Growing cherry tomatoes on the balcony and windowsill
Fresh tomatoes are needed all year round, but store tomatoes are expensive and not always healthy. The manufacturer is increasingly beginning to use all sorts of additives, which deprives vegetables of taste. Housewives have long been growing small and sweet cherry tomatoes on their balconies. It is not only a great ingredient in your salads, but also an original, decorative decoration for your home.
Growing cherry tomatoes on the balcony and windowsill
Red cherries are another name for this plant, it can be grown even in winter, at home. One or two bushes will create a mini-cottage on your balcony. Even children can take part in growing, this will develop them.
Description of the variety
Cherry tomatoes are small, sweet, round (sometimes long) tomatoes.
The weight of one fruit varies from 10 to 30 grams. Most often they are used in salads, in appetizers or served fresh, less often canned. Surprisingly, several varieties of Cherry are dried.
Outwardly, the variety resembles cherries - that's why they were named Cherry (from English cherry). Used by gardeners since the early 19th century, the northern part of Chile is considered the birthplace of tomatoes.
Advantages and disadvantages
Advantages:
- early, ripens quickly;
- excellent taste, sweet;
- contains a supply of nutrients, vitamins B, C, A;
- unique decoration for your apartment;
- are low in calories;
- can be preserved and dried;
- resistant to common diseases;
- withstands temperature differences;
- stay fresh for a long time;
- grow and bear fruit faster than late blight develops;
- you can grow at home.
Disadvantages:
- bushes can grow up to two meters;
- it is necessary to tie up the plant;
- because of the thin peel, it is poorly served during transportation;
- tomatoes of this variety need a lot of light;
- sensitive to soil moisture.
Landing
Tomatoes are best grown in the southern window
Cherry houses produce crops when a few simple rules are followed. We grow cherry tomatoes, choose undersized varieties.
A window sill or balcony is chosen east or south - this is to provide our plant with light. Tomatoes may need extra light or they will shed their buds. They put a lamp with shortwave light. Experienced growers recommend choosing wide window sills.
Capacity
It is necessary to choose a container for growing - this is a very important stage. The pot should be round, not deep up to 12 - 15 centimeters, with a diameter of 20 centimeters - this will provide the root system with comfortable conditions and make it possible to grow an excellent harvest. An ordinary iron bucket will do, the plant in such a container will be resistant to late blight. Iron retains and inhibits the fungus.
Priming
The soil is prepared in advance. The preparation of the substrate will not be difficult, it is necessary to take an equal amount of sand, humus, and mix it with the ground. The ground is disinfected by steaming. Charcoal contains all the necessary elements, you can add instead of mineral fertilizers.Add crushed eggshells, 30-60 grams will be sufficient. Also, you can simply purchase ready-made soil in the store, the main thing is that it be loose, light and contain all the necessary elements.
Seed selection
The seedling quality depends on the seeds. It is necessary to prepare seeds for planting in the apartment. Disinfection - Place the seeds in a weak solution of potassium permanganate and water. Then rinse them under running water. Seeds can be spoiled, in order to check and remove unsuitable ones, it is necessary to make a saline solution and place the seeds in it, those that float will not sprout. Choose the largest seeds and place them in a warm place before planting.
How to plant
The seed must be buried by 0.5 centimeters, sprinkled with earth, but not more than 1 centimeter. Warm up the soil additionally, you can cover it with a film - this will accelerate germination. With the appearance of the first shoots, the film is removed. Watering lightly, pouring plenty of water will be a mistake.
After 5-10 days, the first shoots will appear, the temperature should be no higher than 24-27 degrees.
Your balcony can serve as an excellent platform for tomatoes, but you need to choose a quality variety. Experienced vegetable growers offer the following types of tomatoes: Businka F1, Cherry, Likopa, Craiova, Zelenushka F, Cherry Lisa F1, Minibel, Bonsai, Malyutka, Pygmy, Craiova.
Care
It is very easy to grow if you know how to react to the quirks of a tomato from Latin America. The type of cherry tomatoes is self-pollinated, but at home, problems arise. It is necessary to stroke the flowers with a brush - this will irritate them and dust them at the same time. Excessive humidity, like temperatures over 30 degrees, makes it difficult for the ovaries to develop. With insufficient lighting at home (in cloudy weather), watering is halved. When the first stepsons appear - think about what you will do with them - leave or cut off. The abandoned stepchildren will consume water and nutrients, but they will also bear fruit. The bush will be more lush and beautiful and will serve as a decorative decoration.
It is necessary to loosen the soil and water. Insufficient moisture can cause the tomatoes to crack. Regardless of what kind of variety you have, tall or not very tall, the plant needs to be tied up, otherwise the fruits will break.
To grow tomatoes in an apartment and collect a bountiful harvest, you need to feed them regularly. This is done every seven days with mineral fertilizers, but guided by a recipe. They are fed at the seedling stage, also when small, green tomatoes have formed. No fertilization is needed while the ovaries are forming.
Conclusion
Cherry tomatoes on a windowsill or balcony are very easy to grow. It is surprising that tomatoes of this variety contain several times more sugar than other types of tomatoes, and at the same time contain fewer calories.
Keeping to simple rules of care, you can achieve that our cherry will bear fruit for 4-5 months in a row.
A tomato bush at home is not only tomatoes all year round, but also a special decorative decoration.