoy your own grown tomatoes even in winter. If desired, you can guess the ripening period of the fruits so that they decorate the festive table on New Year or a family celebration. But for this, the balcony must be effectively insulated and landscaped.

High-quality thermal insulation allows you to maintain stable temperature regime, A good ventilation air - control its humidity and prevent the development of infections on the bushes.

These tomatoes will decorate any balcony

Note! Regardless of which balcony you are going to grow tomatoes on, you need to evaluate in advance the possibilities of placing the planting container. You should have easy access to each plant.

Tomato varieties for balconies and windowsills

Not all varieties of tomatoes are suitable for growing on a windowsill or balcony. It is recommended to give preference to the most low-growing species. There are a number of reasons for this:

• Such plants have little root system. For one bush, a planting container with a volume of 3-3.5 liters is sufficient.
• The fruits of low-growing tomatoes ripen faster and more evenly.
• Small bushes absorb all nutrients from the soil better.
• They are easier to care for.

Low-growing varieties are ideal for any windowsill

Indoor tomatoes have the following characteristics:

• Small bush height. Usually it ranges from 20-60 cm.
• Standard building. This means the presence of a thick central stem around which the crown is formed.
• Abundant fruiting. The number of fruits on one cluster can reach 20 pieces!
• Modest size and weight of the fruit. Usually this is 15-70 g. Small round fruits, even without regard to the variety, are often called “cherries”.
• Resistant to lack of light. Although tomatoes are considered light-loving, most indoor varieties can be content with 5 hours of daylight.
• Determination. That is, stopping the growth of the bush after the formation of a certain number of flower brushes. This makes caring for the plant much easier.
• Precocity. Usually, within 80-95 days after planting the seeds, the first harvest can be harvested.
• High degree of decorativeness. Compact bushes with bright fruits between fleshy leaves are pleasing to the eye.

The most popular cherry tomatoes for growing on the balcony: “Bonsai”, “Balcony Miracle”, “Room Surprise”, “Angelica”, “Pinocchio”, “Garden Pearl”, “Pearl”, “Baby”, “Oak”. In most cases, reviews of these varieties are not just positive, but admiring.

Step-by-step instructions for growing tomatoes on the balcony

It would seem that 80-95 days is not so much. Planted, watered, harvested - that's all! In fact, you will have to do much more during these days. Don’t be alarmed, growing indoor tomatoes will not require Herculean efforts from you. Just attentiveness, compliance with a number of care rules and a little love for what you do.

Soil selection and preparation

Soil selection and preparation are important for proper growth and abundant fruiting of tomatoes.

Suitable for planting:

• Ready-made soil, which is easy to find in a specialty store. It is already enriched with essential minerals and is usually labeled accordingly, for example, “for tomatoes.”
• Personally prepared mixture: 1 part humus, 1 part turf soil and 1 part peat. An alternative would be a mixture of leaf soil, peat and sand in a 2:1:1 ratio.

Having chosen the soil, it is important to properly prepare it for planting seeds. Preparation involves disinfection. You can do this in several ways:

1. Ignite in microwave oven. For this, 1-2 minutes are enough at a power of 800-850 W.
2. Warm up in the oven. At a temperature of 200°C, 10 minutes is enough.
3. Completely spill the soil with small portions of boiling water or a solution of potassium permanganate.

The soil for indoor tomatoes should be nutritious and loose

Subsequently, the soil is slightly dried or cooled, depending on the chosen disinfection method.

Preparation of tomato seeds - disinfection and germination

Like the soil, the seeds also need to be prepared for planting - select the bad ones, disinfect them, germinate them, especially if you took them from friends or bought them second-hand. Seeds in sealed packages from well-known agricultural companies undergo a disinfection procedure in the factory and are characterized by a high percentage of germination.

To select seeds unsuitable for planting, pour them into a glass or bowl of water and stir. Good seeds will settle to the bottom, while bad seeds will float on the surface.

Disinfect planting material you can use:

• Potassium permanganate – 1 g per 100 ml of water. It is recommended to soak the seeds in this solution for 15 minutes.
• Soda – 0.5 g per 100 ml. In this case, the seeds should be kept for at least a day.
• Special means. One of the most popular is Fitosporin. If you purchased it in liquid form, for processing it is enough to dilute 1 drop per 100 ml of water. In dry form, you will need ½ teaspoon for the same volume. The seeds are soaked for about 15 minutes.

Disinfection of seeds using potassium permanganate

You can plant the seeds immediately, or you can germinate them first. Practice shows that the germination rate in the second case is higher. For germination, planting material is wrapped in wet gauze or bandage and placed in a warm place. In a couple of days, sprouts will appear. After this, the seeds are ready for planting in the ground.

Note! As soon as the sprouts hatch, be especially careful that the gauze does not dry out.

Sprouted tomato seeds

Planting seeds and first picking of seedlings

At a distance of at least 3 cm from each other, holes or grooves with a depth of 1-1.5 cm are made in the soil. Seeds are laid in them, which are then covered with earth and sprayed generously with water from a spray bottle. If you plant seeds straight from the package, they can be grouped in 2-3 pieces. But it’s better to lay out the sprouted ones one at a time.

The planting container is covered with a transparent moisture-proof material (film, plastic lid) and placed in a warm place with an air temperature of +22…+24°C. This will create a greenhouse effect for better germination.

When sprouts appear, it is important to provide them with the following conditions:

• Be sure to ventilate the greenhouse so that the seedlings are not destroyed by fungal and other infections. To do this, remove the lid 1-2 times a day for 5-10 minutes, each time increasing the ventilation time.
• Make sure that upper layer the soil where the tender roots are located did not dry out. It is better to water with a spray bottle, since a regular stream of water can wash away the soil.
• Provide the seedlings with good lighting. Usually it is simply transferred to the windowsill.

The first picking of seedlings is carried out after the appearance of the third leaf, not counting the cotyledons. If you used a shallow container to sow seeds, then it is better to plant young plants in two steps: first in the usual plastic cup volume of 200 ml, and then, a month later, into a large pot for an adult bush of 3-3.5 liters.

If you immediately planted germinated seeds in glasses, monitor the condition of the root system. If there are three normal sheets, it should occupy almost the entire volume of the container.

Important! Seedlings are planted one at a time. At the same time, stronger specimens are selected. The weak are disposed of.

When picking glasses, you should not make holes in their bottoms to drain moisture, otherwise there is a high risk of such a small amount of soil drying out. When planting in large pots, the presence of drainage holes and a drainage layer at the bottom of the container is mandatory!

For ease of picking, you can use a wooden spatula or a regular fork.

When and what to feed tomatoes

Seedlings need to be fed, as they require a large number of nutrients. For this purpose, complex mineral and organic fertilizers are used.

In stores you can find the following suitable compositions: “Emerald”, “Krepysh”, “Gumate +7”. From folk remedies you can use ash, banana peels, eggshells or infusion of onion peels.

The first fertilizing is carried out 12-14 days after the appearance of the first shoots. The second - 10 days after it, and the third - about a week before picking the seedlings into large pots. Tomatoes are also fed during flowering and fruiting – once every 10-12 days.

Important! Fertilizers are applied only to moist soil - a few hours after watering or even the next day.

Potassium and phosphorus, which are important for tomatoes, are contained in the ash.

When feeding tomatoes, it is important not to overdo it. All solutions are prepared in strict accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. For young seedlings, they use a dosage that is half the recommended one. Special attention give nitrogen fertilizers. If they are overdosed, there is a high risk that the bush will actively begin to grow green mass, “forgetting” about flowering and fruiting.

Caring for seedlings - watering and other activities

Caring for seedlings includes measures to create a favorable microclimate and proper watering.

Tomatoes – warm and light-loving plants. They feel great on south and south-east windows. Most varieties easily tolerate short-term exposure to even direct sunlight. However, on the hottest days it is better to shade the windows.

If the windows do not receive enough sunlight, use fluorescent lamps. They make it easy to extend the daylight hours for tomatoes during the cold season or cloudy weather. To do this, lamps are installed above the plants, at a distance of 25-30 cm from the plant itself. tall bush. They are usually turned on 2-3 hours before dawn or the same time after sunset.

Illuminating seedlings using lamps

The daytime temperature for comfortable plant growth is +22…+26 °C, and the night temperature should not be lower than +16 °C. Regular ventilation of the room will help regulate the temperature. It is worth noting that tomatoes love this procedure, but they are afraid of direct flows of cold air.

As for watering, it is rare but plentiful. In the cold season, the bushes are watered once every 5-7 days, and in the warm season - once every 2-3 days. It is important to monitor the condition of the soil. You may need to adjust the watering regime taking into account the microclimate on the balcony.

Tomato seedlings need to be watered at the root

Formation of a bush - how to properly perform pinching

Growing balcony tomatoes involves timely removal of side shoots. Why is this necessary?

1. Thinning the bush allows light to reach all the leaves.
2. The plant is well ventilated, this reduces the risk of many infections and harmful insects.
3. The fruits after this procedure develop more fully.
4. The bush has a well-groomed and more decorative appearance.

It is easy to carry out pinching: the emerging shoots are broken off with your fingers, leaving a “stump” of 1-1.5 cm. To avoid infection, it is better not to use scissors.

Bushes are usually formed into 1-3 stems. One stem is left for standard varieties. It is thick and perfectly supports the vertical position of the plant, which does not need support or tying. If you want to form a bush with 2-3 stems, save the first stepsons.

Technique for growing tomatoes at home

Many indoor tomatoes are determinate. After releasing four to five flower clusters that appear after 2-3 leaves, they stop growing. In terms of caring for the bush and its formation, this is very convenient. In indeterminate varieties, even after releasing 8-9 clusters, stepchildren continue to appear. Such plants require more attention.

Pollination - is it necessary indoors?

For self-pollination of balcony tomatoes, air fluctuations when ventilating the room are sufficient. But if you notice that they do not set fruit, look for a problem in the microclimate. This is what it should be:

• Air temperature within +22…+25 °C. At higher values, the pollen will become sterile, and at lower values, the flowering process will simply slow down.
• Soil humidity - at least 70%. Dry soil often causes flowers to fall off.
• Air humidity – 60-65%.

If you see that the tomatoes on the balcony are not blooming, try shaking the top brushes slightly. Then the pollen from them will fall on the lower flowers. But for the desired effect, the plant needs to be watered a few hours after this procedure.

Artificial pollination can be done by touching the brush to the flowers

Tomatoes can be grown not only in pots, when the crown of the plant traditionally points upward. There is an alternative and much more original option - landing in plastic bottles, but... upside down!

Bottle planting technology

Slightly grown seedlings are usually planted in bottles. At the same time, it is better to abandon standard varieties with thick stems. They will not look entirely aesthetically pleasing.

The sequence of actions should be as follows:

1. Cut off the bottom of a clean 2-3 liter plastic bottle. The cut line is where the width of the container becomes stable, without narrowing or widening.
2. At the bottom of the cut part, make 1-3 small holes intended for drip irrigation plants. You can use a heated nail or a hand drill.
3. Turn this element upside down and insert it into the bottle. Mark and make 2-4 holes around the perimeter so that you can insert a strong rope into them and tie the planting container to the support. Disassemble the structure.
4. Take the seedling along with a small lump of earth and carefully insert it into the container through the cut off bottom. Insert the stem with leaves into the neck. To prevent the soil from falling out of it at first and retain moisture, the roots of the seedling can be wrapped in a paper napkin, toilet paper. Another option is to make a plug for the neck from moss or foam rubber.
5. Fill the planting container with soil, lightly compacting it. Please note: it should not be laid to the top (the top in this case is the bottom of the bottle)! Leave free space, equal in height to the cut part.
6. Place it in the bottle so that the holes for the rope line up. Pull it through and securely tie the container to the support.

This may seem incomprehensible and complicated, but somewhat themed photos And the video will definitely help you figure it out.

Making a hole for hanging seedlings in a bottle

Placing a plant in a bottle

Advice! For the convenience of hanging planting containers, you can use plastic buckets. You just need to make holes in them for the seedlings.

Advantages and disadvantages of using hanging containers

Growing tomatoes upside down has its pros and cons. The advantages include:

• Convenient watering. You don’t have to focus on watering around the root or along the walls of the container. It is enough to pour water into the inverted bottom, and it will flow drop by drop into the ground.
• Decorative planting and its originality. A bush with its roots up is a mesmerizing sight in itself, and if it also bears fruit, the effect is doubly amazing.
• Saving space. Using vertical space allows you to free up the window sill for traditionally growing greenery.
• There is no need to tie up the bushes.

Bottles with soil can be placed in decorative flowerpots

With all the tangible advantages, this method of growing tomatoes also has disadvantages:

• While the root system is small, water can flow down through the neck of the bottle. The solution may be the above-mentioned plugs or substituting another pot with a plant under the planting container.
• A bottle with a fruiting bush can weigh up to 25 kg, so you will have to take care of reliable support for the plants. Most often, metal brackets are used for these purposes.
• A bottle of soil limits light access to the plant while it is small.

Thus, when choosing one or another method of growing tomatoes, you should carefully weigh its pros and cons.

Problems of growing indoor tomatoes - pests and diseases

To ensure a bountiful harvest, tasty fruits, and beautiful bushes, you need to carefully care for the plants. This will prevent the development of diseases and the appearance of harmful insects. However, you need to know the enemy by sight in order to understand how to deal with him if he appears.

The main diseases of tomatoes on the windowsill:

• Late blight. It is expressed in the appearance of brown spots on all parts of the bush and even the fruits. Reason – high level humidity combined with heat. Late blight easily affects neighboring plants, so it is better to dispose of the diseased plant.
• Blackleg. It affects young seedlings growing too densely and in an excessively humid environment. They turn black at the surface of the earth, become thinner and die. During this period, it is necessary to remove diseased plants, reduce watering and thin out the seedlings.
• Gray rot. Formed on tomatoes of any ripeness. First, small gray spots appear, which, as they grow, become watery in nature and emit a putrid odor. Affected tomatoes are thrown away along with the soil.

Manifestation of late blight of tomatoes

Common pests found on tomatoes include:

• Whitefly. An adult specimen does not exceed 1.5 mm in size and has a yellowish body. The larva, on the contrary, is green and flat. It is she who damages the leaves by sticking to them. Visually, the affected areas are characterized by black spots, as they are actively colonized by sooty fungi.
• Spider mite. Lives on back side sheets. The affected areas first resemble dots, which then grow into a “marble” pattern.

Adult whiteflies on the back of a leaf

Spider mite infestation

Special substances – insecticides – help to effectively combat harmful insects. They can be found in specialized stores.

Video master classes on growing balcony tomatoes

Vertical beds and other ways to compactly plant tomatoes and herbs on the balcony:

Details about growing tomatoes on the balcony and windowsill:

It is very exciting to watch how small seeds gain strength day after day, turning into beautiful fruit-bearing tomato bushes. Add potted greens to them in the form of lettuce, parsley, and basil. Plant a few decorative peppers and you will create an amazing mini-garden on your windowsill with your own hands!

Absence own dacha or a vegetable garden is not a reason to give up your dream of growing organic vegetables yourself. And the owners of balconies, glazed loggias or open terraces there is nothing to worry about at all - in the summer, vegetables grow and ripen well in houses among flower arrangements. And the tomato is one of the most popular crops among balcony gardeners, because it grows well, ripens quickly and pleases for a long time bountiful harvests.

Before filling all the free space with pots of seedlings, it is important to remember: the success of successfully growing tomatoes on a balcony in an urban environment depends on the right variety. After all, not every plant will agree to grow indoors in a small area. But do not despair - breeders have developed many varieties that develop well and bear fruit on balconies.

There are many varieties of tomatoes. When choosing, carefully read their characteristics

If you are the happy owner of a large balcony space and can afford to place large containers with soil, then you can opt for large-fruited varieties of tomatoes: Bull's Heart, Carlson, De Barao. Owners of more modest living space will have to look for theirs among the dwarf varieties. You can sow, for example, Yellow Pearl, Cascade Red, Verlioka, Red Banana, Ruby, White filling, Canada News, Oak or Little Florida. Small Cherry tomatoes performed well in the balcony environment.

Other varieties intended for growing on balconies are also popular: Max, Balcony Miracle, Gina, Belkoni Red, George Bush, Japanese indoor tomato, Bonsai Micro, Siberian early ripening.

General characteristics of balcony tomatoes

At least taste it balcony tomatoes do not differ from their garden “relatives”, but still there are some differences between the two species. To a greater extent - regarding appearance plants.

Features of dwarf varieties:

1. Compact root system.
2. The fruits are small and regular in shape.
3. Low plants (no more than half a meter in height).
4. Doesn't need tying.
5. The fruits ripen faster than in the garden.
6. High yield (about 2 kg).

Growing seedlings correctly

Properly grown seedlings are the key good harvest

The process of growing tomatoes begins with sprouting seeds. They do this from the beginning of February and continue until April. With early sowing, the first fruits will be in April, spring seeds will be harvested in September. Also, when deciding to make a small one on the balcony, it is important to take into account the level of lighting, since tomatoes are light-loving plants. That is best place a south balcony will serve as a tomato plantation. In poorly lit loggias, the lack of sunlight is compensated by artificial lighting (fluorescent lamps).

There are several ways to germinate tomato seeds: directly into the soil and with pre-soaking.

Method No. 1

Soaking the seeds

1. Cover the saucer with a piece of cloth, place the seeds on it, and cover with a damp cloth on top.
2. Place the saucer in a plastic bag.
3. Place in a warm place (you can put a board under the bottom of the plate on a radiator).
4. Periodically moisten the cloth with seeds.
5. When white roots appear in the grains, plant them in the ground.
6. Water warm water, but do not over-moisten.

Method number 2

1. Place the seeds in the refrigerator for several days to harden.
2. Carefully place the tomato seeds into fabric bags.
3. Pour hot water into a thermos.
4. Place the seed bags in a thermos with water and leave overnight.
5. Plant the seeds in soil (purchased or from the garden). Sow in furrows no deeper than 1 cm.
6. Water generously and cover the seeds with soil.
7. Wrap the container with seeds plastic bags, creating a greenhouse effect.
8. Before seedlings germinate, ventilate the pots with soil daily, removing the bag.

Method number 3

Dwarf varieties tomatoes - ideal for growing on balconies

1. Fill a 200-gram plastic glass (preferably transparent) with soil and pour boiling water over it. Wait until the soil cools down.
2. Using a pencil, make a hole in the ground and place several seeds (if already sprouted, then one per cup).
3. Cover the containers with film and place in a warm place.
4. After the sprouts appear (on the 3rd day), place the containers in a cool place (window sill).
5. It is advisable to illuminate with artificial light, water only when the top layer of soil dries out.

Growing seedlings

To grow tomato seedlings, you can use either a purchased mixture or soil from the garden, preferably from a bed in which nightshade crops have not grown before. It is also easy to prepare the soil yourself by mixing peat, turf soil and manure humus in equal parts.

With the appearance of seedlings, wait until the plants grow stronger and stronger, then transplant them into larger containers for a permanent “place of residence.” Planting tomatoes is an important process, so we will pay attention to all stages.

You can make containers for seedlings yourself

First of all, prepare containers for subsequent planting of nightshade crops on balconies. These can be conical buckets, large pots, wooden or plastic boxes. But it’s worth considering: one plant will need about 3 liters of soil.

The next stage is preparing the drainage layer. Since tomatoes do not tolerate excess water, drainage is indispensable. The easiest way is to cover the bottom of the pot with 2 centimeters of small pebbles or pieces of expanded clay. And only after that can you fill the container with soil or earthen mixture. Fill the mold no more than three-quarters full.

When planting tomatoes, deepen the plants 2 cm lower than they grew in the previous form. Gently sprinkle soil on all sides and pour plenty of warm water under the root. Place pots of tomatoes in the sun no earlier than a week later - wait until the plants take root.

Important: balcony tomatoes do not like excess moisture or lack of fresh air, this means that on cold nights it is advisable to take containers with plants into a warm room. But in the heat, do not forget to ventilate the room, in particular this applies to glazed balconies.

Feeding tomatoes

Experienced agronomists advise watering nightshades on balconies only when necessary - when the top layer of soil dries out. It is better to do this in the first half of the day using warm water (more than 20 degrees). Pour the liquid not under the bush itself, but around it.

Tomatoes need not only to be watered, but also to be fed periodically

But even the most the best varieties tomatoes growing on the balcony need feeding. Experienced gardeners use it as fertilizer. different variants mixtures. For example, someone prefers exclusively organic products and waters their tomatoes with a solution of chicken manure or mullein (diluted with water 1:5). But more often they use mineral fertilizers, which are sold in specialized stores. 30 g of a ready-made mixture of mineral fertilizers and 10 liters of water is quite enough to water a fairly large balcony garden. For the first time, such fertilizing should be done about a week after planting the tomatoes on the balcony. In the future, feed the “bed” every 10 – 12 days. To make tomatoes on the balcony develop more quickly, you can use foliar fertilizers.

Experts call a urea solution (add 1 teaspoon of urea to 3 liters of water) a good feeding option. You can also mix a tablespoon of superphosphate and wood ash with 3 liters of water, or use nitroammophoska dissolved in water for watering (1 tablespoon per 3 liters of liquid).

How to form a beautiful bush?

Methods for forming bushes

Beautiful bushes tomatoes can also serve as a decorative element for the balcony. But a beautiful tomato “crown” does not form on its own. To make the bushes look aesthetically pleasing and produce as much harvest as possible, it is better to grow low-growing plants with two stems. If there is room on the balcony for tall plants tomatoes, then leave only one shoot - it’s better to get rid of all the stepsons. Also, do not forget to remove shoots coming from the axils of the leaves from time to time, but try not to damage the main stem. This is done in order to “clear” the bush from unnecessary branches, making room for inflorescences and better lighting plants. To avoid the development of diseases, you should promptly clean the bush from yellowed, fallen or already diseased leaves.

The main enemies of tomatoes

The most common problem when growing tomatoes on balconies is fungal diseases caused by excess moisture. You can overcome the problem by increasing the lighting of the balcony and frequently ventilating the room. Good results Bordeaux mixture helps fight tomato fungi.

Ingredients for the mixture:

• copper sulfate (10 g) diluted in water (0.9 l);
• slaked lime (20 g), diluted in 100 g of water.

Mix the ingredients. Store the finished mixture for no more than a day.

The most common tomato diseases:

• late blight, or brown rot of tomatoes;
• blackleg;
• anthracnose, or root rot;
• Phomaz, or brown rot;
• top rot.

If we talk about pests, the ones that cause the most trouble to tomatoes are spider mite and whitefly. You can get rid of the first by spraying the bush with an infusion of onion and garlic peels (pour 200 g with a liter of water). The whitefly is destroyed by means such as Confidor.

So how is mine doing? home garden. This quest becomes more and more exciting and takes on a grandiose scale. It’s as if the plants are trying to prove to me that they can not only entertain, but also feed our family, unless I give up this activity.

Today I decided to conduct an experiment.

Will a glazed balcony with a total area of ​​about two square meters and one window sill dedicated for vegetables (0.5 meters wide) will provide a family of two people with greenery in full: green onions, parsley, lettuce, chard, lemon balm.
In addition to this, I planted radishes, several bushes of tomatoes and cucumbers.

And of course, it was necessary to think through everything, since such a quantity of vegetables is cramped small balcony. We had to organize planting using a conveyor belt.

May 15

22nd of May. Lettuce, onion, parsley, basil, lemon balm, cucumbers, chard.

So far everything is going according to plan. I wrote about the onion conveyor here:
You can read about the salad conveyor in this article:

Now let's talk about tomatoes

Container size The space in which I grow vegetables matters.

For example, the most large containers look like this. This basket is for tall, large-fruited tomatoes and cucumbers.

It is angular and has a volume of 40 liters. It has a lot of holes on the sides and bottom - this is good: firstly, it’s lightweight, and secondly, there will be air access to the roots, because otherwise a large volume of soil can turn sour.
How I prepare a light “like fluff”, but nutritious soil is a separate topic.
But I’ll say right away that there is a large layer of birch charcoal at the bottom. Coal works well as drainage. It is lightweight, has disinfecting properties, but it is important for me that the water does not stagnate or turn sour in the basket. There are drainage holes in the bottom. The basket is on a pallet.

Such large containers are needed only for very tall indeterminate tomatoes.

And for short and especially dwarf ones, pots from 2 to 5 liters will do.
Grow low growing tomatoes I already know how to do this with small cherry fruits and with medium-sized (up to 60 g) fruits.
You can look at the results of previous years under the “tomatoes” tag or in this thread. Moreover, it also we're talking about about the size of the pots.

But the roots of tomatoes can grow very long and branched. Especially if the variety is indeterminate, that is, the vine grows indefinitely. ( Well, ad infinitum - this is relatively speaking, since winter is just around the corner). In short, the higher the bush grows, the longer the roots. And the more powerful the root system, the greater the harvest. Therefore, the volume of soil matters - tall tomatoes need a large pot! Minimum =10 liters. How more land, the more tomatoes there will be, and the larger they will grow.

This year I am trying to grow medium-sized, large-fruited tomatoes.

TOMATOES, which I like so far.

I sowed the seeds on March 8th. This is the most gigantic variety (for our balcony) - the plant is semi-determinate and they say it can grow in soil up to 1m.70 cm. The fruits weigh on average up to 300 g. There are also much more. Usually from 6 to 8 fruits per bush. But I would like to grow at least three.

It is advised to leave no more than three fruits on the first cluster. I did just that. The size of tomatoes is increasing by leaps and bounds.
The “tree” itself is also impressive - already 110 cm high. I grow it with two stems. The thickness of the trunk at the fork is about 3 cm. There are already a lot of brushes. For a balcony this is truly a giant.

And a week later they grew like this and a third one was added to them.

Pink elephants grow in a large basket.

And here is the variety "Grandma's Secret"- also large-fruited and tall variety- bloomed later, as it was sown two weeks later.
And planted in a 5 liter pot. Well, its stem is still thinner. It would be necessary to at least replant it in a large bucket.

Look at this harvest. Grows in 10 liter buckets.

photo from the net

Tomato variety "Grandma's Secret"

Of course, it is too early to draw conclusions. They still have to grow and grow.
The thing is that it's hot here. Not heat, but scorching heat. Yesterday in the sun during the day it was + 45 degrees and even in the shade outside it was +33.

I'm trying to lower the temperature on the balcony. The frames are completely open, the curtains are drawn, the house is cool - the breeze is blowing - and due to this, it also stays at +29 on the balcony. This critical temperature, at which tomatoes set fruit. At temperatures above +30, ovaries may not form at all. True, there was a thunderstorm in the evening and the temperature dropped sharply to +25. But this afternoon it’s again +39 in the sun.

And I come to the conclusion that large-fruited varieties should have been sown 10 days earlier so that they had time to bloom and set more fruits before the heat.

Three heroes"

Three weeks later than large-fruited ones, I sowed three seeds of a dwarf tomato Florida is amazing.
These “giants” should be approximately 20 cm tall. Planted exclusively in decorative purposes, in order to later create a composition in the same bowl with tomato and other plants.

This example clearly shows how the amount of land and the timing of replanting affect the yield.

All three grew safely at the same speed in the spring.
But I chose one, bet on it and transplanted it into a liter pot as soon as the roots filled the small seedling cup. The remaining two tomatoes continued to grow in glasses as spare ones.

And here is the result.
Timely transplanted into a larger volume of land, he became a real Ilya Muromets. Just as stocky and powerful. It bloomed profusely faster than all other varieties.

The first to set fruit. And there are so many of these fruits that he is literally covered with them on all sides. Side branches grow from all the axils, each of them also has a flower tassel. Tomatoes grow on average up to 3 cm in diameter.
If only large tomatoes would bloom and bear fruit like this! :-)

And the rest of the “heroes” let us down. Here are all three. A leader already with great fruits.

The one I decided to plant with basil has grown taller than everyone else, but it’s not even blooming yet.
So you need to transplant the seedlings IN A TIMELY manner into a larger volume of soil.

You can learn about the process of growing tomatoes, seedlings, feeding and other subtleties from my video and read in this article:

PARSLEY

And even using the example of parsley planted at the same time, but in containers of different volumes, it is clear that the greenery develops more actively in a large pot.

Undoubtedly, grow vegetables, including tomatoes, on your plot and collect own harvest always pleasant and flattering. But for those amateur gardeners who do not have their own suburban area, you should not despair. With the right approach, it is quite possible to grow tomatoes on the balcony. Let's look at how to do this step by step.

Growing tomatoes on the balcony is an easy and enjoyable activity.

Variety selection

Since the balcony is a limited space, it is important to choose the right crop variety. The tomato should have large, abundant fruits and be short-growing. Varieties such as Cascade Red, Red Pearl, micron-NK or Cherry are excellent for balconies.

Modern hybrid varieties also deserve attention:

• "F1 Balcony Red" is an early ripening variety. Tomatoes begin to ripen from the time sprouts appear after 3 months. The fruits are not large, but sugary and have a pleasant taste. The bush does not grow more than 30 cm and does not require cutting off the stepsons.
• "Balconies of Yelou". This hybrid variety is no higher than 45 cm, is early ripening and has lemon-colored fruits that are suitable for preservation for the winter.
• Excellent balcony tomatoes are represented by the Balcony Miracle variety. It is widely popular among hobbyists for its fertility and early maturity. One bush is capable of producing a rich harvest, up to 2 kg.
• "Pinocchio" is another popular variety. It is valued for its early fruit ripening and unpretentious conditions.

There are many hybrid varieties, which are successfully grown in cramped balcony conditions. The main thing is to choose a low and early ripening variety.

Tomato Balcony Yellow - a spectacular balcony variety

Sowing seeds

The second step is sowing the seeds of your favorite variety. Initially, the seeds are soaked for 20-30 minutes in a solution of potassium permanganate. Then they are kept for up to 10 hours in a growth stimulating agent, this can be an Epin solution.

After this, the seeds are transferred to a flat container and covered with a damp cloth. After 2-3 days, after they germinate and roots appear, the seeds are planted in pots with soil for seedlings. The seeds should be buried 1 cm, and the distance between them should be 3 cm.

The pots are covered with film and placed in a warm place. As soon as the sprouts appear, the dishes can be placed on the balcony. It is important to ensure that during the day it is not hotter than +25 ℃, and the night temperature is not lower than +15 ℃.

Water the seedlings with warm water. Excess moisture can lead to disease and mold. Drafts are also contraindicated.

Tomato seeds are planted in small pots

Conditions for seedling growth

Successful cultivation of tomatoes on the balcony depends on caring for the plantings, carried out according to all the rules. If the pots are located on the shaded side of the balcony, then the seedlings must be artificially illuminated for 3 hours in the morning and evening time. It would be enough.

If necessary, cover the plants at night. It is not permissible to overwater or overdry plants. Watering is carried out only with warm water.

As soon as the plant develops a second leaf, it can be picked. The soil for picking is taken the same as when planting seeds. The sprouts are carefully removed from the soil and placed in small pots. The seedlings are watered and placed in a shaded place.

Tomato seedlings are planted after the appearance of the second true leaf.

Soil and required care

For quality cultivation tomatoes on the balcony, you should carefully consider the composition of the soil. Can be purchased now ready-made mixtures- “Living Earth.” If you mix the soil yourself, you should take into account that tomatoes love sandy loam soils with acidity not exceeding 6.5 pH. The mixture is prepared from:

• 1 part peat;
• 1 part turf;
• 1 part manure humus.

Seedlings should be watered in the morning and evening, with morning watering being the main one. When watering in the evening, it is necessary to take into account the general air humidity and do not flood the plants. Watering should be done at the root of the plant.

You can feed the seedlings 40-60 days after sowing the seeds. Before transplanting seedlings into containers, permanent place, she is fed 3 times. The most ideal fertilizing is humus. It can be purchased at finished form . Fertilizing consists of pouring humus into a pot to a height of 2 cm. Each fertilizing strengthens the roots, they grow and absorb intensively useful material

and receive more and more necessary oxygen.

For successful seedling growth, an acceptable temperature ranges from +15 to +20 ℃. If the balcony has glazing, it must be ventilated regularly.

Tomatoes need constant circulation of fresh air.

Transplanting tomatoes into permanent containers After a month, when the plant has taken root and developed, it is transplanted into larger pots. The distance between plants is maintained at 25 cm. An original solution

There will be hanging pots. After some time, the stems will fall down, and the tomatoes on the balcony will form a composition unlike anything else. Expanded clay or broken tiles are placed at the bottom of the container to ensure drainage. The soil can be pre-enriched with ready-made organic fertilizer . The dish is filled 1/3 with prepared soil, then a seedling or several plants are placed there. The roots are straightened to the sides and pressed slightly to the ground. Next, add soil in small portions, periodically compacting it with your hands. Upper part

containers are not filled 1/3 with earth. After replanting, slowly water the plant with plenty of warm water so that the moisture is evenly absorbed into the soil.

Low-growing plants can be planted in two or three trunks side by side. To form a bush, no more than two stepsons should be left above the first brush. The remaining sprouts are removed as they appear. All diseased or dry leaves are also torn off to prevent the development of diseases. It is recommended to remove all flowers from the top when the first clusters of fruit appear. This is necessary so that beneficial substances and moisture are intended for the development of fruits.

To avoid the development of various diseases, such as late blight, plants are treated with a composition based on garlic and potassium permanganate. To do this, dilute half a large spoon of garlic and 0.5 g of potassium permanganate in 3 liters of water. For the same purposes, you can spray the bushes with a solution of phytosporin.

As soon as the fruits begin to turn pink, they are removed from the bush and placed in a box for further ripening. In this case, they will ripen without losing useful components, and will not take away the juices from the growing tomatoes.

And you can also use a little trick. In order for the plant to develop itself faster and form fruits, you can do the so-called “root tearing”.

To do this, take the plant closer to the root and slightly pull it out of the pot, as if trying to tear it out. This is how small roots are torn off. After the procedure, the plant is watered and covered with earth around the stem. Thus, the answer to the question of how to grow tomatoes on the balcony is simple. As in any business, it will take work and love. And when making the right choice varieties and consistent implementation of all the actions outlined above, success is guaranteed and you can get decent harvest on limited space

balcony

For many city residents and not only it has long been no secret that, for example, you can grow tomatoes on the balcony at home. To do this you need to know some nuances. And if we’re talking about tomatoes, let’s deal with them.

• To grow a crop of real fruits, you need to consider the following important points:

variety of tomatoes.

• In the conditions of a balcony or saucer, plants cannot be pollinated by insects, that is, the appropriate varieties must be selected. What kind of tomatoes these are, we will say below;

temperature and humidity.

• It is clear that when growing vegetables at home, they should grow in a warm climate in an apartment, without drafts and excessive dryness;

lighting. This is very important and one of the most important nuances in growing any crops and flowers at home. If your apartment does not have windows on the south or east side, then you will definitely need lamps for additional lighting. The same goes for unfavorable days

when the sun is constantly hidden behind the clouds. Otherwise, the seedlings will stretch upward in search of light, thin out and break at the very base. Or they will be frail.

So, let's take it in order.

Tomatoes on the balcony. Growing step by step The first thing you need to do is, of course, buy seeds. For you need to choose certain types. Manufacturers often indicate on the packaging information that this type tomatoes are used for growing indoors and at home.

Another important point- this is that the conditions on the balcony and, for example, in the greenhouse are completely different. And in indoors Often it is still not possible to obtain a harvest, although the seeds were good. Always choose better when buying. They are more resistant to various difficult conditions, they do not require scrupulous care or pollination.

What varieties of tomatoes should I choose for the balcony? You can take a closer look at the following tomatoes:

• "Angelica";
• "Pearl";
• "Florida Petite";
• "MiniBell";
• "Romantic";
• "Ballerina";
• "Cascade ed";
• "Yellow pearl."

Balcony tomatoes of the “Balcony Miracle” variety have also become very popular and in demand.

Important point!

For the balcony, it is better to take not only hybrid varieties, but also low-growing ones. Then you will avoid problems with the garter. Yes and high grades They have a well-developed root system, and it requires space.

Growing tomatoes on the balcony: preparing seeds and soil

This is very important stage on the way to growing any crops. Seeds of tomatoes, cucumbers and other vegetables should always be prepared in advance. Namely, we are talking about:

• selection of viable seeds by soaking in water. After which, based on the floating seeds, they judge the bad seed material that needs to be removed;
• disinfection, which consists of soaking the seeds in manganese for 15-25 minutes, after which they are washed and dried;
• about nutrition. Here everyone can choose their own method. Some people put seeds in Epin to improve germination, others soak them in different folk solutions, someone is using effective method bubbling (saturation of seed material with oxygen).

After the seeds are ready, you need to take care of the soil. To make it less troublesome for you, especially in apartments where it is not very easy to prepare your own soil, you can buy soil at any garden store. Take soil specifically for tomatoes or for general purpose.

Planting tomatoes

How to plant tomatoes on the balcony? To grow tomatoes on the balcony, you don’t need to spend a lot of effort. Do what is most convenient for you. If you have enough space, you can immediately plant each seed in a separate pot (peat ones are great for this), if there is little space, then plant in total capacity, but you will still have to pick the seedlings.

Garden stores offer different container options:

• you can buy a common long container, which is covered with a plastic lid on top, which is convenient;
• you can purchase a common container, but in which there are separate compartments for each seedling;
• you can buy peat tablets and cups;
• You can use available materials: plastic bottles, containers from dairy products.

The seeds are buried no more than 1 cm into the nutrient soil. Then the soil is lightly compacted and sprayed with a spray bottle. Next, if there is no special cover, they are covered with film and placed in the sun. When the sprouts appear, the cover is removed. Now watering and light are important. Again, we remind you about lamps - these can be either special lamps, fluorescent or even simple incandescent light bulbs.

Caring for seedlings at home

After they have sprouted, tomatoes must be constantly moistened. Use for watering warm water, which stood for a day. Be sure to ensure there is no excess moisture. If you planted the seedlings in the spring, when it is warm, then open the balcony for ventilation. By the way, it is worth mentioning that all dates for sowing and other matters should be looked at according to the lunar calendar.

When the seedlings have 2-3 true leaves, the seedlings are plucked, unless, of course, you planted them immediately in separate containers. After picking, 10-12 days later the tomatoes are fed. After which they wait another 2 weeks and feed again. During this period it is good to make complex mineral preparations from the shop. Afterwards, the tomatoes should be fed again when they set fruit and during fruiting. But here you need to take fertilizers that will not harm your health, that is, without chemicals.

If your tomatoes begin to stretch out or your variety is tall, you will also have to build a trellis or simply pull a rope for a garter. When planting, be sure to take into account information that indicates the presence of stepsons in a particular species. They need to be removed.

To keep the seedlings strong, harden them when it gets warmer. To do this, open the windows on the balcony, first for a short time, then leave them for the whole day and even at night.