Plant tomato in pot: 5 Tips for Growing Tomatoes in Pots

Description of the essence of the method

People resort to this method in winter, when they want to eat fresh and at the same time more fragrant and tasty, and most importantly, healthy vegetable, because it is not treated with chemicals.

Growing tomatoes in a pot is not much different from growing them in a vegetable garden, but there are certain differences. To date, many varieties of so-called potted tomatoes have been bred.

Low growing varieties are the best choice. When grown in open ground, tomato bushes can grow up to 25-35 centimeters, but indoor ones grow up to 40-50 centimeters. The trunk of such tomatoes is very strong and does not need to be tied up. They have compact bushes and a decorative look. The fruits on such bushes are small in size, but very tasty . It is due to the small size that a lot of fruits grow.

Pros and cons of an above ground vegetable garden

Before you start growing potted tomatoes, it’s worth learning about the advantages and disadvantages of this method.

Benefits:

• savings on purchase;
• easy to grow and maintain;
• possibility of growing all year round;
• an abundance of green color in the room, which will calm the nerves and relieve stress;
• positive emotions for those who like to work in the ground.

Disadvantages:

• the smell of tomato leaves can cause migraines;
• high room humidity;
• possible occurrence of harmful bacteria in case of plant disease;
• lack of lighting in the room due to the height of the bushes.

Preparation

Tanks

The good development and condition of the plant and its roots, and later the quality of the fruit, depends on the correct selection of the planting tank.

Each bush needs a separate pot . The volume of such a pot should be at least 5 liters. But for shorter varieties, a three or four-liter pot may also be suitable. It should also be wide and have a cylindrical shape so that the roots can freely fit in it. Of great importance is the width, not the depth of the container. Such a container should have drainage holes so that there is no stagnant water.

When choosing a container for planting tomatoes, pay attention to the material from which it is made. It is best to choose pots that will not heat up quickly, such as clay or ceramic. If your choice fell on a plastic pot, then it is better to choose a white or light shade so that it does not attract a lot of sun.

Selecting Tomato Seeds

The selection of planting seeds should be taken very seriously. Seeds should be large and whole, without spots and darkening.

Low-growing varieties are suitable for growing in pots on windowsills. The choice of variety depends on the size of the window sill on which they will grow.

For a window sill

Small dwarf varieties of tomatoes are suitable for a small window sill.

Minibel

Up to 30 cm high, compact clusters of 8-10 fruits weighing 20-40 grams. Incredibly tasty and juicy tomatoes .

Florida Petit

Bush 30 cm high, bright red shade sweet tomatoes weighing 30-40 grams. One bunch has 15-20 fruits.

Balcony miracle

Early maturing home variety with pink tomatoes weighing 20-30 grams. Harvest already after 80 days .

We offer you to watch a video about the tomato Balcony miracle:

Balcony red

The height of the bush is about 30 cm , on which small bright red, sweet and fragrant fruits.

We offer you to watch a video about the balcony red tomato:

Bonsai

The yield per 30 cm bush is 500-600 grams of small red tomatoes. Despite the size, the tomatoes are very tasty .

We offer you to watch a video about the Bonsai tomato:

Bonsai micro

A bush of 15 cm, on which fragrant tiny fruits.

Pinocchio

The best variety for home growing in pots. Pinocchio variety is unpretentious and grows well .

We offer you to watch a video about the Pinocchio tomato:

For a balcony

For a wider insulated, with a large area for placing pots, larger varieties of tomatoes are suitable: . fruits are sweet and sour, yellow.

Red and yellow pearl

Height up to 50 cm. has sweet fruits weighing 50 grams.

Hermitage

These tomatoes can weigh up to 100 grams.

Native

Early variety with large raspberry fruits weighing up to 180 grams.

Igranda

Variety with round, fleshy bright red tomatoes up to 150 grams in weight.

Russian troika

Bush 60 cm high, fruits very large, fragrant up to 300 grams.

To select the right variety of tomato for you to grow, you need to plant several varieties and observe their behavior during growth.

Soil

Soil can be purchased from a specialist shop or prepared by yourself . It is better to stay on the ground that you prepare yourself. It is necessary to take black soil, sand and peat in equal parts. Also, this composition is enriched with minerals. Sifted charcoal is best. The soil is pre-disinfected by dousing it with boiling water.

If you decide to buy ready-made primer, then stop at the “Universal” primer.

Fit

Planting a tomato involves several important steps.

Seed disinfection

This procedure is carried out to prevent late blight. Seeds are soaked for 20 minutes in a weak manganese solution . Further, to increase germination, the seeds are placed for 10-12 hours in a growth stimulator.

Read more about how to process tomato seeds before sowing in our material.

Germination

Seeds selected for cultivation should be placed in a small bowl and covered with moistened gauze. Then they are sent to heat for 3-4 days. Over time, the seeds appear small roots. After that, we choose a place for planting.

Container and soil composition

The best option for growing is plastic or peat container up to 200 ml. It is possible to use small pallets.

The container must be filled with soil. It is recommended to use the following mixtures:

• An earthen mixture of 45% black soil, 5% sand and 50% humus is pre-treated with manganese. It is important that it is not clayey.
• A mixture of 5 parts of soil and humus, and 1 part of sand and peat.

Urea (8-10 g per bucket), wood ash (1-2 cups), superphosphate (40 g) and potash fertilizers (40 g) are added to this mixture. Then it is well mixed and distributed in containers.

Planting

Place the seeds in small holes at a distance of 2 cm and a depth of 1-1. 5 cm. Moisten the soil before sowing . After sowing the seeds in the ground, the containers with them are covered with glass or film.

Tanks are stored in a warm place with a temperature of +25…+30 degrees until germination.

Picking

After the appearance of the first shoots, the containers are transferred to a place with a day temperature of +22 … +25 degrees, and a night temperature of +15 … +17.

After the appearance of at least two leaves, tomatoes dive and planted in a permanent place. You can learn more about growing tomato seedlings from seeds without picking here.

Maintenance and watering

Watering will vary depending on age and season. During the first month, the soil should be watered moderately daily or every other day. Further watering is carried out less often, but more abundantly. From the moment the ovary appears, the drying of the soil is unacceptable. Water for irrigation should be at room temperature + 20-25 degrees. The soil should be moist, not eroded.

Watering is best in the evening . In the daytime, it is better to water through the pan. Do not water tomatoes on particularly sunny days. Spraying helps on hot days. In hot periods, it is better to overfill, and in winter, on the contrary, underfill.

Lighting

This point should also be given a lot of attention, as tomatoes are very demanding on light.

Grow on the south or southeast side. In case of insufficient lighting, it is necessary to additionally highlight the bushes.

Turn the bushes to the light once every 2 days to get even light.

On cloudy or winter days, extra lighting is required . To do this, use lamps with white or daylight, which can be placed close to the bushes.

Top dressing

Organic fertilizers are used for top dressing. In order not to spoil the crop, no chemicals are used. Well-rotted manure diluted in water is also well suited. To do this, 2 tablespoons of manure is diluted in 1 liter of water. You can also feed with ashes. Take 1 teaspoon of ash per 1 liter of liquid.

Pasynkovanie

Additional stalks may appear in the leaf axils, which are called pasyns. To get a good harvest stepchildren must be removed from the bush . They do this when it grows from 1 to 3 cm. They simply break it off with their hands. Do not cut as this can lead to infection.

Yellowed or damaged leaves may also appear, which should also be removed.

Supports

Supports and ties are not necessary for undersized tomato varieties. Others simply need them.

Pegs are best used for support. To do this, when planting tomatoes in the ground, they dig a peg 50-60 cm long (above the ground). When the need arises, the plant can easily be tied to this peg. If the peg is not dug in immediately, but done when the bush grows, then the root system can be damaged.

For tying, use a nylon stocking or a strip of flannel fabric. Do this very carefully, without placing a node on the plant.

What result should be expected?

With proper care, you will get a good harvest of juicy, fragrant and very tasty tomatoes.

Fruit should not be left until fully ripe. They must be collected in an unripe form.

Common errors

• Excess moisture and high humidity in the room.
• Drafts in the room.
• Too much fertilizer.
• Lack of room to grow.
• Lack of light.
• Lack of nutrients in the soil.

Both children and adults love tomatoes, and their benefits for the body can hardly be overestimated. Our experts have prepared a series of materials on how tomato seedlings are grown, including in peat tablets, in the Chinese way, in five-liter and other bottles without a pick, in a snail.

All these errors can lead to diseases, wilting and death of bushes, as well as affect the quality of the crop.

We grow tomatoes at home at any time of the year

If you don’t have your own land, you can enjoy freshly picked fragrant tomatoes by growing them on a balcony or windowsill . Most often, people want to grow vegetables on the windowsill in winter, when the summer season is far away, but they want to tinker with the ground. But even in the warm season, this is an excellent solution for residents, for example, apartment buildings. Of course, this is not a way to fully feed the family, but an opportunity not only to save a little, but also to get moral satisfaction. It is pleasant for everyone not only to see the result of their work, but also to taste it, because vegetables grown with their own hands are always the most fragrant and tasty, and most importantly, healthy and not treated with pesticides.

Growing and caring for tomatoes in an apartment is not much different from growing them outdoors and caring for indoor plants. But there are also some features. Breeders have bred a large number of tomato varieties specifically for growing in a room. If you want to grow tomatoes on a windowsill, then it is best to choose undersized varieties, such as Florida Petit (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 trunk of the plant is strong enough and you don’t have to tie up the plants.
They are distinguished by their compact size and high decorative effect. The fruits on them are small in 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, low-growing varieties such as Pinocchio, Balcony Miracle, Buttons, Bonsai, Mikron NK, etc. have proven themselves well.

If you have a large, well-lit balcony or loggia, then you can try to plant large-fruited and tall varieties: “Bull’s Heart”, “Cream”, “De Barao”, “White Pouring”, “Carlson”. But in this case, it must be taken into account that for one such bush you need at least 10-15 liters of soil.

Planting tomatoes

Soak seeds in order to sprout faster. To do this, place them in a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate for 10-15 minutes. Then throw out the seeds that have not sunk to the bottom, and take out the rest, wrap them in a wet cloth and wait for them to hatch. If the manufacturer applied a special protective and nourishing film to the planting material, soaking is not necessary.

For planting tomatoes, “Universal” soil is suitable, which you can buy or make yourself by mixing black soil, sand and peat in equal proportions. To enrich the earth 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 moistened.

200 ml plastic cups can be used for seeding . It is desirable to choose glasses transparent so that you can control watering. Do not make holes for water at the bottom, because with a small volume, the soil will not have time to absorb enough water. The glass must be filled with earth, leaving at the top somewhere on the finger of free space. Make a hole 2 cm deep, plant 2 seeds, fill the hole with soil. After that, the glasses should be covered with plastic wrap to prevent moisture evaporation and placed in a 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 window sill with artificial lighting so that the seedlings do not stretch too much, and do not water until the top layer of soil dries out to avoid the development of fungal diseases.

!!! Tomatoes are most dangerous for fungal diseases, the appearance and spread of which is facilitated by dampness. The development of the disease is prevented by sunlight and free access to fresh air. A good way to combat plant diseases is to spray with a Bordeaux mixture. To prepare it, it is necessary to dissolve 10 g of copper sulfate in a glass dish in 0.9 l of water, and dilute 20 g of slaked lime in 0.1 l of water. Pour milk of lime in a thin stream into the solution of vitriol, with continuous stirring. The finished mixture is stored for no more than 24 hours.

When two or three “real” leaves appear, transplant the tomatoes into large pots. For dwarf tomatoes, a 4-5 liter container will suffice, but the more space, the better. At the bottom of the pot, put expanded clay or pieces of foam, pour a layer of sand 2-3 cm and some soil. Lightly water the seedlings, and then carefully remove from the glass along with a clod of earth. Place the seedling in a pot, and fill the free space with soil. If more than one sprout has grown, then it is better to leave the healthiest one, and pinch off the rest with your hands at the root. Top up with 2-3 cm of earth and water. Thus, 5-7 cm should remain free in the pot to the top edge. This will make it possible to pour soil into the pot as the plant grows, thereby replacing hilling.

Watering

Tomatoes should be watered differently depending on the return and season. In the first month of tomato life, the soil should be moistened often, every day or every other day, but moderately. Further, the plants can be watered more abundantly and less frequently. When the tomatoes begin to bloom and the ovary appears, do not allow the earth to dry out. Tomatoes do not like high humidity. It is advisable to water the plants a couple of times a week, abundantly wetting the soil. For irrigation, it is better to use water at a temperature of 20-25 ° C. It is not necessary to erode the soil under the bush – it is enough that it is wet. It is best to water the plants in the evening. If it so happened that you need to water during the day, then it is better to do it through the pan. Do not water tomatoes on a sunny day. Water should not fall on the leaves or the trunk of the plant, because water droplets, like small lenses, focus the sun’s rays and plants can get burned. On particularly hot summer days, or if the air at home is very dry, spraying can save. During this period, adhere to the rule “it is better to overfill than underfill.” But the winter period and cloudy days, on the contrary, “it’s better to underfill than overfill. ”

Lighting

Tomatoes are very light demanding. In order not to 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 every two days, you can turn the tomatoes with the other side to 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 a plant does not occur.

Additional illumination can be arranged using white and daylight fluorescent lamps. Such lamps give a light similar to sunlight and at the same time do not emit heat. Therefore, they can be placed close enough to plants. Also, in specialized stores you can buy fitolamps adapted specifically for indoor growing vegetables.

Top dressing of tomatoes

For better fruiting, it is recommended to feed plants with organic fertilizers once every two weeks . You should not use chemicals, as there is a high risk of overdosing with the dosage and getting fruits full of nitrates, because if manure, ash and other organic fertilizers are provided by nature itself and plants 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 at worst (for you) case, the plants will become lush and beautiful, but their fruits can be poisoned. Therefore, for fruit-bearing plants, it is better to use only organic fertilizers.

Tomatoes can be fed with well-rotted manure diluted in water. It can be prepared in advance at the dacha, allowed to overheat, and stock up for the winter, and put to overheat on the balcony. When the manure is overheated, it smells quite strongly. If it is necessary to fertilize, but there is no balcony where manure in any container could overheat, then you can feed it with horse manure. When it overheats, it practically does not smell. They can be fed and not overripe. Top dressing with water infused with manure should be carried out once a week or two. You can alternate it with top dressing ash.

Fertilizing with manure stimulates plant growth and flower formation. But the 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 tied, remove the remaining peduncles and stepchildren to reduce the load on the plant ). In this case, the way out of 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.

For fertilizing with manure, it is enough to dilute two tablespoons of manure (with a slide) in a liter of water. For top dressing with ash – one teaspoon of ash must be diluted in a liter of water.

Stepping

Further care of plants necessarily includes such items as pinching and bush formation. From the axils of the leaves grow the so-called stepchildren. Their growth requires a lot of nutrients necessary for flowering and fruit formation. In order to have more fruits, stepchildren must be removed so that the yield does not suffer. This is best done when the stepson has grown 1 – 3 cm long, breaking off with his hands, and not cutting off, to avoid infecting the plants.

When forming a bush, only one stepson is left – under the first inflorescence of the brush, thus forming a plant in two stems. Tie the stems to stakes as needed. In addition to stepchildren, it is desirable to remove yellowed and damaged leaves.

Tying up

All varieties of tomatoes, except for stunted ones, require tying up. Otherwise, the plant may not support its own weight and its trunk may break. If tomatoes grow on a 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 a large pot, a peg is also dug in with the plant, 50-60 cm long (from ground level). When the plant reaches the desired size, it can be tied to this peg without any problems.
If you do not prepare in advance and do not dig in a peg, then later, when the plant is already large, it will be possible to damage the roots.
You can tie up with an old nylon stocking, or a strip of flannel cloth. Just do it carefully, the node should not be placed on the plant.

Just like tomatoes, it is quite easy to grow cucumbers on the balcony all year round.

Pollination

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

In case of poor ventilation, high ambient temperature, insufficient soil moisture and poor lighting, the leaves of plants do not twist, but stretch upwards, flowers and fruits fall off. It is often necessary to ventilate the room and water the plants, carefully monitor the temperature regime. With excessive watering and top dressing, on the contrary, a powerful dark green bush with weak flower tassels is formed. In this case, the plant is fed less often, 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 nice (and tasty).

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

– Choosing the right seed is important. For growing in a city apartment, self-pollinated early maturing undersized or bush hybrids will be most suitable. Nowadays, special varieties are also bred for home growing (in this case, the seed bags will say “suitable for growing in an apartment”).

– In order for a beautiful, juicy, fruit-bearing bush to grow from a seed, the plant needs to provide the right temperature and the right amount of light. Vegetable beds should be located on the south or southeast windows. On short winter days, additional lighting with fluorescent lamps is mandatory.

– Do not let the soil dry out. In hot weather, the plant may drop flowers and ovaries. If there is no time to monitor soil moisture, you can arrange an “irrigation system”. To do this, you need to dig a plastic bottle into the ground, having previously made several holes in it. Which side to dig it in depends on the size of the pot. The main thing is that there is a funnel on the surface for pouring water. Thus, the roots will constantly receive moisture, and from above the earth will not be covered with a crust.

– It is enough to feed plants once a month. During flowering, the twigs need to be shaken a little to improve pollination. For these purposes, you can use a universal fertilizer for indoor flowers or specialized growth concentrates. But it is very important not to abuse fertilizers, the saying “you can’t spoil porridge with oil” is inappropriate here. The norm specified in the fertilizer instructions must not be exceeded. Better yet, divide it into two times (it is better to feed more often). In order not to burn the roots, the plant must first be watered with clean water, and only then with a fertilizer solution.

– Pots with seedlings and mature bushes must be rotated 180 degrees once a day . This is necessary so that the bushes are even, as plants tend to bend towards the light. And, at the same time, it is necessary to protect the plants from the scorching rays of the sun. Burns on the leaves and the yield can significantly reduce, and the appearance of the plant will be spoiled. 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.

– Do not pick unripe tomatoes. Singing on the bush, they become fragrant and juicy. This is what we lack in purchased fruits

– Do not force plants to compete. By planting two bushes in one pot, you can not only not increase the yield, but lose it altogether. If there is nowhere to transplant extra plants, it is better to throw them away altogether, and then the rest will be pleased with a generous harvest.

P.S. It is no secret that many insects, including mosquitoes and ants, cannot stand the specific smell of tomato leaves. Several potted plants tomatoes on the windowsill will become a reliable barrier to mosquitoes in the hot season.

Growing tomatoes in pots

Home » Tomatoes » Growing tomatoes in pots

How to grow ornamental tomatoes in pots

Not everyone has personal plots. Fans of freshly picked tomatoes can grow tomatoes at home. It is important to know a number of tricks that will help the plant not to stretch, and the fruits to be juicy and sweet.

Choose a variety and plant seeds

Buy seeds first. This is a crucial moment. Only low-growing varieties are suitable for growing tomatoes at home. The tall ones will stretch even more, will not be so decorative and will not give a full harvest. The following varieties are suitable for growing ornamental tomatoes: Bonsai, Garden Pearl, Ruby, George Bush, Japanese Room, Balcony Miracle “and other names of dwarf tomatoes. Indoor tomatoes give small fruits, they are the largest in the Balcony Miracle variety. After purchasing the seeds, decide on the sowing date. Tomatoes for home cultivation are planted from mid-February to the end of March. If you have a glazed balcony, there is an additional illumination lamp, then you can start sowing work early. In the absence of all this, select a date in mid-March. Tomato seeds for growing in pots are prepared in the same way as those that will continue to grow and develop in the garden. First, place them in a bag made of gauze and disinfect in a weak solution of potassium permanganate (it should be pink). After that, place them overnight in a nutrient solution prepared from water with a growth stimulator, micronutrient tablets or wood ash (1 teaspoon per 500 ml of water). Then place the bag of seeds in water, which should cover it by a third or half, and put it in a warm place for germination. After 3 days, the seeds will begin to hatch. While a very small part of the white root has appeared, place the container with the embryos in the refrigerator for the night or for a day. In the meantime, prepare the container. You can use juice or milk bags by laying them flat and cutting off the side. Fill them with nutrient soil and plant hardened seeds to a depth of 1.5 cm.

Picking, care for pot tomatoes

In such a container, they will grow for a month, then transplant them into separate pots, you can use yogurt. Do not overmoisten the seedlings and create a temperature of no more than + 20 + 23 ° C for them so that they do not stretch out. After 3-4 weeks, dive them a second time to a permanent place – into spacious pots. They should be large enough – at least 15 cm in diameter and 20 cm high. Put a peg next to each plant and tie the stem to it. Spend the first top dressing 2 weeks after planting the bushes. To do this, dissolve the mullein in water in a ratio of 1:10. When the plants begin to bloom, feed them with a solution of potassium humate and trace elements. Shake the stem slightly every 3 days to improve pollination. Harvest the fruits as they ripen so that they do not interfere with others to sing. That the fruits of indoor tomatoes were sweet, grow them on a sunny balcony or window. In the shade, they will be sour. Tomato is a perennial plant. Do not throw it away in the fall, but leave it to winter in a pot, putting it on the windowsill and watering it infrequently. In the spring, the plant will have new leaves, start feeding, lighting it up and soon you will wait for the fruits.

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Tomatoes and peppers at home – on the windowsill

How to grow tomatoes and peppers at home

Everyone can set up a garden on the windowsill in their apartment if they follow this detailed instruction.

Moreover, now there are varieties and hybrids of vegetable crops of modern selection, specially designed for growing in an apartment. These are undersized plants with a height of 20 to 40 cm, the fruits are not large (20 to 40 g). Such plants grow well and bear fruit abundantly in flower pots. So the most important thing here is to choose the right variety and follow the simple rules of agricultural technology.

GROWING TOMATOES IN FLOWER POT

Potted tomato varieties:

• Pinocchio
• Florida Petit
• F1 Citizen
• Balcony miracle
• Baby
• Bonsai
• Pearl
• Golden bunch
• Room Surprise
• Rowan beads

These tomato varieties are included in the State Sort Register and are recommended for growing indoors. They are also suitable for growing0003

on balconies and loggias, as well as for greenhouses and even for open ground. Such tomatoes are propagated by seeds and cuttings – both twigs and stepchildren from a fruiting plant.

We sow seeds

Shop-bought seeds are usually pre-sowed. They are disinfected and are often sold in granules along with trace elements and pesticides. Such seeds are planted in a moist substrate without prior soaking in potassium permanganate.

Self-obtained seeds should be placed in a pink solution of potassium permanganate for 15 minutes. At the same time, seeds suitable for sowing will swell and sink to the bottom, while empty ones will float. After disinfection, the seeds are germinated in wet gauze for 3-7 days. Gauze is moistened daily. Seeds with a hatched sprout (up to 4-5 mm long) are ready for sowing. They are embedded 2 cm into a moist substrate. Until a sprout appears on the surface of the soil, the soil in the pot should always be moist (but not wet). As soon as the seedlings have the first true leaves, young tomatoes are seated in individual pots.

Planting stepchildren

When vegetatively propagating indoor tomatoes, it is important to remember the following:

• only fits stepchildren approx. 20 cm long;
• on the other side of the stepson, which will be placed in water for the development of the root system, remove all leaves and cuttings.
• those leaves that are above the water, it is better to reduce to half the area of ​​the leaf plate: so the evaporation of moisture will be less.

With vegetative propagation, your tomatoes will yield a month and a half earlier than those plants that were grown from seeds. However, the yield from tomatoes grown from seeds is much larger, and immunity to diseases and pests is better.

Seat preparation

We take a flower pot with a volume of 3 to 5 liters. We place a drainage layer at the bottom of the pot – it can be expanded clay, sand or small pebbles.

We prepare the substrate: peat, sand, sod land, humus in a ratio of 1:1:1:1. You can purchase a universal substrate at a gardening store.

During planting, picking is carried out – a piece of root about 5 mm in size is plucked off, this will enhance the growth of lateral roots and the root system of the plant will be more powerful.

Care for indoor tomatoes

• Carefully remove the lower leaves from the tomato and pour the substrate into the pot as it settles.
• The temperature regime should be maintained + 12-15 ° C, and when the first flowers appear, the temperature should be raised to + 20-25 ° C.
• When the flowers appear, they should be pollinated artificially with a soft brush, transferring the pollen to the pistils. Pollination is carried out from 8 to 10 am.
• Water the tomatoes in the evening with settled warm water. It is important that drops do not fall on the stem and leaves.

See also: Cherry tomatoes (photo) at home

GROWING PEPPERS IN HOME

It has already become customary for us to grow hot peppers of the famous Ogonyok variety with red miniature fruits on the windowsill. Also suitable for growing on the windowsill are the varieties Multicolored, Carnival, Forty Brothers, etc. But you can also grow sweet peppers in flower pots. Compact pepper varieties are ideal for home breeding, they are unpretentious to growing conditions and resistant to diseases and pests. The growth of such plants will reach half a meter and it will fit perfectly into the size of your window.

Sweet pepper varieties for home cultivation

Yarik – a variety specially bred for flower pots. The bush has a height of up to 80 cm, abundantly bears fruit with yellow cone-shaped fruits 4-6 cm long. Peppers are very tasty, and the bush itself with fruits resembles a decorated Christmas tree. This variety bears fruit all year round. In winter, seedlings need illumination with phytolamps.

Chocolate F1 – this hybrid is traditionally grown by summer residents in greenhouses and open ground, but the plant also feels good as a pot culture. This is a low compact plant, and its fruits have an unusual truncated cylindrical shape and a beautiful chocolate color. The hybrid bears fruit very abundantly, the fruit weighs an average of about 120 g with a wall thickness of about 7 mm. Peppers are very tasty both in fresh salads and in pickled form.

Watercolor – fruiting all year round in flowerpots. The bushes have a height of about half a meter and are very decorative due to the fact that the leaves and fruits are arranged in the form of bunches. One bush gives about 50-60 fruits at the same time, the weight of each fruit is up to 30 g. By the way, the variety tolerates shading perfectly and has a strong immunity to any diseases. Glossy cone-shaped scarlet peppers have thin walls, they are very tasty, although each fruit is “one tooth”.

Treasure Island – the fruits of this variety will ripen on your windowsill in 90-100 days after emergence. Peppers are orange-red in color, heart-shaped, their weight is about 60 g with a peel thickness of about 7 mm.

The firstborn of Siberia – with a small size of the plant gives large fruits weighing about 100 g. The peppers are fragrant, tasty and very beautiful – bright red.

Dwarf – this variety is distinguished by juicy, red, fleshy fruits of a beautiful cone shape and weighing up to 80 g with a wall thickness of 9mm. Harvest appears within 100-110 days after germination.

Note

When germinating pepper seeds, it is important to prevent the fabric from drying out: it must be moistened from time to time with warm water.

Sweet pepper varieties Etude, Karat, Curiosity also grow well on the windowsill in flower pots.

Gift of Moldova – distinguished by incredibly tasty and sweet large fruits of dark red color (wall thickness 6 mm, weight about 90 g). True, the harvest will have to wait a long time – up to 136 days.

Swallow – peppers that grow on a bush of this variety have a strong aroma, they are beautiful red, juicy and large, with thick (5 mm and thicker) walls. True, from the moment the shoots appear until it will be possible to serve pepper to the table, at least 130 days will pass.

Related link: Growing hot peppers at home

Preparing seeds for sowing

Before sowing, the seeds should be disinfected by holding for 20 minutes in a 2% solution of potassium permanganate, then rinsed with water at room temperature and soaked in a solution of a growth biostimulator (this can be “Epin” – 2 drops per 100 ml of water or “Zircon” – 1 drop per 300 ml of water). In this solution, the seeds are kept for 24 hours at room temperature, after which they are placed in damp gauze in a dark, warm place (+20-25 ° C) for 72 hours.

When the seeds have hatched, they can be sown.

Note

When growing peppers indoors, it is easiest to purchase ready-made soil “Terpa-Vita” or “Ogorodnik”, enriched with microelements and not containing harmful microflora.

Pepper seed sowing time for home cultivation

Ordinary garden soil is first disinfected with a dark solution of potassium permanganate, then watered. The optimal composition of the substrate is soddy soil, humus and sand (2: 1: 1).

Soddy soil for peppers is taken from the place where meadow clover grows.

Ash (2 cups per 10 kg of soil) and dolomite flour (15 g per 1 kg of soil) are added to the substrate. Hydrogels are also often used, which, when swollen, absorb excess water, make the soil more air and water permeable, and retain nutrients.

Seeds are sown in peat pots, two seeds each, watered and covered with cling film. Peppers germinate at a temperature of + 25 ° C for 7-14 days. It is desirable that the hatched seedlings be lit from 7.00 to 21.00.

When sprouts have appeared, the film is pierced with a knitting needle in several places. The film is removed when the peppers have 2-3 new leaves. A weaker plant is removed, a strong sprout is transplanted into a deep pot, slightly shortening the root by a third.

The soil in the pot is watered abundantly for 24 hours, a depression is made in the center of the pot, an hour before transplanting, the earth around the sprout is abundantly moistened with water to make it easier to get the tender root out of the ground. Having shortened it, the sprout is placed in a recess so that the central root does not bend, and the leaves are 2 cm above the ground. The soil around the seedling is compacted with your fingers and the plant is watered abundantly. For young peppers, drafts and temperatures below +13 ° C are detrimental.

Peppers for home cultivation – self-pollinating. Harvesting must be done independently and in a timely manner, leaving only 4-5 fruits on each bush for beauty.

Related link: Pepper at home – planting and care

Pepper Care

Windowsill garden

Tomatoes and peppers

Last year, in mid-January, I sowed seeds of Balcony Miracle and Pinocchio tomatoes, as well as Orange Miracle hot peppers. I filled the plastic cups with purchased soil, sowed 2 dry seeds in each and covered it with a film. A week and a half later, tomatoes hatched first, and then peppers appeared. The film was gradually removed completely. In conditions of short daylight hours, the seedlings had to be illuminated with a fluorescent lamp. Once every two weeks, I fed according to the instructions with a solution of Biohumus. Once the seedlings, so as not to stretch out, were sprayed with Athlete. When the seedlings of tomatoes reached 10 cm, they transplanted them into pots with a volume of 2.5-3 liters with holes.

Drainage from expanded clay was poured onto the bottom of each, a little bit of earth on it, fresh banana peel (I didn’t cut it very finely, because it rots quickly), and then soil again to the middle of the container.

Tomato bushes were covered with soil up to the cotyledon leaves and sprayed with Epin’s solution. As the plants grew, I added earth to grow additional roots. But pepper, unlike tomatoes, does not like deep planting and adding soil. Therefore, I transplanted it carefully, without damaging the roots and without falling asleep the root collar. I also took purchased soil for transplantation, but with a low content of peat (peppers do not like it), adding humus and forest soil to it “by eye”.

Here comes the harvest!

The longer the daylight hours became, the faster the plants grew stronger. When it became warm enough outside, she took the pots out to the balcony. I watered it every day (on warm days), once a week I sprayed it with HB-101 according to the instructions. I prepared bread and yeast top dressings for tomatoes and peppers {editor’s note: see recipes above). The harvest from tomatoes of the Pinocchio variety was wonderful: there were a lot of fruits from large cherries, all very sweet. And the bush itself was just handsome, unpretentious, took up little space. By the way, the stepsons, which she cut off from him in the fall, went to growth. But I won’t sow the Balcony Miracle tomato variety anymore: the bush grows more than a meter, there are few fruits and the taste is not very good.

Let’s crunch a cucumber!

In February, she sowed the seeds of self-pollinated hybrids of April F1 cucumbers (fruits are long, smooth) and Prima Donna F1 (beam-type gherkins). I transplanted seedlings three times very carefully, trying not to damage the roots. Each time, the container took more than the previous one: I replaced the 5-liter ones with 10-liter ones, because the larger the volume of the pot, the better the fruiting.

In the care of cucumbers, it is important that on the windowsill

was free from drafts, scorching sun and extreme temperature changes that can lead to root rot. Good lighting and humidity are also important. Why, on hot days, cucumbers were sprayed with warm water in the morning and evening (you can add a little milk or any fermented milk product to it).

I watered cucumbers more often than tomatoes – drying out of the earth is unacceptable for them (therefore, it is better to add a little hydrogel to each pot). But before especially cold nights, watering was canceled. She fed cucumbers in the same way as tomatoes and peppers, tied up the whips. She cut off the first ovaries, allowing the plants to gain strength, and soon the cucumber harvest was not long in coming!

Top dressing

Yeast:

Pour 1 liter of warm water into a 1. 5 liter jar, add some sugar or old jam and 1 tsp dry yeast. Stir, put in a warm place. After 3-4 days, dilute with warm water 1:3 and water the plants under the root.

Khlebnaya:

Soak a handful of crackers or bread in 3 liters of warm water for 2-3 days. Stir. Do not strain. Water the plants under the root (if the infusion is too thick, dilute with water). After watering, sprinkle the bread with earth.

© Author: Tatyana SAYGANOVA, Moscow.

Video – growing tomatoes and peppers at home

Domestic cultivation of tomatoes and peppers

Watch this video on YouTube

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How to grow tomatoes in a greenhouse?

Tomato is one of the most popular vegetables, which has a lot of useful properties and excellent taste. The use of tomatoes for food has long been not subject to the seasonal ripening of this crop. And this is due to the fact that the cultivation of tomatoes in the greenhouse is becoming more widespread. you can do this for yourself, to always have fresh vegetables at the table, or for commercial purposes. In any case, in order for your crops to sprout and the harvest to be rich, you will need to learn some rules for growing tomatoes in a greenhouse.

Tomatoes are watered once every 5-6 days, while the required amount of water is 4-5 liters per 1 m².

Necessary seed preparation

Before proceeding with the sowing of seeds, it is necessary to carry out their preliminary preparation.

With some preparatory procedures, you can increase the number of germinated seeds. To do this, you first need to treat the seeds with a solution of potassium permanganate (or potassium permanganate). The treatment solution should have a dark cherry hue, that is, be sufficiently saturated (200-250 ml of water 1 g of manganese). For processing, you need to fill the seeds in a cloth bag, which will be placed in the solution for 15-20 minutes. After treatment with a solution, the seeds must be washed with water. Such treatment will increase seed germination, strengthen them, and also prevent their infection with viral diseases.

The next step is to feed the seeds. To do this, they must be placed in a special solution containing any of the following components:

Ways of fastening tomatoes on a trellis: 1) easy. 2) more rigid. 3) stem garter at the bottom. 4) garter loop.

• wood ash;
• nitrophoska;
• fertilizer “Ideal”;
• sodium humate powder.

For 1 liter of water, the required amount of wood ash or liquid fertilizer is 1 tbsp. l., nitrophoska will need only 1 tsp, and sodium humate powder even less – 1/4 tsp. After the seeds placed in the bag are soaked in a solution based on one of these components for 12 hours, they should not be washed, but placed in a container with clean water for another day. Nutrition is especially required for large seeds. It is desirable to carry out the procedure in a warm place, in which case the temperature of the solution and water will be maintained at the required level – 24-25 ° C.

The seed is then hardened. To do this, they need to be put in the refrigerator at a temperature of about + 1-2 ° C. Approximately this temperature in the middle of the refrigerator. The seeds should lie in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. Periodically they need to be sprinkled with clean water. This is necessary in order to prevent the fabric bags from drying out.

Scheme of pinching tomatoes.

Seeds to be sown directly from the refrigerator. If all procedures are performed correctly, then seedlings will appear very quickly, while almost all seeds will germinate. The exception is hybrid seeds. They are not subject to prior preparation. They must be sown dry, the soil for sowing must be moist.

Tall tomatoes and hybrids for greenhouse cultivation are sown in mid-February in boxes or boxes about 5 cm high but not more than 7 cm high. Several different varieties should not be sown in the same box. The soil in the containers for sowing should consist in equal shares of soddy soil, humus and peat. In each bucket of soil mixture, you need to add fertilizer for tomatoes. You can use a mixture of wood ash, potassium sulfate and superphosphate. For 1 bucket you need to take 1 tbsp. l. the first component and 1 tsp. the latter. This mixture can be replaced with river sand (volume corresponding to a 1 liter jar), to which 1 tbsp. l. superphosphate and wood ash.

Layout and dimensions of beds for tomatoes.

However, it will be much easier and more efficient to use ready-made soil mixtures, for example, “Tomato and Pepper” or “Live Earth”, since you do not need to apply additional fertilizers in this case. The soil mixture must be thoroughly mixed a few days before the planned sowing (6-7), and before sowing it is moistened and poured into a planting container. The soil must be compacted, grooves should be laid in it at a distance of 5-7 cm from each other, the depth of which should be approximately 1-1.5 cm. FROM. After that, you can start sowing. The distance between the seeds in the garden should be at least 1. 5-2 cm.

When the seeds are placed in the soil, they are sprinkled with the same soil mixture, but they should not be watered. Containers with crops should be in a room with a temperature of 22 to 24 ° C. The place for containers with crops should be light, they can be covered with a film, this will speed up the emergence of seedlings. Seeds will germinate in 5-6 days.

Care for seedlings

Seedlings grow slowly during the first 3 weeks. Progress in this process becomes noticeable over the next 2-3 weeks. In 5-6 weeks after the emergence of shoots, their height and size will already be quite large. During this period, it is necessary to prevent pulling seedlings. This can be achieved by maintaining the optimum temperature. During the first week after germination, the daytime temperature should be 16-18°C, and at night – 13-15°C. After it can be increased to 18-20°C and 15-16°C, respectively. This temperature regime must be maintained for 1 month. In the same period, watering of plants should be carried out 2-3 times: the first time when all shoots appear, the second – after 1-2 weeks, the third – 3 hours before transplanting seedlings.

The scheme of the formation of tomatoes in the greenhouse.

Top dressing of tomatoes in the greenhouse at the stage of growing seedlings in a box is not needed. When the sprouts acquire 2-3 true leaves, they need to dive into pots, the optimal size of which is 8×8 cm. The soil in the pots should be the same as in the box. It must first be watered with a solution of potassium permanganate.

The first feeding of seedlings is carried out on the 12th day after transplanting into pots. For it, nitrophoska or nitroammofoska is used at the rate of 1 tbsp. l. for 10 liters of water. Each pot must be watered 2 tbsp. solution. 3-4 weeks after the first transplant, the seedlings dive back into large pots. Immediately after this, the seedlings need watering. In the future, watering is carried out once a week with a moderate amount of water.

After another 2 weeks, the tomatoes are again fed with a solution of potassium sulfate and superphosphate. After 2 weeks – the second top dressing, also with a solution of nitrophoska.

If your seedling is still stretched out, it can be cut into 2 parts. Put the top one in the water, after a while it will take root. After that, the stem must be planted in a pot and grown in the same way as the rest of the seedlings.

Growing tomatoes at the main site

Scheme of planting tomato seedlings in the ground.

Planting tomatoes in the greenhouse should be carried out in mid-May, when the weather is still somewhat cool. In greenhouses for tomatoes, it is advisable to stretch the film in 2 layers in order to remove one of them when it gets warmer. In addition, in the greenhouse for tomatoes, vents should be equipped on top and on both sides. The peculiarities of growing tomatoes are that it is highly not recommended to constantly grow them in the same greenhouse, it is advisable to alternate them with cucumbers.

For planting tomatoes, the greenhouse must be equipped in a place that will be lit by the sun throughout the day. This will provide a higher yield. If the soil at the planting site is clay or loamy, peat, humus and sawdust must be added to it. You need to use 1 bucket of this mixture per 1 m² of soil for tomatoes in the greenhouse.

Pruning scheme for overgrown tomato seedlings.

Seedlings are planted in the prepared greenhouse beds with soil from the pot in which it grew. In this case, the beds should be located at a distance of 60-70 cm from each other. Throughout the summer, the beds in which tomatoes are grown should not be hilled or loosened. If, due to irrigation, the stems buried during planting are exposed, you just need to add the necessary layer of soil.

In order to achieve better flowering and a rich harvest, there are certain schemes for watering plants. So, for flowering, watering is carried out 1 time in 5-6 days. The required amount of water is 4-5 liters per 1 m². When the tomatoes bloom, until the fruit is formed, they are watered at the same frequency, but the volume of water must be increased by about 3 times. Irrigation is beneficial only if the water used has a temperature of 20-22 ° C. The best time for watering is morning. During the growing season, you need to feed the plants 3-4 times. To do this, you can use the fertilizer “Ideal” or nitrophoska.

How to grow tomatoes in a greenhouse

The technology of growing tomatoes has many nuances. The main difficulties of this process include falling flowers, twisting leaves, and so on. If you encounter any of these problems, then you need to pay attention to whether the growth of the plant is stunted and if so, for what reasons.

Greenhouse vegetable compatibility chart.

For example, if the plant is massive, has a powerful stem and large leaves, then the fruits will not form on it, since all the useful substances in it go into the vegetative mass. The reason for this may be excessive watering or abundant fertilizer with nitrogen-containing substances, as well as a lack of light. To solve this problem, it is necessary to reduce the frequency of watering, and increase the temperature by several degrees.

If the leaves of plants are too strongly directed upwards, then most likely they, on the contrary, do not have enough watering. In this case, you need to water the tomatoes more often, and reduce the temperature in the greenhouse by about 4-5 ° C.

Thus, in order to grow tomatoes in a greenhouse, it is necessary to adhere to certain rules, create certain conditions for the plants and carefully care for them. This will help you get a rich harvest that diversifies any table.

VseoTeplicah.ru

We grow tomatoes right on the windowsill or organic tomatoes in winter!

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

Which varieties to choose

Now they sell a lot of different varieties. Which of them to choose?

To grow tomatoes on the 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, since they do not require a lot of land for planting.

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

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

What are the conditions for growing

Indoor tomatoes grow well if the right conditions are met. They don’t like waterlogging. They need to be watered very carefully, otherwise, they can get sick with a “black leg” or rot and die.

Tomatoes come from warm regions, they are born “Americans”, so they are thermophilic and they need a long sunny day. In order to provide them with this, it is necessary to keep the seedlings on the windows on the south side of the house, and this is excluded from the north.

• In short winter days, seedlings need to artificially increase daylight hours, turn on additional lighting. These can be fluorescent lamps, energy-saving lamps or ordinary, fairly bright lighting. 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, then it is necessary to ventilate regularly, drafts are not afraid of tomatoes.

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

Step-by-step instructions for growing tomatoes

To grow indoor tomatoes, we first 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. To do this, you need peat pots or plastic cups, at least 200 ml. We fill them with a purchased special soil mixture or make (if we have our own plot) the mixture ourselves: 5 parts of soil + 5 hours of humus + 2 hours of sand, you can add a little peat. For a 10 liter bucket of the mixture, add 1 matchbox of urea + 1 box of potassium sulfate, a small handful of wood ash. All this is well mixed and sprinkled on the prepared container.
3. We sow treated seeds. We moisten the prepared soil with a small amount of water and put 2-3 seeds into shallow, up to 1 cm, dimples, cover with earth. So that the earth does not dry out, we cover the containers with seeds with glass or film until the sprouts sprout. Put in a warm, but not hot, place. Then it remains to wait for shoots. If necessary, sometimes you need to slightly moisten the soil to make it easier for the seeds to sprout.
4. After germination, remove the film, transfer the pots to the window, and make sure that the sprouts are light and warm. We regularly water the tomatoes on the windowsill, but little by little, we carefully monitor that there is no excess moisture in the ground.
5. After the appearance of two true leaves, we make a pick, i.e. we seat the strongest sprouts in a separate bowl, where they will grow further. This dish should be much larger, its volume should correspond to approximately 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 package. Do not forget to loosen the ground around the trunk, but very carefully, trying not to damage the roots.
7. As needed, we tie the tomatoes to pegs, which we stick into the ground next to the trunk.
8. Pasynkovanie. During the period of plant growth, additional stems appear in the axils of the leaves – these are stepchildren. They need to be removed, as they will take food from the fruit. You can leave 1 first stepson to form the second stem of the plant.
9. When the fruits are already set, leave 4-5 brushes on the trunk, remove the rest 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, plants self-pollinating, but they are also recommended to help pollinate. To do this, you just need to shake the flowering plant slightly or move it over the flowers with a soft brush. We do this very carefully. Tomatoes can get sick without proper care. With excessive soil moisture, they are threatened with 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 are full and beginning to turn pink should be removed and placed to ripen on a window or in a cardboard box. They will no longer take away useful substances from still growing tomatoes.

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

grounde.ru

A bit about tomatoes

agroden.ru

See also:

• Outdoor tomato cultivation
• Cultivation of tomato variety
• Growing and feeding tomato seedlings
• Terms of cultivation of tomato seedlings
• Seedlingless cultivation of tomatoes
• Growing tomato seedlings
• Growing tall tomatoes in a greenhouse
• Growing tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse video
• Growing tomatoes in Belarus
• Growing tomatoes using a mitlider
• Growing tomatoes in a greenhouse
• Growing tomatoes seedless method
• Growing tomatoes in greenhouses in Siberia
• Growing seedlings of tomato ganichkina
• Growing and caring for tomatoes
• Growing tomato seedlings in a greenhouse

planting and care rules, best varieties

Recently, growing herbs and vegetables on the windowsill has become a popular activity among amateur gardeners (especially “homemade”), and tomatoes are no exception. However, due to lack of knowledge, it is not possible to harvest a good crop: tomatoes get sick, grow poorly, or set few fruits.

What conditions need to be provided for tomatoes in an apartment so that they bear fruit well at home, our article will be devoted to.

Contents

• 1 Features of growing tomatoes on a windowsill
  • 1.1 When to sow tomatoes for growing on a windowsill or balcony: sowing and harvesting dates
• 2 tomatoes on the windowsill: choosing a container, soil, preparing seeds – detailed step-by-step instructions
  • 3.1 in which capacity to plant
  • 3.2 In what soil to plant
  • 3.3 PREMICATIONAL PREPARTS of seeds
  • 3.4 DIRECTION LANDing
  • 3.5 PIKING
  • 3.6 TIME TIME

  4 window sill: basic rules and growing conditions

  • 4.1 What should be the location and lighting (daylight hours)
  • 4.2 Temperature
  • 4.3 Humidity
    • at the beginning of growth (in winter and early spring), they must be supplemented with phytolamps or full-spectrum LED lamps;
    • on the windowsill or balcony where the pots are located, it is required to maintain a certain temperature and humidity, depending on the stage of seedling development.

    By taking into account these nuances, which will be described in detail below, you will significantly increase your chances of getting a good harvest of tomatoes from your home garden.

    When to sow tomatoes for growing on a windowsill or balcony: sowing and harvesting dates month.

    However! You can plant them in the summer to grow a crop of tomatoes on the windowsill in the winter – for the New Year.

    Depending on the variety chosen, window-grown tomatoes ripen and bear fruit after 90-150 days after germination (average 4 months = 120 days).

    Please note! The mass of fruits of indoor tomatoes, as a rule, is in the range of 20-30 g. Up to 1 kg of crop can be harvested from one plant.

    Which varieties of tomatoes are suitable for growing on the windowsill

    Tip! The site has a detailed article that describes all the most popular and best varieties of tomatoes for growing in an apartment on a windowsill or balcony (loggia) .

    How to plant tomatoes on the windowsill: choosing a container, soil, seed preparation – detailed step-by-step instructions

    Growing tomatoes in an apartment is quite simple if you know exactly what to do. This will help step-by-step instructions for planting and growing tomatoes in the apartment.

    By the way! The initial sowing and care of seedlings of tomatoes , intended for further cultivation in an apartment, in general, is similar to the activities carried out for further planting in open ground or a greenhouse , which you can read about in detail in this article .

    Video: growing tomatoes on the windowsill – briefly and step by step from “A” to “Z” -100 ml each.

    And as soon as it becomes crowded (the time comes for the first picking of 1-2 true leaves), the plants are transplanted into separate plastic cups with a volume of about 500 ml.

    During the next transplant, when the plants already have 9-10 pairs of true leaves, the tomatoes are planted in a permanent place in a pot with a volume of at least 1 liters per 1 plant (optimally – 2-3 liters).

    Important! Regardless of the size of the planting container, there must be drainage holes at the bottom to allow excess moisture to escape. And in the final (permanent) pot, it is also desirable to pour a drainage layer, for example, from expanded clay.

    What soil to plant in

    The soil for growing tomatoes must be moisture and breathable, in other words, loose and, of course, fertile. Take and mix black soil, rotted compost (humus), peat and sand in a ratio of 2:2:1. Alternatively, a 1 to 1 ratio of good compost and forest soil would work just fine.

    Or make it even easier by buying ready-made soil for growing tomato, pepper and eggplant (nightshade) seedlings.

    Important! Regardless of the origin (purchased or garden), the soil must be calcined – warmed up or steamed in the oven so that the high temperature destroys pathogenic bacteria and fungi. It is also possible to shed with a solution of potassium permanganate or Fitosporin .

    Pre-sowing preparation of seeds

    Tomatoes germinate normally and without soaking, but to increase the effect it is still desirable to prepare them for sowing, namely: soak, germinate, process in one of the disinfecting solutions.

    For example, in order to destroy pathogens on the surface of seeds, planting material is soaked (pickled) for 20-30 minutes in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

    Tip! Read more about pre-sowing treatment of tomato seeds in this article .

    Direct planting

    Potted tomatoes are planted in exactly the same way as ordinary tomatoes intended for growing in open ground or a greenhouse.

    Thus, sowing tomato seeds for seedlings for growing on a windowsill or balcony is done in the following order (in stages):

    • Prepared soil is poured into the seedling container.
    • If you have a common rectangular container, then grooves are cut with a depth of 1-1.5 cm or individual holes are made (if, for example, they are planted in cassettes).

    Planting tomatoes deeper than 2 cm is not recommended.

    • Spread the seeds at a distance of 2-3 cm from each other.

    It is better to put 2 seeds in one cell. If both rise, then remove the weakest.

    • Sprinkle the crops with earth.
    • Lightly moisten with a spray bottle.
    • Until the emergence of seedlings, the box is covered with glass or film to create greenhouse conditions (microclimate).
    • Containers with crops are placed in a warm (+ 22-25 degrees) and dark place.
    • When the seeds sprout, the plantings should be promptly rearranged to a bright place, and the glass or film must be removed.

    Video: growing tomatoes on the windowsill – variety selection and sowing in cassettes

    Picking

    By the way! The site already has a detailed article about picking of tomato seedlings , intended for growing in open ground or in a greenhouse. In general, everything is done in the same way.

    When the young seedlings of domestic tomatoes have 2-3 true leaves (about 3-4 weeks after germination), the time will come for its first pick – transplanting into larger pots so that the root system continues its development.

    Attention! Indoor tomatoes, as a rule, eventually grow quite small in size (height), which means that it is worth understanding that they will grow in different proportions.

    Video: first pick after sowing

    Transplanting seedlings to a permanent place in a large pot carry out the final transplant (by transshipment method) of tomato seedlings into pots (at least 1 liter, and preferably 2-3), so to speak, to a permanent place for further growth.

    It is not necessary to do as shown in the photo above (the earth is only at the bottom, and on the sides you additionally pour after transshipment). It is much easier to make a mold in moist soil, initially placing seedlings in a glass there, and then transfer the plant itself (see the video below).

    Tip! To prevent the earthen ball from crumbling during transshipment, the plant should be watered the day before transplantation.

    Video: transplanting balcony (room) tomatoes to a permanent place of growth

    How to care for tomatoes on the windowsill: basic rules and growing conditions

    The quality of care depends on the health of tomatoes and the volume of the crop. In order for indoor tomatoes to develop quickly in an apartment and set the maximum number of fruits, they need to be watered and fertilized in a timely manner. And first of all, it is necessary to create the most suitable light and temperature conditions.

    What should be the place and lighting (light day)

    Tomatoes are plants that need long daylight hours.

    In order for the plants to get as much natural light as possible, in spring, tomatoes are best placed on the south windows, and either the west or east windows.
    In summer, it is optimal to take them out onto a balcony or loggia.

    Despite the fact that tomatoes like to live on light windowsills, the leaves of young seedlings can get burned under the influence of bright spring and summer rays. To protect the plant from such injuries, the pots are transferred to the east and west windows in the afternoon. If it is impossible to make such a permutation, then they should be shaded with something (especially at lunch).

    It is not recommended to grow light-loving tomatoes on northern windows.

    However, in the winter and early spring, you will still need to supplement the seedlings with phytolamps or full-spectrum LED lamps.

    By the way! You can grow seedlings initially only under lights. And only then, when the daylight hours noticeably increase to an acceptable duration, transfer it to the windowsill or balcony. Or hang the lamps right on the window, even if it is in the north.

    The optimal daylight hours for tomatoes are 14-16 hours.

    Important! If you do not have the opportunity to illuminate the tomatoes, then it is better to sow them no earlier than the second half of March-April. In winter, it makes no sense to grow them – they will stretch and that’s it.

    Temperature

    The correct temperature regime is the key to the normal growth of any seedling.

    Growing tomatoes in an apartment on a windowsill or balcony, you should adhere to the following temperature conditions:

    • Seeds sprout quickly and amicably at a temperature of +20…+25 degrees.
    • Then you need to find a place where the daytime temperature is noticeably lower, around +18…+20 degrees.

    Important! On the coldest days, when the batteries literally “fry”, to protect the leaves of tomatoes from the influence of warm air, the heaters must be covered with something.

    • And at night the temperature should drop to +15…+18 degrees.

    Please note! In cooler conditions, the seedlings do not stretch, which often happens with tomatoes with insufficient light and high temperatures. You can reduce the temperature by ventilating the room for half an hour or by moving the containers to the floor (but not next to the battery).

    But in the summer you can take your potted tomatoes outside or on your balcony.

    Humidity

    Tomatoes grown on a window should be sprayed only if the air in the room is very dry and you have no other choice, so to speak. Otherwise, the tomatoes cannot be saved.

    By the way! However, during flowering, it is possible to spray the flowers once a day with water from a fine sprayer, so that the pollen adheres to the pistils better. This is even more important if the humidity is low.

    And when the temperature in the apartment is below +20, it is impossible to spray the plants at all: excessive humidity and cold air are the main reasons for the appearance of black leg or phytophthora .

    Please note! In general, spray tomatoes only if you are foliar or treated for diseases. Sprinkler irrigation is prohibited for tomatoes.

    Watering

    Tomatoes do not respond well to both drought and overflow: in the first case, the fruits can sprinkle during formation, in the second case, the plant becomes with a black leg , late blight. Therefore, watering should be carried out strictly as the soil dries up, avoiding extreme phenomena.

    As for the frequency and amount of watering, it depends on the humidity and temperature in the room, as well as on the size of the growing bushes themselves.

    Subject to the temperature regime and normal air humidity, watering is carried out 1 time in 5-7 days.

    Out of turn, tomatoes are watered the day before transplanting: extracting the rhizome from moist soil is much easier and less painful for the plant.

    Since chlorine is harmful to plants, it is necessary to water indoor tomatoes either well with settled water, or filtered.

    Top dressing

    The first top dressing of the plant should be done after picking, spilling the transplanted seedlings with Kornevin’s solution (according to the instructions). Or you can use such a popular similar tool as “Rooter”.

    In the period between picking and transplanting to a permanent place, you can feed the seedlings with some kind of nitrogen fertilizer (to enhance the growth of green mass).

    By the way! For information on how to feed tomato seedlings, read in this article .

    Further, after you transplant the tomatoes to a permanent place of residence – in pots, you can start feeding them with complex mineral fertilizer, for example, nitroammophos (16:16:16).

    By the way! It is especially useful to fertilize tomatoes with nitroammophos during fruit set (flowering). The proportion for liquid top dressing under the root is as follows: 2 grams of fertilizer must be dissolved in 1 liter (20 grams per 10 liters of water and per 1 square meter of beds).

    Of course, you can use other potash-phosphorus fertilizers that you prefer, for example, prepare an ash solution.

    Worth knowing! Mature plants can be fertilized both by the leaves (foliar dressing) and by top dressing under the root (root dressing). But for young seedlings with tender leaves, leaf feeding is contraindicated.

    It is also very good to feed tomatoes with humic fertilizers (e. g. Potassium humate ). You can water under the root or spray the foliage (dilute according to the instructions).

    Shaping (stepping) and tying

    The vast majority of hybrids and varieties of tomatoes intended for growing in a pot on a windowsill or balcony do not need to be shaped; nothing needs to be pinched, no stepchildren need to be removed, since these are undersized determinant varieties.

    But it often happens that the seeds turn out to be of poor quality and the tomato does not grow quite the way it should, as it is written on the package. If your plant is constantly reaching up, pinch off the top.

    Tip! You can remove the lowest leaves, they still get too little light.

    You also need to make sure that the bush does not thicken – remove fruiting brushes, old leaves and even branches.

    the pot is small, and the bush can grow quite voluminous and fill it up. Alternatively, you can hoist some kind of support nearby.

    Growing problems

    There are a number of tomato seedling problems and diseases that you may encounter when growing tomatoes on a window:

    • Blackleg appears as a dried stem at the base of the seedling; develops at high humidity, thickening of crops against the background of lack of light, as well as when seeds are planted in contaminated soil.

    Learn more about what blackleg is and how to avoid this most dangerous seedling disease , read in this article.

    • Pulling seedlings . Lack of light, high temperature and waterlogging of the soil are the main reasons for pulling out tomato seedlings (however, like any other).
    • Yellowing of leaves seedlings.

    By the way! About what to do if tomato seedlings start to turn yellow and you cannot identify the disease, read in this article .

    • Seedling leaves and stems may turn purple.

    Tip! The site has a separate article about why tomato leaves turned purple .

    Thus, growing tomatoes on the windowsill is not only exciting, but also useful, thanks to which you can replenish your supply of vitamins and get the earliest harvest. And if you don’t have a plot of land or a cottage yet, then this is a great way to practice growing vegetables, even at home.

    Video: growing indoor tomatoes in winter

    How to grow tomatoes in pots on the windowsill?

    Contents

    • 1 How to grow cherry tomatoes on a windowsill?
    • 2 Preparation of the soil
    • 3 Choose a pot
    • 4 The best varieties for home cultivation
    • 5 hybrid ampel
    • 6 Growing seedlings
    • 7 piking seedlings
    • 8 Further departure
    • 17 What varieties are suitable for growing on the windowsill
    • 18 How to plant and grow – features, conditions and step -by -step instructions
      • 18. 1 What should be the place
      • 18.2 Temperature
      • 18.3 Humidity

      90OAL

      • 18.6 What container to plant in
      • 18.7 What soil to plant in
      • 18.8 Seed preparation for planting
      • 18.9 Direct planting
    • 19 Care after planting and before harvest – tips
      • 19.1 Watering
      • 19.2 Fertilizing
    • 20 Planting and harvesting dates

    Yes, long season, harvest is coming to an end already . And who told you that cherry tomatoes grow worse on the windowsill than in the garden? Cheerful bushes, hung with bright fruits, will delight you all winter, decorate the interior and bring a pleasant variety to the menu. Such simple gardening will please you and your loved ones, will bring variety to the gray everyday life. And how wonderful it is to serve the New Year’s table with bright red tomatoes, which can be plucked directly from the bush. Today we will talk about all the features and subtleties of home gardening.

    How to grow cherry tomatoes on a windowsill?

    The first thing you need is to prepare special containers, buy good seeds and potting mix. To grow fruit plants in winter, in conditions of a lack of sun and nutrients (the pot is very limited in its resources), you will need specialized fertilizers and top dressing. Cherry tomatoes on the windowsill grow no worse than in open ground, especially if you choose a place with sufficient lighting. It is desirable that these be windows facing west or south. The air temperature must be above 20 degrees, otherwise the yield will decrease.

    Soil preparation

    Let’s start by planting cherry tomatoes. It is better to buy land in a store, always loose and fertile. If you decide to make the soil mixture yourself, then you will need garden soil, leaf humus, peat. Before planting, be sure to disinfect the ground. To do this, you can spill the pots with boiling water with potassium permanganate dissolved in it. Some gardeners prefer to roast the soil in an oven, but this option is fine if you need a small volume.

    Choosing a pot

    Cherry tomatoes on the windowsill will grow in any pot you choose for them. But in order for them to actively bear fruit, the volume of land for one bush must be at least 5 liters. It is advisable to choose containers that are not too deep and wide. Pay attention to the drainage holes to remove excess moisture, without them the roots will suffocate without oxygen.

    For every 2 pots, or 10 liters of soil, you need to add a matchbox of urea and potassium sulfate, a handful of wood ash. In such conditions, your tomatoes will feel just fine.

    Top varieties for home growing

    Not all cherry tomatoes are stunted. Varieties today are presented in such abundance that you should spend time studying their features so as not to accidentally buy a garden giant. There are varieties of Russian selection that successfully grow both in the open field and on the balcony. There are tomatoes that bear scarlet fruits, these are the already well-known Winter Cherry, Andryushka and Businka. They are successfully grown on balconies and loggias, as well as simply on window sills. Today, this company is complemented by red cherry tomatoes. These are such varieties as Sparrow, Queen Margot. In order to diversify the winter table or prepare a beautiful assortment of vegetables, you can plant varieties of yellow and orange cherry tomatoes. These are Lemon, Golden Bead and Noon. Of the cocktail tomatoes of domestic selection, we can recommend the varieties Sunny Bunny, Marishka and Rosita.

    Hybrid Ampelous

    When growing cherry tomatoes on the balcony, you want the bush to take up as little space as possible, but at the same time give a lot of fruit. Under these criteria, the Ampelny hybrid is excellent. It will grow well in a pot, old barrel or hanging planter. A distinctive feature is the formation of a bush. Instead of stepchildren, it forms brushes, so the bush resembles a Christmas tree, which is all hung with bright red toys. Like all of the above small-fruited hybrids, it forms fruits weighing up to 50 g, has a high yield and excellent taste of tomatoes. They are tasty, dense and very beautiful.

    Growing seedlings

    Cherry tomatoes are grown on the balcony in the most common, seedling way. So you have the opportunity to observe the growth of seedlings and select only the strongest, strongest and healthiest for picking. The pick itself contributes to the development of additional roots and the correct formation of the bush. For growing seedlings, you will need any wide containers 8-10 cm deep. Fill them with earth, water well and place them near the battery. Before sowing, seeds must be soaked in a growth stimulator in order to achieve more friendly shoots.

    After sowing the seeds into the soil, cover the sowing container with plastic wrap. Until the first shoots appear, the pot will be warm, near the battery. After the appearance of sprouts, the film must be removed and the box with seedlings transferred to the windowsill. It is desirable that it be lighter and a little cooler here so that the seedlings do not stretch. This period lasts approximately 20-25 days, and it will end with the formation of two true tomato leaves. Now you are already growing real cherry tomatoes. Seedlings are ready for the first pick. Since we are preparing seedlings for cultivation on the balcony, there will be several transplants.

    Picks of seedlings

    Transplantation of tomatoes is almost painless, but you need to be careful not to damage the fragile stem. The first pick is carried out in pots with a diameter of 8-10 cm. The tip of the root is pinched off so that the root system develops better. Pots should be placed on a bright windowsill, the air temperature should be about 23-25 ​​degrees. Now it is necessary to constantly take care of the seedlings, water them, loosen the ground, and apply complex mineral fertilizer to the soil every ten days.

    During this period, a disease called black leg is especially detrimental to plants. For prevention, it is necessary to periodically water the soil with a solution of potassium permanganate. The second danger is the lack of sunlight. In winter, daylight hours are short, so tomatoes should be illuminated, otherwise the seedlings will stretch and die.

    Cherry tomatoes at home are transplanted a second time when the plants form 6-8 true leaves. Now you need to select an individual pot for each seedling with a volume of at least 5 liters. When transplanting, tomatoes should be deepened by 10-12 cm in order to form a strong root system.

    Further care

    The plants have now undergone their final potting where they will grow throughout the growing season. Cherry tomatoes at home need regular watering as the soil dries out. So that a crust does not form on the surface, the soil must be regularly loosened. 10 days after transplantation, complex mineral fertilizer must be applied to the soil. Each plant will require approximately 250-300 ml of solution. The concentration is indicated on the individual packaging. Feeding should be repeated every two weeks to ensure conditions for normal fruiting.

    Pasynkovanie

    Almost all varieties form stepchildren during growth – these are lateral shoots that develop in the axils of the leaves. Low-growing houseplants are formed in two or three stems. To do this, leave the top of the central stem and one or two stepsons. The rest are removed. Ideally, a stunted plant is a central stem and two stepchildren at different levels. In addition to stepchildren, diseased and yellow leaves, as well as foliage covering the fruits of the lower brushes, must be removed. By the way, the number of brushes also needs to be limited. On each stem, you can leave four bunches of ovaries, and then pinch the crown.

    Pollination

    Tomatoes are self-pollinating plants, but you can increase the yield by hand pollination. To do this, during flowering, it is recommended to open the balcony so that a fresh breeze walks in the room, or simply shake the flowering twigs. When most of the brushes have formed, the tops and flowering branches are removed so that the fruits can fully develop. To accelerate the growth and development of fruits, use another technique. The plant is taken by the base of the stem and pulled up, as if trying to pull it to the surface. This is necessary to cut off small roots. Then the plant is spudded and watered. The root system responds with a powerful development of additional roots, and this has a positive effect on the growth and ripening of fruits. Do not forget about the benefits of fertilizers. With a lack of nutrients, it will be difficult to wait for a good harvest, because the pot is a closed and limited ecosystem.

    Today I will tell you how to grow tomatoes on the windowsill. If they had told me three years ago that I would grow tomatoes on the windowsill … But there is a simple explanation for this – it’s worth growing one unusual herb and away we go … After successfully grown oregano, thyme, lavender, tarragon, chives, lemon balm, watercress -lettuce apparently the turn of heavy artillery has come :).

    Armed with the recommendations of my grandfather, an experienced gardener, I decided on this adventure. In stock: a large, bright balcony on the southeast side, cherry tomato seeds (positioned as balcony varieties), soil of dubious quality and 2 pots of 2 liters (perhaps they will be too small).

    How to grow tomatoes on a windowsill

    I offer my version of growing tomatoes on a windowsill, in detail and in pictures. So far everything is going well!

    1. Balcony tomato seeds that are used in the experiment.

    2. Balcony golden seeds. I took a cotton pad and moistened it with warm water, poured out a dozen seeds, moistened them with a spray bottle.

    3. Tomato Cherry seeds. Same procedure as for Balcony Gold seeds.

    4. Moisten another cotton pad and cover the seeds. A moist environment allows the seeds to wake up and swell a little. One day is enough, I got 2 days. Didn’t wet additionally. I did not pickle with manganese, since it is impossible to buy it in a pharmacy.

    5. Ingredients for the soil mixture: prepared soil on peat and humus, perlite and vermiculite. The soil was previously calcined in an old pan in the oven – about 2 hours. How to disinfect the soil wrote here.

    6. Ash as the first potash fertilizer and additional soil disinfection.

    7. Phytocide returns the necessary bacteria to the sterile soil, without which the plant will not absorb nutrients. I prepare the solution according to the instructions, moisten the soil (not abundantly, in no case should the earth be turned into mud). I water all the plants in the house with the remaining solution – most likely the bacteria in the water quickly die, so this watering cannot be called fertilizer.

    8. I always add perlite and vermiculite to the soil. Not more than 30% of the soil volume. Vermiculite is a mineral that has been processed at ultra-high temperatures to become porous. The pores in vermiculite are filled with oxygen, absorb a lot of water and gradually release it into the soil, preventing the roots from rotting. It is a natural source of potassium and magnesium. Perlite works in much the same way as vermiculite, loosening the soil like sand. The combination of these minerals improves soil quality.

    9. Added ash. It is recommended to add a teaspoon with a slide per liter of soil.

    10. I made holes in 100 g cups and filled them with earth. The seeds were applied 2 per cup, pressed quite a bit into the soil, 3-5 mm. Wet the surface with a spray bottle. The glasses were marked with the letter of the variety. It is convenient when all the cups are in one tray to turn them at the same time, for the sun.

    11. I quickly built a greenhouse out of a bag, bamboo sticks and tape. Sowing thyme also fell under the film, for the company :). Seedlings sit in the greenhouse until the first shoots – loops. The temperature should be around 18-20 degrees, it is advisable to place the seedlings in the shade until they sprout. She covered the greenhouse for the night for a few more days, look at the weather and trust your intuition.

    12. 4th day after sowing. The first time we irrigate the seedlings – carefully, from the sprayer, do not flood. We take it out into the light, but watch the temperature – the cups warm up, you can cook weak roots in the hot sun.

    13. 7 day. Yellow tomatoes look much healthier, hatch faster and stretch well. Every day I irrigate the crops a little.

    14. 14 days. The first true leaves have appeared. You can make the first top dressing with mineral fertilizer. But if you make ashes, you can get by before transplanting into a pot. We irrigate the soil and spray on shoots – either early in the morning or in the evening. If the weather is cloudy and it is damp outside, you should not sprinkle the leaves (so as not to provoke fungi).

    15. First true leaves on yellow tomatoes.

    16. First true leaves on red tomatoes. The sprouts did not stretch out, everything suggests that they have enough light and nutrition. Can be moved to pots.

    17. I have 2 liter pots. Most likely, for the root system of these varieties of tomatoes there will be little of such a volume and they will have to be transplanted before they decide to bloom. Moreover, it became a pity for the handsome men, and decided to put a couple in pots. The pots should have holes for draining water, 3 cm of drainage (expanded clay).

    18. Spread prepared soil (same as for seedlings).

    19. We remove the seedlings from the cup, turning it over, hold the seedlings. Everything is very easy.

    20. Place the soil cup in the pot.

    21. Filled the pot with soil around the tomatoes.

    22. I marked varieties in pots with pictures cut out from seed bags.

    23. You could have waited longer, the seedlings were too small. But through the glass, I saw the roots that had reached the bottom, I decided not to torment the plants.

    24. Yellow bushes are likely to be larger.

    25. A little less than a month has passed. This is Cherry.

    26. This is Balcony gold. Both varieties are equal in size, look healthy.

    I water moderately, daily. The next photo report will be prepared in 2 weeks.

    Promised report. I water once a day, I don’t irrigate (I’m afraid fungi will like it too).

    Tomatoes grow by leaps and bounds. So far, no problems.

    Tomatoes have blossomed!

    Tomato flowers

    Tomato buds

    Tomato blossoms

    The unbearable heat has come… I hope the tomatoes will pollinate despite the high temperature. I shake flowering brushes twice a day, and the petals turn outward – they say this indicates that pollination is successful.

    Due to the heat, I water very early in the morning and after sunset, but do not flood. The pots are white and reflect the light well, but you should probably cover them with paper. In the hottest period of the day, I remove the tomatoes in the shade, I’m afraid to burn them.

    Stepchildren grow little by little, I haven’t decided yet whether to remove them. I would like to grow greens and taste tomatoes … We need to read more on this topic. Any advice on what to do with stepchildren?

    In general, I decided not to stepchild. And here are the tomatoes we have

    Cherry Cherry

    Golden Balcony

    Today is October 28th. Total: the bushes of the Golden Balcony planted for the winter, and the Cherry is no longer there.

    April 8th. Tomatoes overwintered well, bloom with might and main:

    Tomatoes after wintering on the windowsill

    Tomatoes all year round are no longer a novelty. But if not from a supermarket package, but from the windowsill in your own apartment, this is an exclusive. Juicy, ripe, sweet and, most importantly, organic fruits on your table will please the whole family. At the same time – no cost, no money, no time. This review provides a description and characteristics of the best varieties of potted tomatoes.

    Tomatoes on the windowsill: is it real?

    Thanks to the efforts of breeders, many different hybrid varieties of tomatoes have appeared, unpretentious, but very productive, which are easy to grow on a windowsill at home in an ordinary flower pot . Maintaining a microclimate suitable for tomato growth, you can indulge yourself in the winter with the unique taste of homemade tomatoes.

    Growing tomato on the windowsill

    Since the ripening time of various early maturing varieties varies from 90 to 110 days, it is easy to calculate the date of planting seeds so that fragrant fresh tomatoes ripen for the New Year’s table. The main thing is to choose the right variety that meets all your wishes. You will get the opportunity to harvest a large crop from a limited area at any time of the year.

    The best indoor varieties for a mini-garden at home

    Standard and ampelous varieties are suitable for a window garden of tomatoes. They develop no more than 35-45 cm in height, do not branch, which means that they do not need to be tied up. Many hybrids are adapted to short daylight hours and lack of sunlight, good resistance to the most common diseases (blackleg, leaf mold).

    From neat small bushes you will get 1-2 kg of fruit per season . If planted in batches in several bushes with an interval of 20-30 days, you can provide yourself with vitamins for the whole winter. In addition, indoor tomatoes have excellent taste and a high content of sugar and vitamins in the pulp (compared to ordinary ones).

    The best standard hybrids for window growing at home are:

    Balcony Miracle

    Balcony Miracle Tomato

    Forms standard bushes about 0.5 m high, well tolerates lack of light, fruits are round, red, weighing 70-100 g , with a high content of sugars. Tomato Balcony miracle begins to bear fruit already 80 days after germination.

    Mikron NK

    Tomato Mikron NK

    The smallest known variety, the height of the bush barely reaches 15 cm, sweet fruits of red or bright yellow color, weighing 10-12 g , ripening period 100-110 days. This variety is more decorative and is completely independent of the length of daylight hours.

    Pinocchio

    Pinocchio tomato

    Compact bushes, one of the best indoor tomatoes, sweet, round fruits, weight up to 20 g. And if you sow the seeds after September 20, you will harvest the first harvest by the New Year. Pinocchio – mid-season, matures in 105-115 days.

    Bonsai

    Tomato Bonsai

    Early maturing variety (matures in 85 days), undemanding to light, the yield is not the highest – 0.5 kg, but the fruits are very tasty and sweet;

    Honey Bunch

    Tomato Honey Bunch

    Early maturing standard bush with a dense crown, height – 40 cm , fruits are sweet, juicy, yellow. Differs in high productivity.

    There are a lot of indoor and balcony varieties, and all of them are well-deservedly popular: Cherripalchiki F1, Balcony Elow, Yellow Pearl, Bonsai micro, F1 Balcony red, Room Surprise, etc. A unique feature is that they can grow more than one season. Dried bushes can be left in pots, watered occasionally, and after a while green leaves will begin to appear again. Tomatoes are able to grow this way up to 5 years, but the yield will decrease. The bushes bear fruit most abundantly in the first 2-3 years.

    Proper preparation of seeds for planting at home

    The principle of growing tomatoes at home is no different from growing in the garden: first we get seedlings from seeds, then dive them into pots for a permanent place. In advance, you should take care of preparing seeds and soil for planting.

    It is better to buy seeds in specialized stores in order to be sure of the quality and compliance with the variety indicated on the package.

    But still, before planting, it is better to check and sort out full-fledged grains from empty ones. To do this, dip them in salted water for 10 minutes (1 teaspoon per 200 g of water). Semi-dry or empty seeds will float, while healthy, full-fledged seeds will sink to the bottom. They need to be soaked for 20-30 minutes in a solution of manganese, , to protect future plants from late blight.

    Preparation of manganese solution

    To speed up the germination of seeds for a couple of days, you can put them in a damp cloth for “peeping”. Tomato seeds prepared in this way are sown in a seedling container in moistened soil to a depth of 1 cm and at a distance of 3 cm from each other. After that, the soil is lightly tamped, covered with plastic wrap and cleaned in a warm place until shoots appear. The film needs to be pricked in several places so that excess moisture does not accumulate under it, as this can cause seedling diseases. It is desirable to withstand daytime temperature + 22-25 degrees, night – + 15-17.

    Approximately a week later, the first leaves (false) appear, the temperature at this time is lowered to 20 degrees and the room is occasionally ventilated. It is also necessary to monitor the humidity – do not overdry, but do not overmoisten, so that the seedlings do not get sick with a “black leg”.

    After 7-10 days, the first shoots of tomatoes can be observed

    You can prepare the soil yourself or buy a ready-made substrate. For healthy plant growth and a good harvest, the following mixture is most suitable:

    • the soil itself should consist of 50% humus, 45% black soil, 5% sand;
    • for enrichment 1 glass of wood ash , 1 matchbox of superphosphate, potassium sulfate, urea are added to one bucket of soil.

    Fill containers with this mixture – plastic cups with drainage holes or wooden boxes with pallets 10-12 cm high.

    Transplantation of tomato seedlings and further care

    you need to choose the strongest and most developed sprouts and plant them in pots or other containers specially prepared for this. The size of the container should be 8-10 liters, for the smallest ornamental varieties of tomatoes, you can take a container of 4-5 liters. In the process of caring for plants, you must follow the basic rules and technologies of agricultural technology:

    To grow indoor tomatoes in winter, choose containers with a volume of 2 l (for dwarf varieties), 4 l (for medium-sized varieties) or 5 l (for ampelous plants)

    • Lighting. Tomato pots are placed on windowsills facing south. Once every two days they are turned 180 degrees so that the plant is even, does not lean towards the sunny side. In cloudy weather, as well as in the mornings and evenings, it is necessary to provide plants with additional illumination – a phytolamp or even ordinary electric lamps (except for those varieties whose growth does not depend on the length of daylight hours).

    In case of lack of sunlight for indoor tomatoes, additional lighting is equipped

    • Irrigation. Indoor tomatoes are very sensitive to watering. Regular soil moisture contributes to good growth, the formation of ovaries and the ripening of fruits. The lack of moisture will lead to the fruit falling off, but its excess leads to the spread of various diseases – rot, late blight, fungal infections. You need to water 2 times a week, moderately and without irrigating the stems. With the beginning of flowering, watering should be stopped and resumed with the appearance of ovaries.
    • Top dressing of tomatoes. Three weeks after the seedlings dive and then every 10-15 days we fertilize the plants with special mineral and organic fertilizers, which we apply to moist soil on the second day after watering.
    • Tying whips. Low standard bushes with a stable trunk usually do not need support. The branches of medium-sized tomatoes are tied to pegs that are stuck into the ground, trying not to damage the root system.

    As they grow, stalks of tomatoes are tied to pegs.

    • Pinching. It is obligatory to carry out pinching, i.e. removal of “stepchildren” shoots in the axils of the leaves throughout the entire growth of plants for its proper formation. Stepchildren thicken the plant, take away nutrients, reduce the yield of tomatoes.

    After the formation of the main ovaries, it is also necessary to pluck the top.

    • Pollination. Indoor varieties give a fairly good harvest even without pollination, but if desired, pollination can be carried out with a brush, carefully brushing it over the flowers.

    Airing will help improve the ability of a tomato to self-pollinate

    Growing hybrid varieties of tomatoes on a windowsill in winter – is not only a benefit, but also a great pleasure, a very interesting activity. With a little attention and free time, you will get a harvest of exclusive varieties of bright, sweet and very healthy tomatoes from your windowsill. Caring for such a plant will be easy even for beginner gardeners.

    Recently, growing tomatoes on the windowsill has become a popular activity among amateur gardeners. However, due to lack of knowledge, it is not possible to harvest a good crop: tomatoes get sick, grow poorly, or set few fruits. What conditions need to be provided for tomatoes in the apartment so that they bear fruit well at home?

    Features of growing tomatoes on the windowsill

    The technology of growing miniature indoor tomatoes is very similar to the cultivation of ordinary tomatoes on the plot. However, there are several features that must be considered when deciding to get undersized tomatoes in an apartment:

    • for good fruiting, they need to be illuminated with phytolamps;
    • in the room where the pots are standing, you need to maintain a stable temperature and humidity;
    • Tomatoes cannot be poured, otherwise they will get sick with a black leg;
    • growing containers must be appropriate for the size of the plant;
    • Tomato flowers need to be pollinated independently: during the flowering period, a soft brush is applied over the flowers 2-3 times a day.

    Taking into account these nuances, which are described in detail below, the chance that growing tomatoes on the window in winter or at any other time of the year will be crowned with success increases significantly.

    Which varieties are suitable for growing on the windowsill

    For growing in an apartment, it is better to choose determinant (undersized) tomato varieties that do not need to be tied up, are unpretentious to the composition of the soil and the length of daylight hours. Most varieties with these characteristics are standard hybrids. Depending on the wishes, you can plant super-early or mid-season varieties. Such tomato varieties as Bonsai, Balcony Miracle, Pygmy, Pinnochio, Room Surprise have excellent characteristics.

    Despite the fact that the tomatoes of these varieties do not grow more than half a meter, the plants form about 2 kg of yellow or red fruits weighing from 15 to 100 g. .

    What should be the location

    To get as much natural light as possible, tomatoes are best placed on south or east windows. If this is not possible, you can put pots on the western window, but the culture will have to be illuminated. It is not recommended to grow light-loving tomatoes on the northern windows.

    Temperature

    When growing tomatoes on a window, it is very important to maintain the right temperature. Deviations from the established ranges are fraught with slow development and poor yields of vegetable crops. When growing tomatoes on a window at home, you should follow these recommendations:

  • When the seedlings are 7 days old, the temperature is reduced to + 20- + 22 C. Being in colder conditions, the seedlings will not stretch, which often happens with tomatoes indoors. You can reduce the temperature by airing the room for half an hour – the plant is not afraid of drafts.
  • The optimum temperature at night is + 15- + 16C.

  Important! On the coldest days, when the batteries become very hot, in order to protect the leaves of tomatoes from the influence of warm air, the heaters are covered with a wooden shield from above.

  Humidity

  Tomatoes grown on a window should be sprayed only if the air in the room is very dry. When the temperature in the apartment is below +20 C, it is impossible to spray the plants at all: excessive humidity and cold air are the main reasons for the appearance of a black leg.

  Lighting

  Due to the fact that tomatoes are plants that need a long daylight to produce many quality fruits at home, they need to be highlighted. Lamps are on from 8 am to 11 am and from 4 pm to 7 pm. The latest invented hybrids are unpretentious in terms of the amount of light, however, for better yields, even they are recommended to be illuminated on the shortest days of winter.

  Important! Without additional lighting, indoor tomatoes can be grown from mid-February.

  Despite the fact that tomatoes like to live on light windowsills, the leaves of young seedlings can get burned under the influence of bright spring rays. To protect the plant from such injuries, the pots are transferred to the eastern and northern windows. If it is impossible to make such a rearrangement, they are shaded with gauze or paper during the brightest hours.

  Tying and pinching

  The vast majority of hybrids and varieties of tomatoes intended for growing in an apartment on a window or windowsill do not need to be tied up, because they are endowed with a low powerful stem. Only some varieties whose height exceeds 50 cm need supports. Medium-sized tomatoes are formed into 2 stems, tall ones – into one.

  Which container to plant in

  Tomato seedlings are initially planted in seedling containers, and as soon as they become crowded, they are transplanted into separate peat pots or plastic cups with a volume of more than 200 ml. Using peat cups, you need to control the amount of watering, otherwise the containers may simply fall apart.

  During the next transplant, when the plants have 4-5 pairs of true leaves, the tomatoes are planted in a permanent pot. The size of the planting container must be chosen based on the characteristics of the cultivated variety: the more compact the plant, the smaller the volume of the planting container should be.

  Based on this rule, pots up to 2 liters should be used for planting dwarf varieties. Indoor tomatoes are recommended to be planted in 3-4 l containers, ampelous – in 5 l. Regardless of size, there should be drainage holes in the bottom of the landing tanks to drain excess water.

  What kind of soil to plant in

  For planting low-growing tomatoes in an apartment, a special industrial-made substrate or a self-prepared mixture is used: garden soil, rotted compost and peat are mixed in a ratio of 5:5:2:1. A matchbox of potassium sulfate and about the same amount of urea are added to a bucket of soil mixture. A handful of wood ash is added to the mixture and mixed thoroughly. The finished substrate is poured into containers and planting begins.

  Important! Regardless of origin, the soil must be calcined or frozen: high or low temperatures will destroy pathogenic bacteria and insect larvae. Moreover, in order to prevent infection of tomatoes with dangerous diseases, it is necessary to ignite the tool that will be used when working with the soil at home.

  Seed preparation for planting

  Poor planting material is discarded first. Seeds are poured into a container with salt water and mixed thoroughly. A few minutes after the water stops spinning, the good seeds will sink to the bottom, while the bad seeds will remain on the surface. The floating seeds are drained with water, and the remaining ones continue to be prepared for planting in the apartment.

  To destroy pathogens on the surface of seeds, planting material is soaked for 15-20 minutes in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. After the end of the time, they are taken out of the container and laid out on a paper towel. After drying, they are treated with a growth stimulator in accordance with the instructions. The substances contained in such preparations accelerate the germination of seedlings and increase the resistance of seedlings to diseases.

  Direct fit

  Plant indoor tomatoes in the same way as ordinary tomatoes intended for outdoor cultivation. Planting is carried out in the following sequence:

  1. Disinfected planting material is laid out in a damp cloth and placed in a warm place so that they hatch. Please note that if the fabric dries out, it must be sprayed, otherwise the embryos will dry out and the seeds will not hatch.
  2. Prepared soil mixture or a special substrate is poured into the seedling container and grooves are made 1 cm deep. It is not recommended to plant tomatoes at a depth of more than 2 cm: the period of appearance of seedlings is doubled. Seeds are laid out at a distance of 2-3 cm from each other.
  3. Sprinkle the crops with earth and lightly moisten. Until the emergence of seedlings, the box is covered with a film or glass, which is removed from time to time so that the soil does not become moldy.
  4. As soon as the seedlings put out 2-3 pairs of true leaves, they are transplanted into pots of appropriate size, the bottom of which is laid with drainage material.

  Video: how to grow indoor tomatoes in winter

  How to care after planting and before harvest – tips

  Tomato health and yield depend on the quality of care. In order for indoor tomatoes to develop quickly in an apartment and set the maximum number of fruits, they need to be watered and fertilized in a timely manner.

  Watering

  The soil in the pot needs to be slightly damp for fruit formation and ripening. Tomatoes react poorly to both drought and overflow: in the first case, the fruits can be sprinkled during formation, in the second, the plant becomes ill with a black leg, late blight.

  Since chlorine is harmful to plants, it is necessary to water indoor tomatoes only with well-settled water. In order for the particles of a chemical element to sink to the bottom, the water must be defended for a week. You can reduce the time of water preparation to several hours with the help of a filter. As soon as the soil dries out, the seedlings are moderately watered.

  Subject to the temperature regime and normal air humidity, watering is carried out 1 time in 5 days. Out of turn, tomatoes are watered the day before transplantation: extracting the rhizome from moist soil is much easier and less painful for the plant.

  Top dressing

  At the beginning of development, after reaching a week of age, indoor tomatoes in pots are fed with nitrogen fertilizers, which activate plant growth. During the setting of fruits and their pouring, potash fertilizers are introduced into the soil.

  Seedlings can also be fertilized with ordinary mineral mixtures diluted twice with water. In order not to burn the roots, top dressing is applied 2 hours after watering. The best time for manipulation is cloudy weather. All types of fertilizers are applied no more than 1 time in 2 weeks in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations.

  Worth knowing! For adult plants, top dressing can be applied to the leaf or under the root. For young seedlings with tender leaves, leaf feeding is contraindicated.

  Terms of germination and harvesting

  When the right conditions are created in the apartment, tomato seedlings appear on the surface 6-10 days after sowing.