Grow tomatoes at home. Tomato varieties for home growing. Useful window sill decoration

Tomatoes in winter, grown and ripened in your own garden, even on the windowsill, are where the special taste and joy lie. If your balcony is insulated, then tomatoes on the balcony will be no worse than on the windowsill.

Which varieties to choose

They sell a lot now different varieties. Which ones should you choose?

To grow tomatoes on a windowsill, it is best to choose seeds of low varieties. Their fruits, most often, are not very large or small. This is exactly what we need as they do not require much land for planting.

These varieties are Winter, Cherry, Yamal, Mini, Japanese Dwarf, Bullfinch, Snowdrop, Chinese Indoor, Balcony Charm, Polar Early and many other varieties.

To grow tomatoes on a balcony, if it is insulated, you can select taller and larger-fruited varieties. And care and everything else is no different from growing them on a windowsill.

What conditions are required for growing?

Indoor tomatoes grow well if you follow the necessary conditions. They don't like being overwatered. They need to be watered very carefully, otherwise they may get sick with blackleg or rot and die.

Tomatoes come from warm regions, they are native “Americans”, so they are heat-loving and need long sunny days. To provide this to them, it is necessary to keep the seedlings on the windows on the south side of the house, but this is not possible on the north side.

• On short winter days, seedlings need to artificially increase daylight hours and turn on additional lighting. It could be lamps daylight, energy-saving lamps or ordinary, fairly bright lighting. The daylight hours must be at least 12 hours.

• The temperature in the room can be reduced to 15-16°C at night, but during the day it should be at least 25-26°C. If the room is very hot, it is necessary to ventilate regularly; tomatoes are not afraid of drafts.

• Adding an excessive amount of organic fertilizers will cause strong growth of green mass, and few fruits will set, they will be small.

Step-by-step instructions for growing tomatoes

To grow indoor tomatoes, first we grow seedlings by purchasing seeds of the desired variety.

1. We start by germinating these seeds. Seeds must be treated to prevent late blight. We do this by soaking the seeds in a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate for 20-30 minutes.
2. Preparing the land for sowing. For this we need peat pots or plastic cups, not less than 200 ml. We fill them with a purchased special soil mixture or make (if you have your own plot) the mixture yourself: 5 parts of soil + 5 hours of humus + 2 hours of sand, you can add a little peat. To a 10 liter bucket of the mixture add 1 matchbox of urea + 1 box of potassium sulfate, a small handful wood ash. Mix all this well and scatter into the prepared container.
3. Sow the treated seeds. We moisten the prepared soil with a small amount of water and place 2-3 seeds in shallow, up to 1 cm, dimples and cover them with soil. To prevent the soil from drying out, cover the containers with seeds with glass or film until the sprouts sprout. Place in a warm, but not hot, place. Next we just have to wait for the shoots. If necessary, sometimes you need to moisten the soil a little to make it easier for the seeds to sprout.
4. After the shoots appear, remove the film, move the pots to the window, and make sure that the sprouts have light and warmth. We regularly water the tomatoes on the windowsill, but little by little, making sure there is no excess moisture in the soil.
5. After two true leaves appear, we make a pick, i.e. we seat the most strong shoots into a separate bowl where they will grow further. This dish should be significantly larger in size, its volume should correspond to approximately a 7-10 liter bucket.
6. Once every 10 days we feed the seedlings with ready-made mineral and organic fertilizers. How to breed and feed is usually written on the packaging. Do not forget to loosen the soil around the trunk, but very carefully, trying not to damage the roots.
7. As necessary, we tie the tomatoes to pegs, which we stick into the ground next to the trunk.
8. Stepsonning. During the period of plant growth, additional stems appear in the axils of the leaves - these are stepsons. They need to be removed, as they will take away nutrition from the fruit. You can leave 1 first stepson to form the second trunk of the plant.
9. When the fruits have already set, we leave 4-5 clusters on the trunk, the rest are removed along with the top of the stem and other inflorescences so that they do not interfere with the growth and ripening of the set fruits. Do not forget to remove dried leaves, including the lowest ones, which interfere with watering at the root. Tomatoes are self-pollinating plants, but they are also recommended to help pollinate. All you need to do is shake it slightly flowering plant or move a soft brush over the flowers. We do this very carefully. Tomatoes can become diseased without proper care. If the soil is excessively moistened, they are at risk fungal diseases, such as: mold on the leaves, rot on the stem or late blight - black spots on the leaves.
10. To prevent late blight, tomatoes (plants) are treated with an infusion of garlic and potassium permanganate, consisting of ½ tbsp. garlic + 1/2 gram of potassium permanganate, diluted in three liters of water. You can periodically spray with a solution of phytosporin.
11. Fruits that have become full and beginning to turn pink should be removed and placed to ripen on a window or in cardboard box. They will no longer take it for themselves useful material from still growing tomatoes.

Growing tomatoes on a windowsill is not a very difficult task, but to get good result, you need to put effort into this, like any other thing. Plants must be grown with love and diligence, then they will be large and tasty.

September 21, 2016
Specialization: master in construction plasterboard structures, finishing work and installation floor coverings. Installation of door and window units, finishing of facades, installation of electrical, plumbing and heating - I can give detailed advice on all types of work.

Growing tomatoes at home is quite an interesting and useful activity. The most important thing is that there is nothing complicated in the work due to the fact that modern conditions you can buy everything you need.

Another huge plus, in my opinion, is that you can grow tomatoes all year round, so if you wish, you can enjoy a fresh harvest for at least New Year, even on March 8 - no chemicals and no crazy expenses when buying.

How to get a great harvest

From the title it is clear that I will talk about five components, without which it is impossible to get a harvest at home. I want you to understand right away that the growing process is simple, but if you violate its individual requirements, you will get several times less harvest or even lose it completely in some cases.

Therefore, carefully read the agricultural technology; I am talking about the simplest option in my opinion, which requires minimal time and effort.

Factor 1 – seed selection

Even before starting work, you need to purchase a quality planting material. More depends on this than you think, for the simple reason that there are so many low-quality seeds on sale that the likelihood of buying something unknown is very high.

So that you do not make a mistake when choosing, remember a few simple tips:

• Buy seeds only in specialized stores. No markets, street stalls or other sellers on wheels - they are just likely to buy good product equal to zero. In addition, when selling on the street or in open structures the storage conditions of seeds are violated, which directly affects their germination;
• Pay attention to the seed manufacturer; the following companies have proven themselves best: “Gavrish”, “Russian Garden”, “Aelita”, “SeDek”, “Artikul”, “Plazmas”, “Poisk” and “Sortsemovoshch”. All types seed material These brands are zoned, that is, suitable for cultivation in all regions of our country. Foreign options are also suitable, because we choose seeds for growing indoors, and here the microclimate is approximately the same everywhere;

• When choosing a specific option, be sure to ensure that it is suitable for home grown . After all, most varieties for open ground are not suitable for our purposes. Below I will talk about specific varieties that I can recommend, but this is not a complete list, and there are many other good options on sale;
• Sellers should always have documentation of the quality of seeds. They won’t show you anything on the market due to lack of availability, so there can be no talk of any quality;
• You can purchase specially processed seeds, they can be in the form of pellets from a nutrient mixture, or they can be encrusted thin layer special composition, and can be treated with plasma. All these options are characterized by increased germination, but their price is noticeably higher than that of conventional seeds.

Remember that tomato seeds remain viable for 4-5 years. Therefore, check the date of manufacture; it is better not to take planting material produced more than 3 years ago.

Now let's look at specific varieties, I can recommend you several options:

Variety	Description
"Balcony Miracle"	Perhaps the most famous variety for home growing. It is distinguished by a fairly rapid ripening period of the first fruits, usually taking 85-100 days from the moment of germination. The height of the bushes is no more than 60 cm, they do not need staking, about 2 kg of fruit can be collected from one bush, the main advantage of this variety is its viability: tomatoes ripen even in low light
"F1 balcony red"	An early-ripening hybrid that begins to bear fruit 85 days after emergence; the fruits are small, but very sweet and aromatic. The bushes are low - up to 30 cm, the variety does not require pinching
"Bonsai"	The variety is named for its similarity to ornamental trees, small bushes round shape can reach a height of up to 30 cm and produce about 500 grams of yield. The fruits also ripen quite quickly - after 85-90 days
"Pinocchio"	This variety of cherry tomato is characterized by increased unpretentiousness; I will recommend it to you as an option for your first experience; it requires much less attention. The bush looks very attractive, the fruits ripen approximately 3 months after germination

Factor 2 – preparing everything you need

In addition to seeds, we will need many other ingredients. Let's look at their list:

• Soil for planting - if previously it was necessary to mix peat, compost and other components, these days it is much easier to buy ready-made option, which does not need to be disinfected. There is no need to save money and make the soil yourself, since the soil that you collect in the field or somewhere else may contain disease spores or pests. The finished soil is processed and enriched with nutrients, which significantly simplifies the work process;

• To create drainage at the bottom of boxes or pots, purchase fine expanded clay. Many people work without it, but tomatoes do not like waterlogging, so drainage will insure you against this factor, taking away excess moisture. You don’t need a lot of expanded clay or other granules - literally 2 cm is poured onto the bottom;
• For planting seeds for seedlings, it is better to adapt a box; options for flowers are well suited, they have optimal size and easy to carry. Another huge plus is their small width, thanks to this the container can be placed on the windowsill so that the seedlings grow better naturally;

• Seedlings, when they grow up, are best grown in separate cups; these can be either special options or ordinary ones plastic containers. The main thing is to have it on hand required amount cups so that you don’t have to run to the shops just before the transfer;
• On permanent place tomatoes are transplanted either into pots with a volume of at least 3 liters, or into boxes, again the volume per plant should be the same 3 liters. You must purchase the required number of containers, but do not forget that you must have enough space on the windowsills for them;
• To disinfect and treat seeds, purchase potassium permanganate, any growth stimulating composition, as well as a complex fertilizer that will be used to treat tomatoes.

If you grow tomatoes during periods with little daylight, you will additionally need a fluorescent lamp to illuminate the plants. Its use allows us to artificially increase daylight hours and significantly increase the productivity of our small plantation.

Factor 3 – preparation and planting of seeds

Now let's move on directly to the actions; the instructions for carrying out the work consist of the following steps:

• First you need to prepare the containers; I recommend planting the seeds in boxes, this simplifies the work process and allows you to then plant the already sprouted plants in their places. If you plant immediately in cups, not everything may sprout, and some of the containers will stand idle to no avail. The work is simple: fill the soil and water it hot water until well hydrated;
• Checking seeds is necessary in order to initially reject low-quality material if it is present. To check we need a glass warm water, into which a spoon is poured and thoroughly stirred table salt. Seeds are poured into the resulting solution and mixed well, after the movement in the container has calmed down, all high-quality seeds will be at the bottom, and damaged and empty ones will float up, they need to be drained;

If you have seeds in a nutrient solution or encrusted special composition, then there is no need to check them.

• The seeds should be processed; first of all, they are immersed in a solution of potassium permanganate for 15-20 minutes. After this, they need to be soaked in a solution of a plant growth stimulator, which is prepared as indicated on the package. The seeds are left for 10 hours; the easiest way is to soak them overnight so that you can plant them in the morning (if you plant in the evening, soak the seeds in the morning);
• The prepared seeds are planted in containers, lines 1.5-2 cm deep are made in the soil, into which the seeds are laid out in increments of 2.5-3 cm. There is no point in planting thicker, since tested and prepared seeds germinate almost 100%. The depressions are filled with soil and slightly compacted; there is no need to tamp too hard, this will make it difficult for the sprouts to break through to the surface.

The containers with seeds that we have prepared must be covered with transparent polyethylene; it prevents the evaporation of moisture and maintains the microclimate necessary for germination and does not impede the penetration of light. All boxes or boxes are placed in a warm place, the temperature should be about 30 degrees, so seedlings will appear in 3-5 days.

Factor 4 – growing seedlings

Now let’s figure out how to grow seedlings, since it is at this stage that problems often arise. Plants that have not yet matured are much more easily susceptible to various diseases and are much more sensitive to disturbances. optimal conditions growing. Therefore, we will analyze this part of the work in as much detail as possible:

• When a couple of false leaves have appeared on the plants and they have already risen above ground level, you can begin to harden them. The containers can be placed on the windowsill and ventilated; the temperature during this period should be 20-25 degrees. You should not expose the seedlings to drafts, do not lose sight of this nuance;

• To prevent young shoots from getting sick with black leg, which often destroys crops, it is necessary to observe several simple recommendations: do not over-moisten the soil, do not keep plants at temperatures below 20 degrees and remove weak shoots when plantings are dense. Remember that watering is only needed when the soil dries out, it should not be constantly wet;
• When our plants already have two true leaves, we can carry out the first fertilizing. For this, a composition is prepared, and its concentration should be half that for adult plants (that is, half the amount of dry powder is added to the water). Fertilizing is done in cloudy weather a couple of hours after watering or the next day after it, there is no need to pour the leaves, apply fertilizing to the soil;
• If there is light shining through the windows bright sun, then it is better to protect the plants from it with a sheet of paper, since young leaves can get burned. On such days it is better to keep our crops in the western or north side at home so they don’t get burned;

• When the plant has a couple of full-fledged leaves, you need to start replanting it into separate containers, it is best to use plastic cups, they are convenient for controlling soil moisture. When replanting, carefully dig up a bush with a piece of soil and plant it in a glass, after which it is watered and the plant is placed in a warm place with a temperature of 20-25 degrees;
• Once every two weeks you can water our seedlings with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, and fertilize with the same frequency. Above I wrote how to prepare a nutrient mixture, here everything is done in a similar way. To prevent mold, you can spray the plants with a milk solution (50 g per 500 g of water) once every 2 weeks; this is the simplest and most effective method prevention;
• During the growing process, carefully monitor the air temperature and periodically ventilate the room, this will prevent the appearance of whiteflies - small moths that lay eggs on seedlings. Rotate the seedlings periodically different sides to the window so that it grows evenly, and does not lean to one side and does not reach for the light;

• Approximately 3 weeks after transplantation, when the seedlings are sufficiently strong and begin to grow, they can be transplanted to a permanent place. They are best suited for these purposes (for small tomatoes, a volume of 3 liters is enough, for larger bushes it is better to take options 4-5 liters in size). You can also use boxes, in which case the distance between plants should be at least 25 cm;

If your tomato seedlings are withering on the window, then you need to urgently take action, most often the cause is insufficient watering or insufficient lighting. Therefore, if necessary, supplement the plants with light, and as for watering, remember that as plants grow, they consume more moisture, so its amount should constantly increase.

Factor 5 – proper plant care

Now let's figure out how to grow tomatoes on a window. To achieve best harvest, several important requirements must be observed:

• Plants should be placed on the south or east side to receive enough light. If you are growing tomatoes in autumn or winter period, then it is better to use additional lighting and use a lamp to increase daylight hours by 2-3 hours, this will significantly improve fruit set and ripening;
• The first feeding is carried out 3 weeks after transplantation to a permanent place, in the future this work is carried out once every two weeks. Spray the plants with a milk solution from time to time, since mold can also appear at any time if preventive measures are not taken;
• You should not water the tomatoes too often; this is done as the top layer of soil dries out; in cloudy seasons, watering is usually done once every 3 days, and in hot weather - every other day or even daily. In hot weather, you can spray plants with a household sprayer to prevent the leaves from drying out;
• When the air temperature is above 30 degrees, it is better to remove tomatoes from the sun so that they do not burn. In addition, being in the heat provokes the growth of plants in height, and we do not need this at all;
• Tomatoes are not afraid of drafts, so warm weather They can be taken out onto the balcony and the windows can be opened wide. In summer, you don’t have to bring them into the house at all, provided that the temperature at night does not drop below 15 degrees;

• When the tomatoes bloom, you need to shake the brushes with inflorescences in the morning to improve pollination. You can also treat the plants with a special composition “Ovary”, which improves the formation of fruits and helps increase productivity;

• If you have a variety that produces stepsons, then they must be broken off at a distance of 5 mm from the point of their formation. This is necessary so that excess nutrients are not wasted on them, and fruit set and ripening are accelerated;

If the bushes are tall or on small plants If a lot of ovaries have formed and there is a danger of damaging the bush, it is better to put a peg and tie the bush. The support allows you to withstand any load, and is required for bushes that are taller than 40 cm;

• When tomatoes begin to ripen, they should be picked so that the plant spends nutrients on the unripe ovaries. Don't worry if the tomatoes are sour, put them on the window and in 2 days they will become tasty and sweet.

Conclusion

Growing tomatoes is not difficult, the main thing is to do this work at least once, and then with experience everything will be completely simple. Your crops will take literally 10 minutes a day, so even those who get home late can grow tomatoes. The video in this article will help you understand the topic even better, and if you have questions, write them in the comments below.

September 21, 2016

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Tomatoes have been grown more and more often on the windowsill in winter lately. This method of obtaining vitamin vegetable products is different high level efficiency and low costs of both money and time.

Benefits of growing tomatoes at home

In a home greenhouse

In indoor mini-greenhouses you can grow not only seedlings for planting in open ground. This miniature design is quite suitable for cultivating dwarf tomato bushes and allows you to get a good harvest of small, aromatic fruits all year round.

Factory greenhouses are made from of stainless steel and also have them covered organic glass and a base in the form of a tray. Closed indoor mini-greenhouses equipped with automatically controlled lighting, temperature and humidity are called growboxes. In such “mini-greenhouses” tomatoes develop very well, and they have enough light, heat and moisture in full.

How to sow tomato seeds (video)

Growing tomatoes and caring for them in an ordinary city apartment is not much different from cultivating them in open ground and caring for them. indoor plants. However, this method provides an excellent opportunity to replace unhealthful store-bought vegetables with environmentally friendly and very tasty products grown with your own hands and with minimal investment of money and time.

Many years of research by breeders have made it possible to grow tomatoes all year round in room conditions. Enough varieties have been bred that are pleasing with harvests and are a natural decoration for the interior. Taking care of such tomatoes is no more difficult than taking care of garden bushes, which sometimes suffer from lack of moisture and pests. To grow fresh tomatoes in a pot on a windowsill or flowerpot, you need to know some agronomic nuances and, more importantly, choose the right variety.

Productivity of indoor tomatoes

Due to the compactness of the fruit with a high saturation of natural sugars, they are characterized by excellent taste. Some varieties have a pronounced decorative orientation and are not capable of producing a significant harvest. Such bushes are very beautiful, but their fruits are too small, few in number, and are not considered as a full-fledged fruit. food product, and are used to decorate dishes. But there are many tomatoes that can bear fruit of impressive size at home. Based on this, priority is given to one or another variety.

The weight of tomatoes varies from 15 to 130 grams. At the right approach available excellent result in the form of a low dense bush, completely covered with fruits. Over the entire fruiting cycle, such a potted tomato produces an average of 2 kg of high-quality harvest.

Potted tomatoes – perennials. Some time after the last tomatoes are harvested, the bush throws out fresh leaves and prepares to bear fruit again. The age of the plant sometimes reaches 5-6 years, but the most high yields given in the first 2 years.

Properties of decorative varieties

Before you start growing tomato crops, you need to understand that the microclimate of the premises differs from the natural environment of the garden, and any tomato will not do. When selecting seeds or seedlings, it is necessary that the variety has the following properties:

• short stature: flower pot will not provide the required set nutrients for a tall fruit-bearing plant, in addition, the question of sufficient space for growth will arise. Only special dwarf and low-growing varieties tomatoes are suitable for home growing;
• resistance to sunlight deficiency and diseases: short daylight hours and weak sun activity, especially on cloudy days, require additional lighting for normal plant growth. Indoor tomatoes can do without this and grow well in low light thanks to short internodes that do not allow the plant to stretch upward. Breeders bred hybrid varieties resistant to leaf mold and blackleg. They are the ones who demonstrate high levels of endurance and productivity with a minimum of care;
• standard (tree-like): tomato crops need pinching and tying. Such problems are unusual for standard varieties with the structure of a small tree - one strong central stem and a lush crown;
• ampelousness (hanging): some varieties of dwarf tomatoes are intended for planting in tall pots or flowerpots. Fruit-bearing stems grow from top to bottom, forming a flattened plant shape.

Read also:

When and how to plant tomatoes

Varieties of indoor tomatoes

Thanks to the popularity of growing tomatoes at home, several varieties stand out that are unpretentious and demonstrate stable yield results.

Standard varieties

Variety name	Description of the variety
"Room Surprise"	salad early ripening variety with bright red elongated fruits (25-30g), which are collected in clusters. The height of the tree-bush reaches 50 cm, and the best yield is achieved when using lighting
"Florida Petite"	a high-yielding variety with red round fruits (25-40 g), which are characterized by sweetness, juiciness and a strong aroma. The plant thrives in low light conditions. The height of the bush does not exceed 30-35 cm
"Balcony Miracle"	early-ripening large-fruited variety with round and sweet tomatoes weighing up to 100 g. Unpretentious standard bush grows up to half a meter high and adapts well to short daylight hours and low light conditions
"Pinocchio"	a universal low-growing variety (30 cm) with an abundance of small sweet fruits (20 g), collected in clusters. The yield is up to 1.5 kg. "Pinocchio" grows well in beds and pots, is not demanding of light, and is suitable for canning
"Window Yellow"	The variety is new, but very promising. A low standard bush (25 cm) is resistant to low light and during the fruiting period is completely covered with clusters of golden berries weighing up to 30 g

Ampel tomatoes

The choice of ampel-oriented varieties is more modest than that of their standard counterparts. But there are still a number of plants that agronomists like:

Variety name	Description of the variety
"Cherryfingers F1	A hybrid tomato with small elongated red fruits, collected in clusters of 8-10 pieces. Sparsely leafy stems grow up to 50 cm long and can produce a yield of up to 2 kg
"Citizen F1"	An early ripening variety with round red fruits (30 g), which have a rich taste. Easy to care for, can be used for vertical growth (with tying) and tolerates reduced lighting well
"Tumbler"	An extra-early tomato with a cascade-shaped bush and round tomatoes weighing 25-30 g. Productivity reaches 2 kg, but may decrease with a lack of light

Read also:

Magic balm for tomatoes

Also popular are ampelous varieties - “Talisman”, “Garden Pearl”, “Red Abundance F1”.

How to grow an indoor tomato

The practice of agricultural technology for potted tomatoes is based on growing a bush from seedlings. On average, the period from germination to harvesting of the first ripe fruits takes up to 3 months. This is important to consider if the goal is to obtain fresh tomatoes by a specific date. For example, a February harvest will be produced by a plant sown for seedlings at the end of October.

Sowing seeds

In order for the bush to grow strong and healthy, seeds are disinfected for 20-30 minutes in a weak solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate). Before processing the seeds, it is necessary to discard the half-empty and dry ones. To do this, they are placed for 10 minutes in salt water(1 teaspoon per glass). Those that float are thrown away. Disinfected seeds are sown in a box (common container) to a depth of 1-1.5 cm with an interval of 2-3 cm. Used as soil garden soil or purchased substrate.

Planting seedlings

The appearance of 2-3 true leaves on the seedlings indicates that the plant is ready for planting in a separate container. A cylindrical pot with drainage is optimal, the volume of which depends on the type of tomato:

• for dwarf children – 2 liters;
• for indoors – 3-4;
• for hanging ones – from 5.

Properly prepared nutrient soil is of great importance. The following composition is considered universal:

• 5 parts compost (rotted);
• 5 – garden soil;
• 2 – yellow sand;
• 1 – peat soil.

When making 8-10 kg of soil, you need to add half a glass of wood ash and 30 g ( Matchbox) potassium sulfate and urea (urea).

When planting seedlings, the stem must be buried no lower than the cotyledon leaves. Pots with planted seedlings are placed on the windowsill (preferably on southern windows) and turned to the sun with the other side 3 times during the week. In the morning, evening and on cloudy days, the seedlings are additionally illuminated with a phytolamp. After 7-8 days, nitrogen fertilizing of tomatoes is carried out (half dose).

Without having your own land plot, you can enjoy freshly picked aromatic tomatoes, growing them on a balcony or windowsill. Most often, people want to grow vegetables on the windowsill in winter, when summer season far away, but I want to tinker with the earth. But even in the warm season it is perfect solution for residents, for example, apartment buildings. Of course, this is not a way to fully feed your family, but it is an opportunity not only to save a little, but also to gain moral satisfaction. Everyone is pleased not only to see the result of their labor, but also to taste it, because vegetables grown with their own hands are always the most aromatic and tasty, and most importantly, healthy and not treated with pesticides.

Growing tomatoes and caring for them in an apartment is not much different from growing them in open ground and caring for indoor plants. But there are also some peculiarities. Breeders have developed a large number of tomato varieties specifically for growing indoors. If you want to grow tomatoes on a windowsill, it is better to choose low-growing varieties, for example, Florida Petite (Little Florida) and Oak. Outdoors, plants grow 25 - 35 cm tall. In the room they stretch up to 40 - 50 cm, but at the same time, the plant’s trunk is strong enough and there is no need to tie up the plants.
They are distinguished by their compact bush size and high decorative value. Fruits on them small size, but very tasty. And due to the fact that there are a lot of them on each bush, the harvest is quite decent. Also, such low-growing varieties as “Pinocchio”, “Balcony Miracle”, “Button”, “Bonsai”, “Mikron NK”, etc. have proven themselves well.

If you have a large, well-lit balcony or loggia, then you can try planting large-fruited and tall varieties: “Bullheart”, “Cream”, “De Barao”, “ White filling", "Carlson". But in this case, we must take into account that one such bush requires at least 10-15 liters of soil.

Planting tomatoes

In order for seedlings to appear faster, the seeds must be pre-soaked. To do this, you need to place them in a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate for 10-15 minutes. Then throw away the seeds that did not sink to the bottom, and take out the rest, wrap them in a wet cloth and wait for them to hatch. If the manufacturer has applied a special protective and nutritious film to the planting material, there is no need to soak it.

Suitable for planting tomatoes "Universal" soil, which you can buy or make yourself by mixing chernozem, sand and peat in equal proportions. To enrich the soil with minerals, it is better to add sifted charcoal. Before planting, the soil should be doused with boiling water and then allowed to cool. Thus, it will be disinfected, warmed up and well moisturized.

For sowing seeds You can use 200 ml plastic cups. It is advisable to choose transparent cups so that you can control the watering. You should not make holes for water at the bottom, since if the volume is small, the soil will not have time to absorb a sufficient amount of water. The glass must be filled with earth, leaving about a finger at the top free space. Make a hole 2 cm deep, plant 2 grains, fill the hole with soil. After this, the glasses should be covered plastic film to avoid moisture evaporation and place in dark place with a temperature of 24-26°C. On the third or fourth day, as soon as the first shoots appear, we transfer the crops to a cool windowsill with artificial lighting so that the seedlings do not stretch out too much, and do not water until upper layer the soil does not dry out to avoid the development of fungal diseases.

!!! Fungal diseases, the emergence and spread of which is facilitated by dampness, pose a great danger to tomatoes. The development of the disease is prevented by sunlight and free access fresh air. A good remedy to combat plant diseases is spraying Bordeaux mixture. To prepare it, you need to dissolve 10 g in 0.9 liters of water. copper sulfate in a glass container, and dilute 20 g of slaked lime in 0.1 liters of water. Pour the milk of lime into a thin stream of vitriol solution, stirring continuously. Ready mix stored for no more than 24 hours.

When two or three “real” leaves appear, transplant the tomatoes into large pots. For dwarf tomatoes, a container with a volume of 4-5 liters will be sufficient, but what more space, all the better. Place expanded clay or pieces of polystyrene at the bottom of the pot, add a 2-3 cm layer of sand and a little soil. Lightly water the seedlings, and then carefully remove them from the glass along with a lump of earth. Place the seedling in a pot and fill the free space with soil. If more than one sprout has grown, it is better to leave one of the healthiest ones and pinch off the rest with your hands at the root. Add 2-3 cm of soil on top and water. Thus, there should be 5-7 cm free in the pot to the top edge. This will make it possible to add soil to the pot as the plant grows, thereby replacing hilling.

Watering

Water the tomatoes depending on the return and time of year it should be different. In the first month of life of tomatoes, the soil should be moistened frequently, every day or every other day, but in moderation. Then the plants can be watered more abundantly and less frequently. When the tomatoes begin to bloom and the ovary appears, do not allow the soil to dry out. Doesn't like tomato high humidity. It is advisable to water the plants a couple of times a week, thoroughly moistening the soil. For irrigation, it is better to use water at a temperature of 20-25°C. There is no need to wash away the soil under the bush - just keep it moist. It is best to water the plants in the evening. If it so happens that you need to water during the day, then it is better to do it through the pan. You should not water tomatoes on a sunny day. Water should not fall on the leaves or trunk of the plant, since water droplets, like small lenses, focus Sun rays and plants may get burned. On particularly hot days summer days or if the air at home is very dry, spraying can help. During this period, adhere to the rule “it is better to overfill than underfill.” But in the winter and cloudy days, on the contrary, “it’s better to underfill than overfill.”

Lighting

Tomatoes are very demanding on lighting. To not use artificial lighting, it is better to plant seeds in late March - early April, and place the plants in the south or southeast. For uniform lighting, once every two days you can turn the tomatoes with the other side towards the window.

On cloudy short winter days, it is simply impossible to grow lush bushes in an apartment without additional lighting. It is no secret that light is the main component of the process of photosynthesis, which is important for a plant, without which normal growth and development of the plant does not occur.

You can organize additional lighting using fluorescent lamps white and daylight. Such lamps give something similar to sunlight illumination and do not emit heat. Therefore, they can be placed quite close to the plants. Also, in specialized stores you can purchase phytolamps adapted specifically for indoor growing vegetables

Top dressing tomato

For better fruiting, it is recommended to carry out feeding plants with organic fertilizers. Should not be used chemical substances, since there is a high risk of overdoing the dosage and getting fruits full of nitrates, because if manure, ash and others organic fertilizers provided by nature itself and plants will take exactly as many nutrients as they need, then chemical fertilizers are absorbed by the plant uncontrollably. And if you overfeed, then at best the plant will die, and in the worst case (for you), the plants will become lush and beautiful, but their fruits can be poisoned. Therefore, it is better to use only organic fertilizers for fruit-bearing plants.

You can feed tomatoes with well-rotted manure diluted in water. You can prepare it in advance at the dacha, let it rot, and store it for the winter, and put it on the balcony to rot. When manure is overcooked, it smells quite strongly. If you need to fertilize, but there is no balcony where the manure in any container could rot, then you can feed it with horse manure. When it overheats, it practically does not smell. They can also be fed unrotted. Feeding with water infused with manure should be done once a week or two. You can alternate it with feeding with ash.

Fertilizing with manure stimulates plant growth and flower formation. But plants may not be able to cope with the abundance of color, and the flowers will fall off without forming ovaries ( when 2-3 bunches of tomatoes are set, remove the remaining peduncles and stepsons to reduce the load on the plant). In this case, the solution to the situation will be ash. It promotes the formation of ovaries, as well as the growth and ripening of fruits. Ash can simply be sprinkled on the ground around the plant or diluted in water and fed with this solution.

To feed with manure, it is enough to dilute two tablespoons of manure (heaped) in a liter of water. To feed with ash, one teaspoon of ash should be diluted in a liter of water.

Stepsoning

Further care of plants certainly includes such items as pinching and bush formation. So-called stepsons grow from the axils of the leaves. Their growth requires quite a lot of nutrients necessary for flowering and fruit formation. In order for there to be more fruit, the stepsons must be removed so that the yield does not suffer. It is best to do this when the stepson has grown 1 - 3 cm long, breaking it off with your hands rather than cutting it off to avoid infection of the plants.

When forming a bush, only one stepson is left - under the first inflorescence of the raceme, thus forming a plant with two stems. If necessary, we tie the stems to pegs. In addition to stepsons, it is advisable to remove yellowed and damaged leaves.

Tying up

All varieties of tomatoes, with the exception of low-growing ones, require staking. Otherwise, the plant may not support its own weight and its trunk may break. If tomatoes grow on the balcony, then you need to think in a timely manner where the plants will be tied up.

Medium-sized varieties can be tied to a peg. When planting tomatoes in big pot, together with the plant, they also dig in a peg, 50 - 60 cm long (from ground level). When the plant reaches the right size, it can be tied to this peg without any problems.
If you do not prepare in advance and do not dig a peg, then later, when the plant is already large, it can damage the roots.
You can tie it with an old nylon stocking or a strip of flannel cloth. Just do this carefully; the node should not be placed on the plant.

Pollination

Tomatoes do not require artificial pollination, but for better tying, you can lightly tap the stem several times a week, shaking the flower brushes. After the main part of the fruits has formed, the top of the plant, like the flowering racemes, should be removed, as they will not allow the already formed fruits to fully develop.

With poor ventilation, high temperature ambient air, insufficient soil moisture and poor lighting, plant leaves do not curl, but stretch upward, flowers and fruits fall off. It is necessary to frequently ventilate the room and water the plants, carefully monitor temperature conditions. With excessive watering and fertilizing, on the contrary, a powerful dark green bush with weak flower clusters is formed. In this case, the plant is fed less frequently, the soil is not watered for about a week, and the flowers are pollinated by hand using cotton swabs.

Lemons grown in an apartment look very beautiful (and tasty).

Basic recommendations for successfully growing tomatoes on a windowsill or balcony

- It is better to give preference to small-fruited but high-yielding hybrids and varieties of tomatoes. In a small area, it is difficult for a plant to grow large fruits; there will be few of them or they will take a long time to ripen. The small fruits ripen gradually, which will provide fresh vegetables every day.

- Plays an important role right choice seeds. For growing in a city apartment, the most suitable are self-pollinating, early-ripening, low-growing or bush hybrids. Nowadays, special varieties have also been bred for home cultivation (in this case, the seed bags will indicate “suitable for growing in an apartment”).

- So that a beautiful, juicy, fruit-bearing bush grows from a seed, the plant must be provided with the appropriate temperature and the required amount of light. Beds with vegetables should be placed on south or south-east windows. On short winter days, additional illumination with fluorescent lamps is mandatory.

- Do not allow the soil to dry out. In hot weather, the plant can shed flowers and ovaries. If you don’t have time to monitor soil moisture, you can install an “irrigation system.” To do this you need to dig into the ground plastic bottle, having previously made several holes in it. Which side to dig in depends on the size of the pot. The main thing is that there is a funnel on the surface for pouring water. This way, the roots will constantly receive moisture, and the soil on top will not be covered with a crust.

- Feed the plants once a month is enough. During flowering, the branches need to be swayed a little to improve pollination. For these purposes you can use universal fertilizer for indoor flowers or specialized growth concentrates. But it is very important not to overuse fertilizers; the saying “you can’t spoil porridge with oil” is inappropriate here. The norm specified in the instructions for the fertilizer cannot be exceeded. It’s even better to divide it into two times (it’s better to feed it more often). To avoid burning the roots, the plant must first be watered. clean water, and only then - with a fertilizer solution.

- Pots with seedlings and adult bushes must be turned 180 degrees once a day. This is necessary so that the bushes are even, since plants tend to bend towards the light. And, at the same time, it is necessary to protect plants from the scorching rays of the sun. Leaf burns and yield can be significantly reduced, and appearance the plants will be ruined. To do this, you can “tint” the glass with white paper - and the room will not be so hot, and the plants will become more comfortable.

- You should not pick tomatoes that are not ripe. When they ripen on the bush, they become fragrant and juicy. This is exactly what we lack in purchased fruits

- Do not force plants to compete. By planting two bushes in one pot, you may not only not increase the yield, but even lose it altogether. If there is nowhere to replant the extra plants, it is better to throw them away altogether, and then the remaining ones will delight you with a generous harvest.

P.S. It's no secret that many insects, including mosquitoes and ants, cannot stand specific smell tomato tops. Several pots of plants tomatoes on the windowsill will become a reliable barrier against mosquitoes in the hot season.