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There are probably few people who don’t like tomatoes. These delicious vegetables are very nutritious and saturate the human body with useful substances. And perhaps it’s no secret that home-grown vegetables are much tastier than store-bought ones. But what if you don't have a garden where you can grow tomatoes? You can arrange growing tomatoes on the balcony.
We invite you to learn how to grow balcony tomatoes. The article will give specific recommendations and discuss all the nuances and stages growing tomatoes on the balcony.
Which variety of tomatoes to choose
There is little space on the balcony, so the variety of tomatoes should be chosen carefully. So, the variety should be low-growing with large and abundant fruits. The following tomato varieties are suitable for growing on the balcony:
- Cherry.
- Cascade Ed.
- Mikron-NK.
- Red Pearl.
Hybrid varieties of tomatoes that were bred by breeders taking into account the wishes of gardeners deserve special attention:
- F1 Balcony Red is an early ripening variety. The ripening period of tomatoes begins 3 months after the seedlings emerge. The fruit size is average. The tomato has a pleasant sugary taste.For good development of the bush there is no need to cut off the stepsons. The growth of the bush is up to 30 cm.
- Pinocchio is another tomato variety that has already appealed to many balcony gardeners. This variety is grown because it is not fussy, and also for the earlier ripening of tomatoes.
- Balcony Yelou is a hybrid tomato variety. The bush reaches a height of up to 45 cm. Early ripening. The fruits have a bright lemon color. The variety is suitable for conservation.
- Balcony miracle - this hybrid variety is also early ripening, but also prolific. The height of the bush is 50 cm. Approximately 2 kg of fruit can be collected from one bush. Moreover, the average weight of each tomato is 65 g.
You can also grow tall varieties of tomatoes on the balcony. Such animals develop well in such an unusual environment. varieties like White filling and Bull's Heart. The fruits of these tomato varieties are juicy and fleshy. To grow tall tomatoes you need to prepare large pots. They will need to be installed on the floor.
Preparing a balcony for growing tomatoes
Arranging a miniature vegetable garden on a balcony can only be organized if it faces southwest or southeast. The balcony, located on the north side, is not suitable for growing plants, since the sun shines in its direction only 3 hours a day. The south side is also not suitable, since there is too much sun on such a balcony, which also negatively affects the development of tomato bushes.
If the pot with the tomato bush is heavy and needs to be installed on the floor, then it is better to place it closer to the balcony wall or railing. It should be borne in mind that tomatoes on the balcony do not like sharp gusts of wind, because of which the growth of the bushes slows down.If you decide to plant hanging tomato varieties, then they should be grown in hanging pots. But so that caring for tomatoes does not cause unnecessary trouble, the pots should not be hung very high. Tall tomato bushes can be secured to trellises made of plastic, rope and wood. In turn, it is better to fix the trellises on a free wall that is as protected from the wind as possible.
Along with tomatoes, you can plant herbs on the balcony. This composition looks very harmonious, and the herbs will repel pests from the tomato bushes. Thus, herbs such as mint, curly and regular parsley, lettuce, celery and oregano coexist well with tomatoes.
Preparing soil and seeds
To achieve maximum fruiting of tomatoes on the balcony, it is important to properly prepare the soil for sowing. If you don’t have time to prepare the soil yourself, you can purchase a special soil mixture consisting of turf and humus in equal parts. Also, to improve the looseness of the soil, peat or sawdust is added to it.
A novice gardener may think that growing tomatoes on the balcony is a thankless task. But, if all the initial stages are completed correctly, then the tomato bushes will require minimal care in the future. After preparing the soil, it's time to start preparing the seeds for sowing to produce seedlings. This work begins at the end of February - beginning of March.
Start by soaking the tomato seeds. Place them on a cloth, cover with warm water and leave the seed warm until germination.
There are several ways to plant tomato seeds in the ground:
- Fill special cups with soil and pour boiling water over it; sowing can only be done after the soil has completely cooled. If you do not have the opportunity to purchase such cups, then you can grow tomatoes on the balcony in plastic bottles. To do this, you need to cut off the neck, cover it with soil, make holes and place the seeds in them. If you pre-germinate tomato seeds, then you will need to place 1 seed in a glass, and 2-3 for unsprouted ones. There is no need to make holes in the glass, since there is little soil in the glass and all the liquid will be absorbed by the plants. Cups with crops should be placed in a warm place and covered with cellophane. After the sprouts appear, 2–3 days should pass and the crops should be transferred to a cool place with artificial lighting. Watering is carried out as the soil dries.
- Before sowing, tomato seeds are treated with a solution of potassium permanganate. Then they need to be placed in a soaked cloth on a plate and wrapped in cellophane. The environment in which the seeds will germinate should be warm and moist. Then the germinated tomato seeds are placed in the soil, covered with glass and again in a warm place. After tomato sprouts appear from the ground, the containers need to be moved on the windowsillto provide the seedlings with enough light. Watering is carried out as the soil dries. In this case, it is important to add warm water to the tomato sprouts, preferably settled water.
Transplanting into containers
Usually a month is enough for the development of strong tomato seedlings. And then the period comes when it needs to be transplanted into spacious pots or containers.If you plant tomatoes in long containers, then the distance between plants should be 25 cm. Now let's look at how to grow tomatoes on the balcony step by step.
In order to ensure good drainage, expanded clay or broken tiles should be placed at the bottom of the container/pot. The soil can be enriched with organic fertilizers. Then you need to fill the pot 1/3 with soil mixture and place the tomato seedling. Spread the roots to the sides and lightly press them into the soil. Then gradually pour soil into the pot, compacting it with your hands. Do not add soil to 1/3 of the top of the pot. Lightly compact the soil and generously water the tomato seedlings with warm water, do it slowly so that the moisture is absorbed into the soil evenly.
After transplanting the seedlings, they should not be touched during the first week. This way, you will give the tomato bushes the opportunity to take root.
Low-growing varieties of tomatoes can be planted 2 - 3 seedlings side by side. This way, a lush and beautiful bush will be formed. All dry and apparently diseased leaves should be torn off to prevent the spread of disease. When the first fruits appear, the color must be removed from the top. This is done so that moisture and nutrients enter the developing fruits.
After the fruits begin to turn pink, they need to be removed from the bush and placed in a box for further ripening. In this case, the beneficial properties of the fruits will not be lost, and new fruits will form on the bushes, while the previous ones will not take the juices from them.
Feeding and care features
In order for the bushes to develop well and color to form on them, it is important to timely fertilize the plants. Start doing this in April. You can use mineral fertilizers for this.
If you decide to grow tall varieties on the balcony, then the size of the bushes will be correspondingly large, and so that they do not break under their own weight, you need to tie them up. If it has been a long spring and there is still no heat on the loggia, then you will have to bring pots with plants into the house at night, and take them outside again during the day.
To prevent late blight and other tomato diseases, you need to treat the bushes with a mixture of potassium permanganate and garlic. To do this, dilute 0.5 tbsp in 0.5 liters of water. l. crushed garlic and 0.5 g of potassium permanganate. Another option for disease prevention is to spray the bushes with a solution of phytosporin.
Fertilizing with mineral fertilizers and watering should be done every week. Starting from the second stage of tomato development, the bushes are actively forming, sending out lateral shoots. Leave 2-3 stems, and the remaining shoots, or as they are also called, stepsons, need to be torn off or trimmed.
After the clusters of fruits have formed, you need to cut off the lower leaves. If you do not trim the bushes, they will have a very large volume and, as a result, the inflorescences will not form.
You need to cut off the stepsons very carefully so as not to damage the stem. Pruning or pinching is best done in the morning. Leave 4 bunches of ovaries on each stem and pinch the crown.
A few growing secrets
Balcony growing of seedlings and subsequently tomato bushes differs from garden growing. We invite you to familiarize yourself with a few more secrets:
- If your loggia is not glazed, then tomatoes should be planted no earlier than April, provided that the temperature during the day does not fall below 23ºC, and at night - 13ºC.
- To avoid the development of fungal diseases on a closed balcony, it is important to maintain a certain level of humidity within 60–65%. To do this, you need to systematically ventilate the balcony.
- Plants should be watered only with warm water.
- To develop powerful and tall bushes, you need to regularly fertilize them with organic and nitrogen fertilizers. But don't overdo it. Otherwise, powerful bushes will remain practically barren. The optimal period between feedings is 10 days.
- To prevent the stems of the bush from breaking under the weight of the fruit, they must be tied to a support.
- In order for the bush to form faster, you need to cut off small roots. To do this, slightly pull the plant up, as if pulling it out of the soil.
So, as practice and photo examples given in this article show, growing tomatoes on a balcony is a feasible task for every amateur gardener. The process of growing tomatoes will bring you not only a good harvest, but also positive emotions. Such relaxation after a hard day in a noisy city can help you protect yourself from psychological disorders.
We invite you to watch a video that shows step by step how to grow tomatoes on the balcony:
