Tomatoes on the balcony: varieties, growing step by step instructions for beginners with photos and videos

Growing tomatoes on a balcony starts with choosing the right variety. It is necessary to take into account the size of the balcony and its comfort. Proper care plays an important role in the quality and quantity of the crop.

Choice variety

Can I grow tomatoes on my balcony? You can successfully grow tomatoes on the balcony if you choose the right type. Requirements to consider when choosing seeds.

The ideal option is to choose low-growing seeds, the height of the bush will be approximately 60 cm. They are simple and easy to care for, since there is no need to install a tie support, there is no need to pinch and cut side branches.
It is better to choose varieties with early fruiting boundaries.
It is convenient to choose varieties of tomatoes for growing on the balcony, which form hanging brushes.
Do not forget such a criterion as resistance to diseases and pests.

To determine which tomato varieties are suitable for balcony growing, you need to familiarize yourself with the description of each proposed variety in more detail. If the balcony is spacious, then undersized or tall varieties of tomatoes are suitable. Among the tall species for balconies, Bull's Heart, Angelica or White Fill are popular. They ripen late, but the varieties are highly resistant to diseases.

Tall varieties of tomatoes for the balcony necessarily require additional vertical support. It is necessary not to miss the time when the side branches are cut and should be formed into two or three stems.Such varieties are especially demanding to care for, but the cultivated culture will give large and juicy fruits.

Despite the size of the loggia, it is best to sow dwarf varieties such as Malysh, Oak. The size of the tomatoes are small, the taste is excellent. The brushes with red round tomatoes hanging down look beautiful.

Dubok is characterized by early borders of fruit ripening, only 85 days pass from the moment of planting the seeds. The stem stretches up to 55 cm and has a small amount of leaves on it. The plant is highly resistant to many diseases. Bushes grown at home need to be artificially pollinated. Round-shaped fruits weigh about 70 g.

You can also grow special varieties intended for placement on the balcony, for example, Balcony Miracle. The self-pollinating variety has an early fruit ripening period, and it reaches a height of only up to 60 cm.At the same time, the yield for home cultivation is high, about 2 kg of tomato can be removed from one bush.

Which variety can I pick up more? Such low-growing varieties of tomatoes for the balcony as Pearl, Bonsai, Ballerina, Minibel, Pinocchio, Caramel red or yellow feel great. They are also suitable for the window sill in the room. It is best for a beginner vegetable grower to opt for these types of tomatoes.

The height of the Bonsai stem is only 30 cm and accommodates 3-4 brushes. Despite the small growth, about 3.5 kg can be collected from one bush. Refers to mid-season varieties, fruit ripening occurs after 110 days. The weight of one red-scarlet tomato is about 28 g.

Indoor varieties replenish Minibel. The height of a strong bush is about 40 cm. The fruits begin to sing after 82 days. Smooth, round red fruits weigh approximately 23 g. Can do without sufficient lighting, undemanding to soil composition.

Pinocchio's pot culture begins to bear fruit after 90 days. It grows only up to 30 cm in height. Sometimes it is necessary to install a support, since the stem can break under the weight of the fruit. Reddish-colored round fruits weigh about 20 g.

Among balcony tomatoes, these varieties are also popular.

Tomato Balcony duet is distinguished by its ultra-short ripening time. Fruits begin to form after 76 days. The bushes are not very branched, so they do not take up much space, they grow up to 35 cm in height. It looks beautiful in a flower pot, the branches are strewn with small red tomatoes.

Tiny tim grows only up to 40 cm in height. The Tiny Tim variety tolerates coolness well and does not need to be tied up, as the stem is strong and powerful.The plant in the ripening period is strewn with red tomatoes 2 cm in diameter. Fruits begin to form early. It is best to plant Tim in a pot.

Variety Tim prefers a sunny place, without drafts. The soil must be fertile and well-drained. Regular watering required.

Hybrid Mini Star refers to very early varieties of balcony tomatoes. You can start harvesting tomatoes after 80 days. Sweet red fruits are oblong in shape and weigh only 15-20 g. They are stored for a long time and do not crack.

Preparatory actions

How to grow tomatoes on the balcony, work begins with planting seeds. When to plant seeds, everyone decides for himself. Usually, tomatoes for seedlings begin to be planted in early March. In this case, the crop is traditionally harvested in the summer.But you can grow your own tomatoes from seeds and in the winter on the window. To do this, the seeds are planted in October. At this time of the year it is usually cold on the balcony, so care continues in the room.

If you properly process tomato seeds and pick up the soil, then the tomatoes will bear fruit, and care will not cause unnecessary trouble. You can step by step describe the process of preparing seeds and soil for further cultivation on the balcony and windowsill.

The soil can be bought, or you can mix it yourself. The composition of humus and turf is best suited; peat or sawdust can be added to improve the quality. Wood ash or superphosphate can be used as fertilizer.

After opening a pack of seeds, you need to make a selection. Only large and dense seeds are suitable for sowing. Selection can be carried out manually using tweezers. You can put the seeds in water with s alt. Empty, unsuitable seeds for planting will float to the surface.

Selected seeds must be disinfected. For this purpose, most vegetable growers use a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Being in such a solution for about 30 minutes, all pathogenic bacteria that live on the shell of the grains are destroyed.

You can't do without special preparations for planting tomatoes on the balcony. It is useful to soak the seeds in preparations that stimulate the growth and development of the plant. You can use Epin's solution.

Some experienced gardeners germinate seeds before planting. They are placed between two wet materials. As soon as the sprouts hatch, the seeds are ready for sowing.

As a container where the seeds are supposed to be sown, you can choose a wooden or plastic box. If a suitable box was not found, you can use a plastic bottle. A 2 liter bottle will do. It is cut lengthwise and soil is placed in the resulting recess.

The soil is poured into a selected container and holes are made 1 cm deep. If the seeds are planted deeper, they will germinate for a long time or will not sprout at all. The distance between the holes should be 3 cm. One germinated seed or two or three non-germinated seeds must be planted in each hole. After planting, the box is covered with a film. As soon as most of the seedlings have risen, the film is removed.

Seedlings should be regularly watered with settled water. A prerequisite for good growth is a sufficient supply of light. If it is not enough, then there is a need for additional lighting with a lamp.

Possible problems

If everything was done correctly, then the seedlings will have a strong stem, dark green leaves and a large number of ovaries. Otherwise, the condition threatens to reduce the yield or death of the plant. Problems that may arise from improper care:

excessive watering can lead to rot, fungal infection, stem elongation;
lack of light leads to thinning of the stem, pale leaves and reduced plant immunity;
dry, hot air can cause leaves to turn yellow, making plants look weak and lethargic;
if seeds are planted too early, they may not have enough daylight to develop;
excess or lack of trace elements in the soil leads to a weakening of the stem and leaves, the ovaries will crumble;
lack of space will cause the roots to tangle and the top will obscure each other.

To remedy the situation, you need to eliminate the unfavorable factor. Be sure to study the instructions for growing tomatoes and follow all the points for caring for them.

Final stage

The plant must be fed with organic or mineral nutrients. The first top dressing is recommended to be carried out after unfolding the first pair of true leaves. Before transplanting seedlings to the final place, three top dressings must be carried out. Additional nutrients strengthen the root system and promote proper plant development.

Planting a tomato on a balcony with glazed windows is carried out in early May. If the balcony is not glazed, then the transplant should be postponed to the beginning of June. You can grow tomatoes on the balcony in any container. Suitable large flower pots, plastic buckets, roomy wooden boxes, planters.

If there is no such container at hand, then you can use an ordinary plastic bottle.

Step-by-step instructions on how seedlings should be transplanted from a common container into separate large pots or planters include the following steps:

soil is poured into the prepared container;
seedlings are taken out of the old place along with an earthen clod that was wrapped around the roots;
after planting in a new place, the sprouts are watered and left for a week to adapt and root;
if it is cold on the balcony at night, then the plant is brought into the room;
comfortable temperature is 19 degrees;
it is worth the first days to protect the seedlings from direct sunlight, for this purpose the balcony is shaded;
tall varieties need stem tying;
indeterminate varieties (varieties that have unlimited growth and can grow throughout the growing season) require pinching, if this procedure is not carried out, the plant will grow and yield will decrease;
when pulling the stem strongly, it is recommended to pinch the top.

Be sure to cut off diseased and yellow leaves, they take extra strength from the plant, and also contribute to the spread of infection.

Plant care

To grow tomatoes on the balcony, you need to get as close as possible to natural conditions. Planted tomatoes need to be properly and carefully looked after. Do not forget to water and feed each bush. How to properly care for tomatoes, and what conditions need to be created for their good development?

Tomatoes respond to temperature changes. With a cold snap, development is suspended and cease to bear fruit. A favorable temperature regime, set on the loggia, is considered to be 20 degrees.

High humidity can lead to fungal infection and rot. It is important to ventilate the loggia daily, if it is warm outside, then leave the window open for the whole day.

The soil should be watered as the top layer dries. It is better to defend water for at least 12 hours. The number of waterings is increased during the formation of ovaries and fruits. During their maturation, it is better not to overmoisten the soil.

During the formation of ovaries, it is useful to treat a tomato on the balcony with a special solution Ovary, which stimulates this process.

Despite the fact that tomatoes are self-pollinating plants, during flowering it is necessary to help pollination. Therefore, it is recommended to open windows so that pollinating insects can freely fly to plants. You can pollinate the plant yourself. To this end, you need to shake the stem with a bud twice a day or spend it with a brush.

You need to know other rules on how to grow tomatoes on a balcony. In order for the root system to develop well and receive enough oxygen, the earth needs to be loosened. After watering, when the water is slightly absorbed, a shallow (5-7 cm) loosening is carried out.

Experienced vegetable growers carry out a mulching procedure, which reduces the need for loosening and frequent watering. A layer of peat, sawdust or straw is suitable as mulch.

How to grow a good crop can not do without fertilizing the soil. Fertilizers are better to choose universal. Suitable, for example, Kemira, Mortar. From organic fertilizers, mullein or bird droppings are suitable. These components are poured with a bucket of water and infused for three days. The finished solution is diluted with water and the plant is watered under the root.

Closed room on the balcony often causes the spread of disease. Due to waterlogging of the soil, a fungus appears. To prevent the disease, you need to ventilate the room and provide good access to light. Other common diseases that often affect balcony tomatoes are late blight, black leg, root or top rot.

Insect pests may also appear. Often there is an invasion of spider mites and whiteflies. Wood ash or an infusion based on onion peel will help get rid of them. In the case of a massive invasion of pests, purchased chemicals will help.

Custom fit

You can grow tomatoes in plastic bottles on the balcony.

It is necessary to take a plastic container from under water or juice, with a volume of 1.5 liters. Then you need to cut off the third part, where the bottom is. Most of the bottle with the neck will be needed to plant the seedling.

The cover is removed, and two holes are made along the edges of the cut, into which a thick rope is then threaded. With its help, an impromptu pot will be hung on a hook.

Planting of tomato seedlings in plastic containers begins two months after sowing the seeds.A sprout with an earthy clod is taken out of a separate container and placed with the top down so that it crawls through the neck of the bottle. Thus, the root system will remain inside the container, and the stem will grow down. The container is filled with soil, after which the bushes are watered. Under the suspended structure, it is recommended to place a container where excess water will drain after watering.

You can also grow tomatoes on the balcony in 5 liter plastic bottles. To do this, cut off the upper part with a neck, place drainage on the bottom and cover it with earth.