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Cherry tomatoes are one of the few plants that have been introduced into cultivation quite recently, unlike other tomatoes that have been grown for centuries. Small cherry tomatoes quickly became fashionable. And deservedly so - they have many undeniable advantages, including excellent taste. There are no such sweet varieties among large-fruited tomatoes.
Growing cherry tomatoes has its own characteristics. There are many varieties for any conditions. Among the small-fruited tomatoes there are liana-like plants that reach three meters and very small ones, hardly higher than 30 cm. It is the latter that are suitable not only for open ground and greenhouses, but also for balconies and even for apartments. Among them there are varieties specially adapted to lack of light.The root system of such babies is compact, which allows them to grow tomatoes in flower pots.
Cherry for the balcony
What requirements must tomato varieties for balconies meet?
- They must keep up quickly.
- Differ in small size.
- Be undemanding to conditions growing.
Cherry varieties for home or balcony
You can grow the following cherry varieties at home.
- Traditional and familiar: Balcony miracle, Bonsai, Minibell, Lukoshko on the window, Pinocchio. All these varieties are early, very compact, and produce tasty and elegant fruits. But they have one drawback - starting fruiting early, they quickly finish it.
- Newly created Cherry hybrids: Ira F1, Cherry Lycopa F1, Cherry Kira F1, Cherry Maksik F1, Cherry Lisa F1 do not have this drawback. Planted in containers of at least 8 liters, they can bear fruit until January even in indoor conditions. But these hybrids will require shaping and gartering.
They will extend the season for consuming fresh and healthy tomatoes for a long time. But to continue bearing fruit, they will need lighting.
Cherry in open ground
For growing cherry tomatoes in open ground in the middle zone, it is better to choose determinate varieties and hybrids that ripen early
Cherry Blossam F1
This is a powerful plant 1 m high. It ripens early, after 100 days. To reap a good harvest, this hybrid is grown in 3 trunks; a garter is necessary. The fruits are red and round, weighing approximately 30 g. Can be preserved well.
Granddaughter
Red round tomatoes weigh from 20 g or more. The bush is low, only 50 cm, and does not need shaping or staking.
Irishka
This is a low variety of cherry, no more than 50 cm, characterized by early ripeness and fairly large red fruits - up to 30 g. The variety does not need to be tied up or pinched.
Honey candyF1
A very sweet hybrid with yellow-orange plum-shaped fruits weighing up to 30 g. In terms of ripening, it is mid-early; you will have to wait 110 days for the first fruit to become ripe. A multiple cluster can consist of 28 tomatoes. The bush grows up to 80 cm. The plant is formed into 2-3 trunks, a garter is required.
Greenhouse cherry
Small-fruited tomatoes are most productive when grown in a greenhouse. The long fruiting period of up to 6 months allows you to extend the time of consumption of this delicacy for a long time. To fully utilize the entire space of the greenhouse, it is better to grow tall, indeterminate varieties in it.
It is there that they fully realize their potential and produce a record harvest. In hot weather, such a greenhouse needs constant ventilation.
Cherry for the greenhouse
Kish-mish red, orange and yellow F1
Hybrids that differ only in the color of the fruit. They grow above 1.5 m, the ripening period is mid-early. The fruits are small, only about 20 g, but very sweet. The cluster is multi-fruited, the number of tomatoes in it can reach 50 pieces.
Plants need not only staking and formation into 2 stems, but also rationing of the yield. There is no need to leave more than 6 brushes on it.
Miracle bunch F1
Indeterminate tomato with complex clusters consisting of red balls weighing 20 g.The variety is early ripening and requires shaping and staking.
Black chocolate
The variety is indeterminate, mid-season, the fruits are dark, almost black. The fruit is a cocktail type, weighs about 35 g. It needs to be formed into 2 or 3 trunks and a garter.
Cherry black
Tall variety up to 3.5 m, ripening period is very early. The first cherry fruits can be tasted after 65 days. The tomatoes are small, typical cherry tomatoes weighing about 25 g. This tomato is grown in one stem with the obligatory garter.
Wherever you plan to grow cherry tomatoes, you will have to start this process by growing seedlings. When to sow seeds for seedlings? Each region will have its own sowing time. They are calculated knowing that at the time of planting, the age of young tomatoes should be from 55 to 60 days. For late varieties it should be one and a half weeks longer, and for early varieties it may be less.
Stages of growing cherry tomato seedlings
Growing tomatoes cherry starts from seeds. Proper preparation for sowing is the key to strong seedlings and the health of the tomato in general. The seeds are treated by keeping them in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate for 20 minutes, then washed with running water and treated with a growth stimulator, for example, Epin or vitalizer HB 101 according to the instructions.
If fresh seeds are soaked, the juice is diluted with water by half; if the seeds are questionable in terms of germination, there is no need to dilute the juice. Soaking time is about a day.If the seeds are processed by the manufacturer, which is written on the packaging, then they are sown without preparation.
The prepared seeds are sown in the ground. It is best to buy specialized soil for tomatoes. Seeds are sown in containers to a depth of 0.5 cm.
The soil should be moist, but not waterlogged. The seeds need to be sprinkled with soil and the container covered with glass or film, you can place it in a plastic bag.
The melt water into which it turns has amazing properties and is very useful for future seedlings. If possible, it is also good to water the seedlings with melt water. The beneficial properties remain in it for 12 hours after the snow melts.
The appearance of the first loops of seedlings is a signal that you need to place the container with seedlings in the brightest place on the windowsill. The package needs to be removed. Reducing the temperature to 15 degrees during the day and 12 at night is an important condition so that young shoots do not stretch. After 5-6 days, the temperature is increased and maintained at the optimal level: about 20 degrees during the day and about 16 at night.
When the seedlings produce their third leaf, which happens a month after germination, it is necessary to start picking them. 3 hours before, the seedlings are well watered. Each plant needs to be planted in a separate cup, while pinching the central root so that the tomatoes form a strong and branched root system before planting.
It is best not to touch the plant at all, carefully choosing a lump of earth with roots, but if this does not work, it is permissible to hold the seedlings by the leaves.
If you grow several varieties of cherry tomatoes, so as not to confuse anything later, it is better to label each cup.
Some gardeners use special cassette nurseries for picking. They are equipped with a tray that will keep the windowsill clean.
After picking, the seedlings are shaded for several days so that the seedlings take root better. Further care for it consists of careful watering and fertilizing with complex mineral fertilizer every 2 weeks.
You only need 1-2 drops per liter. The seedlings will be much stronger and will not stretch as much.
Cherry in open ground
Planting seedlings
Seedlings are planted in open ground if frosts are no longer expected. The planting scheme depends on the habit of the tomato. The more compact the plant, the less nutritional area it requires. On average per 1 sq. m of beds are planted with 4 plants. The preparation of beds and planting holes is the same as for large-fruited varieties. In the fall, the beds are fertilized with humus and superphosphate, 10 kg and 80 g per 1 sq. m., respectively. m. Planting holes are filled with a handful of humus, or better yet compost, and a tablespoon of ash is added there. Cherry tomatoes love fertile soil, but excess nitrogen is harmful to them. Tomatoes are especially demanding of potassium fertilizers.
Before planting, seedlings need to be accustomed to new living conditions. To do this, in warm weather, it is taken out into the open air, at first for a short time, gradually increasing the time it stays outside. On warm nights, you don't need to bring it home.
Plant well-watered seedlings, carefully removing them from the cup. Plants are buried down to the first true leaf. The hole needs to be watered, at least a liter per tomato. The top of the soil is sprinkled with dry soil or humus to reduce water evaporation. The planted tomatoes are covered with spunbond; it is thrown over the arches to protect the young plants from the sun.
Watering mode
When the tomatoes take root, after about a week, they are watered for the first time. In the future, cherry tomatoes are watered regularly, increasing the amount of water during the fruit-filling period.
Therefore, they need to be watered regularly, without waiting for the soil to completely dry out. Excess moisture is also harmful to tomatoes. Therefore, a golden mean must be observed.
Feeding
Fertilizing should begin no earlier than 15 days after planting. The first feeding is done with a complex fertilizer with microelements.
In the initial period, cherry tomatoes need a sufficient amount of phosphorus to form the root system. This is a sparingly soluble element, which is why it is so important to add it in the fall so that by the time the seedlings are planted, it has time to dissolve. Humates also help to grow the root system. In order for them to be better absorbed, it is better to foliar fertilize them with a solution.
Further feeding should be regular, every 2 weeks. It is better to use water-soluble fertilizer with an NPK ratio of 1:0.5:1.8. During the growing season, it is necessary to carry out foliar feeding with a solution of boric acid and the same solution of calcium nitrate. Tomatoes also need magnesium, especially on sandy and sandy loam soils.
Forming cherry tomatoes
This is a very important operation. If you do not plant tomatoes, fruit ripening is delayed. Most often, cherry tomatoes in open ground are left with one trunk and a stepson under the lower flower raceme. If the summer is warm, it is permissible to leave the stepson above the flower cluster, forming a tomato into three trunks. Only standard varieties of cherry tomatoes do not grow.
Disease Prevention
Growing cherry tomatoes is impossible without taking care of the health of the plants. This type of tomato is considered quite resistant to diseases. But preventive treatments against late blight are mandatory for them too. Before the formation of the first flower cluster, it is permissible to use chemical fungicides. With the beginning of flowering, it is better to switch to traditional methods.
In the fight against diseases, mulching the soil around tomatoes is a good help. If plants are not in contact with the ground, they are much less likely to get sick. In addition, mulch will keep the soil moist, which will allow you to water cherry tomatoes less often, and the soil will become looser and more fertile. For mulch, hay or any grass that does not contain weed seeds is suitable. The thickness of the mulch layer should not be less than 5 cm.
Cherry in the greenhouse
Growing Cherry tomato in a greenhouse not much different from growing in open ground. The distance between plants when planting depends on how loaded they will be with the crop. If you plan to grow plants with 3 stems, it is better to leave at least 70 cm between the tomatoes.
Care cherry tomatoes in a greenhouse in addition to watering, fertilizing and shaping, it also includes maintaining the correct thermal regime. On hot days, greenhouses need to be ventilated, not allowing the temperature to rise above 30 degrees. This is not only stress for plants. Pollen under such conditions becomes sterile, pollination and fruit set do not occur.
They will not only attract pollinating insects, but also improve the taste of the fruit.
An important measure when growing cherry tomatoes in a greenhouse is the timely pinching of the tops of the plants. It should be carried out a month before the air temperature reaches below plus 8 degrees. This will allow all the small tomatoes to ripen on the bushes.
Cherry on the balcony and at home
It is not always possible to grow tomatoes in the country, but you can do it at home. Small-fruited tomatoes are the best option for growing on the balcony. Let's look at growing cherry tomatoes on the balcony step by step.
Seedling
Seedlings for tomatoes on the balcony can be grown in the traditional way.But it is quite possible to sow tomatoes immediately in a permanent place - in pots with a volume of at least 3 liters. For insurance, at least 3 seeds are planted in each pot. After germination, the strongest plant is left.
A very important point is the timing of sowing. They depend not only on the desire of the home gardener, but also on the ability to organize lighting for the plants.
Further care for tomatoes on the balcony will consist of providing it with moisture, nutrition and light.
Watering
The limited volume of the pot requires fairly frequent watering, especially in the hot season. If there is a lack of moisture, the ovaries on plants may fall off. Overwatering tomatoes can cause root rot. It should be watered if the top layer of soil to a depth of 2 cm is dry. Excess water from the pan after watering is removed.
Feeding
A small volume of soil will not allow cherry tomatoes to grow without regular fertilizing. It is better to carry them out with a water-soluble complex fertilizer, for example, Kemira Lux, at intervals of two weeks. You can alternate mineral fertilizers with organic ones. For such small volumes, it is better to buy ready-made organic fertilizer in the store and use it in accordance with the instructions.
Lighting
With insufficient lighting, the process of photosynthesis in plants slows down, which affects not only its development, but also productivity. Tomatoes grow well if the window or balcony is oriented to the south, southeast or southwest. If this is not possible, you will have to highlight the cherry tomatoes. Daylight hours for them should be at least 12 hours.
Reproduction
When the growing season of a tomato comes to an end, the plant can be propagated by stepsons. Break off a shoot from a tomato plant and place it in water. After a week, it will grow roots and can be planted in a pot of soil.
This propagation method is suitable not only for cherry tomatoes, but also for any tomatoes.
Formation for short There is no need for standard tomatoes, but it would be useful to strengthen the bush with a garter so that the weight of the fruit does not overturn the pot.
The best hybrids are Cascade Red F1 and Cascade Elo F1, red and yellow.
Conclusion
Cherry tomatoes are an excellent alternative to large-fruited tomatoes. Properly selected cherry varieties are slightly inferior to them in yield, but gain in taste and benefits.
