How to grow cherry tomatoes at home?

How to grow at home or on the balcony?

Small but productive: the benefits of cherry tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes got their unusual name not only for their appearance, but also for their taste. The fruits of this variety are very aromatic, slightly sweet, with light fruity notes. Among benefits of cherry:

1. Excellent yield. At home, up to 20 fruits are formed on each branch of the bush. All of them ripen at the same time, so they are often harvested with whole branches. During the season, up to 1.5 kg of small-fruited tomatoes can be harvested from the bush.
2. Long fruiting period. In the open field, tomatoes bear fruit all summer. The development of ovaries is inhibited when the temperature drops to 8 degrees. At home, tomatoes can be harvested until late autumn and even winter, then the plants enter a dormant period.
3. Self-pollination. Tomatoes do not need insects to carry pollen. Sometimes the gardeners themselves intervene in the pollination process, shaking the pot or wires along the inflorescences with a cotton swab to stimulate the early formation of ovaries.
4. A variety of varieties. Breeders have bred dozens of varieties of cherry tomatoes, differing in size, color, taste nuances of the fruit.

   Cherry tomatoes can be bright red, yellow, orange, green, pink, cherry-brown.

   For growing at home, compact and high-yielding varieties Thumbelina, Cherry, Cherry Lisa, Bonsai, Minibel, Balcony gold, Balcony red, Date, Businka are suitable. There are also ampelous varieties that are convenient to plant in hanging baskets.

Home growing options

How to grow cherry tomatoes at home? They can be grown in a greenhouse or outdoors. Tall specimens that are attached to trellises look very impressive. Such bushes reach 2.5 m in height. More compact bushes with a height of 1-1.5 m are often placed in tubs or pots. Such tomatoes grow successfully on verandas, loggias, balconies. Some growers use tin buckets as a container for tomatoes. It is noted that tomatoes planted in such unusual vessels are practically do not get sick with late blight, develop well and give a bountiful harvest.

At home, cherry tomatoes are placed in tall pots. An ideal place for growing is a sunny window sill, a glazed loggia or a balcony.

You can clearly see cherry tomatoes at home in the photo below:

How to plant seedlings yourself?

To properly plant and grow cherry tomatoes at home, you need to know a few simple tips, which we will talk about below. Miniature tomatoes can grow by seeds, sowing them on seedlings, and also rooting stepsons... Beginners should try both methods and then settle on the one that seems most suitable. Usually, sowing seeds begins in March, in which case the tomato fruiting period will last until December. First you need to sort out the seeds, discarding the empty and ugly ones. soaked in a growth stimulator for 12 hours, then washed with clean water and wrapped in damp gauze to swell.

For growing ready-made soil mixtures are not suitable, they are very poor in composition and will not provide the normal development of seedlings.

The ideal soil consists of a mixture of garden soil, rotted humus, peat and washed sand. Disinfect the soil will be helped by calcining or spilling with an aqueous solution of copper sulfate. For greater nutritional value, ash or complex mineral fertilizers are added to the soil. It is worth adding chopped charcoal. The soil mixture is thoroughly mixed and loosened.

The prepared seeds are sown in containers and covered with a layer of soil 8-10 mm thick. The surface of the soil is sprayed with water from a spray bottle, you can spill it with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. The containers are closed with foil or glass and exhibited in a warm and dark place.

After emergence, containers are exposed to light.

After the appearance of the second leaf, the seedlings dive. When diving, it is recommended to gently pinch the root tip to stimulate the development of the root system. Then the soil surface is poured with a warm solution of potassium permanganate and sprinkled with calcined sand.

Seedlings need to be hardened, periodically removing the film from the surface of the container. The room temperature should not drop below 22 degrees during the day and 18 at night. The ideal daylight hours for tomatoes lasts up to 16 hours, with the onset of dusk, the landing will have to be illuminated with lamps.

You can grow seedlings without picking. For this, the swollen seeds are planted in cups filled with soil, 2 pieces in one container. After germination and formation of 3 true leaves the weaker sprout is removed... Soil is poured into the cups as the seedling grows and develops.

It is much easier to propagate tomatoes by stepchildren. Shoots, separated from an adult bush, take root in a container of water. Already after a week, the seedlings can be moved to pots... Thus, it is convenient to propagate plants of the variety you like, as well as quickly replace old bushes.

Caring for tomatoes at home

Young plants are planted in tall cylindrical containers volume not less than 5 l... In cramped and small pots, you will not be able to achieve a good harvest. A drainage layer is laid out on the bottom.

Tomatoes poorly tolerate stagnant water in the soil, with constant flooding, they can stop growing.

The containers are placed on pallets and placed in a well-lit area. The ideal option is windows or loggias facing south, southeast or southwest.

Small-fruited ampelous varieties are planted in deep hanging baskets, the bottom of which is also filled with a drainage layer. A portion of the hydrogel placed in each container will help to reduce the frequency of watering and maintain soil moisture.

Importantto the selected basket had no sharp edges... Stems overhanging the edge can break. Ampel tomatoes are hung in a well-lit place, protected from gusts of wind.

And what should you do to grow cherry at home on a windowsill in winter?

In the cold season over a tomato plantation will have to equip the backlight... With a lack of lighting, the stems turn pale and stretch, flowering and the formation of ovaries stop.

The temperature in the room should not exceed 28 degrees and fall below 18. If the plants live on an open balcony or veranda, with the onset of the first night frosts, they must be transferred to the room. Tomatoes placed on the windowsill like frequent airing and periodic spraying with warm water... It is better to keep windows open in hot weather.

Tomatoes love moderate humidity without flooding and drying out the soil. For irrigation, soft water at room temperature is used. Watering the plant at the root is not recommended; it is advisable to use a watering can to moisten the soil. The watering regime depends on the weather.In dry and sunny conditions, it is worth watering the bushes twice a week; in cloudy weather, the intensity of watering is halved.

Miniature tomatoes very sensitive to soil nutrition... It is not recommended to overfeed the bushes with nitrogen-containing fertilizers. They stimulate the growth of green mass to the detriment of the ovaries. Ideal fertilizers for tomatoes - superphosphate, ash and rotted humus.

During flowering and fruiting, feeding is carried out every 2 weeks simultaneously with watering. In greenhouse conditions, cherry tomatoes can be fertilized with diluted mullein or chicken droppings.

So we found out: is it possible to grow cherry tomatoes on the windowsill and how to do it? With these simple tips, you can enjoy real homemade cherry tomatoes.

How to grow at home or on the balcony?

When grown at home or on the balcony cherry tomatoes can be affected by pests... Periodic spraying and frequent airing of the room will save you from aphids and spider mites. In severe cases, the bushes can be sprayed with insecticides suitable for fruiting plants, but you shouldn't abuse chemicals... Copper preparations help against late blight.

The grown bushes need support. Heavy branches are tied to strong metal or plastic pegs, ampelous species can be attached to trellises or left to subside freely.

An important point is the formation of a bush. Garden tomatoes of large-fruited varieties have lateral stepson shoots are usually removedso that the plant does not waste energy on the formation of additional green mass. At home, some of the stepsons should be left.

They give the bush a beautiful shape, in addition, ovaries are also formed on the lateral processes and fruits are formed. It is worth remembering that beautiful rounded bushes are slightly less productive, but they look more decorative.

Growing cherry tomatoes at home is attractive for supplementing the diet with fresh fruits in winter and spring. The culture becomes an unusual decor for the premises, the care of which allows you to practice your favorite hobby after the garden season is over. You can plant and grow a tomato not only in a large apartment, but also on an ordinary balcony or windowsill.

Is it possible to grow cherry tomatoes at home on a balcony or windowsill

Many gardeners are trying to grow cherry tomatoes at home. However, not everyone succeeds in harvesting. The problem lies in the wrong choice of variety and mistakes in agricultural technology.

With the advent of new varieties and hybrids, this task has become a little easier. Plants are oriented towards indoor cultivation: relatively resistant to low light, disease and practically do not stepchild... Fruiting in winter and spring.

A gross mistake of gardeners is the wrong choice of growing dates. There are two periods of prolonged tomato culture, in which the plants will develop and bear fruit normally.

The first term allows you to get a harvest by mid-December, and with proper care and selection of the variety, extend it until February. In this case, the seeds are sown at the end of August. In the second period - winter, the seeds are sown in November - December. The harvest is harvested in March or April.

If there is not enough light in winter, additional lighting will be needed to grow cherry

Growing conditions are also taken into account. In very dark rooms, additional lighting will be required.

With a lack of light, tomatoes begin to die in the short winter months. A decrease in air temperature of more than +5 degrees leads to the death of plants.

Varieties and hybrids of cherry tomatoes for decorative cultivation at home

Compact cherry varieties are mainly attractive for ornamental cultivation. They quickly stop growing, many stop bearing fruit after the first harvest. These plants shade-tolerant, practically do not require shaping and are distinguished by a high percentage of fruit set.

Varieties:

• Balcony miracle;
• Pinocchio;
• Bonsai;
• Pygmy;
• Mascot;
• Minibell.

Suitable for long-term harvesting indeterminate varieties and hybrids... They are distinguished by continuous growth, are able to set fruits repeatedly.

High-yielding varieties with fruits for fresh consumption and canning

Likopa F1

The plant forms both simple and complex clusters of 12 fruits each. Medium weight fruits 40 g, deep red color and sweet and sour taste.

Ripening time in 90 days after emergence. Differs in a high content of lycopene in fruits.

Likopa F1

Maxik F1

A plant with shortened internodes, therefore it grows into a compact bush and takes up little space. Begins to bear fruit through 90 days after shoots. Fruit weight 25 g, bright red in color with a sweet taste.

Maxik F1

Kira F1

Fruiting begins in 90-95 days after shoots. Fruits are red-orange in color with an average weight 40 g... They are distinguished by a sweet taste, a pronounced fruity aroma and the ability to store up to 2.5 months.

Kira F1

When choosing a variety, you need to focus on the characteristics of the room. Tall varieties are suitable for growing in a heated loggia, compact bushes will fit well on a wide windowsill.

Sowing seeds

It is better to plan works on growing cherry tomatoes in stages. This saves time and important details are not forgotten.

Preparation of soil and containers

Sowing tomatoes for home growing is best done directly to the flowerpots... For one tall plant, you will need a pot with a volume of 8-10 liters, for a compact one - 3-5 liters. The containers are disinfected with a 1% solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate), a drainage layer is laid on the bottom (15% of the volume).

Often cherry tomatoes die at the age of seedlings. The problem lies in the soil, which can be infected with pests and fungal spores. It is convenient and relatively safe to plant plants into finished steamed substrateswhich can be bought at garden centers.

It is safe to use ready-made substrate for planting cherry

The soil mixture is prepared independently from equal parts:

• garden land
• peat
• river sand

200 g of wood ash is added to 10 liters of the mixture. The substrate is spilled with 1% hot potassium permanganate solution or phytosporin.

Seed preparation

Tomato seeds are best purchased from well-known agricultural firms with a period of no more than 3 years after production. During the purchase, they pay attention to information about the methods of seed treatment, if it is not there, ask the seller.

Questionable or self-selected seeds disinfect... They are wrapped in gauze and immersed in a 0.5% solution of potassium permanganate for 15 minutes. To speed up the germination process, seeds immersed in a growth stimulator: Epin or Zircon for the time indicated in the instructions. The treated seeds are planted within 12 hours.

Sowing

Before sowing seeds, the substrate is watered abundantly with warm water. 2-3 seeds are sown in one pot to a depth of 3 cm. The soil surface is covered with foil. The containers are placed in a warm place with a temperature of + 20 + 25 degrees.

Seedlings appear 5-7 days after sowing. After that, the film is removed, the tomatoes are placed in a permanent growing place.

Cherry seedlings appear in pots 5-7 days after planting

Care

The ideal option for placing plants is window sills with a south or southeast direction.

Tomatoes need lighting from the moment they sprout. at least 12 hours a day... Fluorescent lamps installed within 30 cm from the plants help to solve this problem.

Required air temperature +20 degrees during the day, + 15 + 17 degrees at night... The installation on the window sill of the screen helps to achieve this optimum. It cuts off the hot air supply from the batteries and retains the necessary coolness coming from the windows.

Tomatoes are watered only after the earthen coma has completely dried out. Every 3 days on average. For this, warm settled water is used.

After the appearance of two true leaves the strongest plant is selected, the rest are removed... The root of the remaining tomato is pinched by 1/3 and planted down to the cotyledon leaves.

Top dressing

Since tomatoes have a small amount of soil, fertilize them every 10 days... In indoor conditions, plants need more potassium and a minimum of nitrogen. A complex fertilizer is selected with a ratio of minerals N: P: K = 5:15:45, options:

• Plantafol
• Aqua drop
• Plantafid

As a top dressing, you can use the complex fertilizer Plantafol

Root dressing of tomatoes is combined by spraying the leaves and stems with Megafol. It is an anti-stress preparation containing all the substances necessary for tomatoes.

Shaping and trimming

As the bushes grow, the stems growing from the leaf axils (stepchildren) are removed. For the formation of bushes in 2-3 stems, the lowest stepchildren are left. When the fruits begin to set, 4-5 brushes are left on each stem. Others are removed. At the same time, pinch the point of growth of tall plants by 3-4 cm.

From plants regularly remove all yellowed and diseased leaves.

In order not to damage the roots, loosening is carried out with care using a wooden spatula. The exposed roots are sprinkled with humus.

Disease prevention

For the prevention of diseases, a month after the emergence of seedlings, the bushes and the surface of the soil are sprayed with a 1% solution bordeaux liquid... After setting the fruits, they are processed infusion of garlic.

To do this, garlic gruel (100 g) is infused in water (0.5 l) for one day. The strained infusion is diluted in 5 liters of water, 20 g of laundry soap is added. Plants are processed every month.

Pollination of tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes are self-pollinated, but they may need help at home

All varieties and hybrids of cherry tomatoes recommended for home growing - self-pollinated... However, at home, where there are no air fluctuations, this process is difficult. The fact that the flower is not pollinated can be seen from the petals. After pollination, they fold back.

Homemade tomatoes need help. With a brush the pollen of one flower is transferred to the pistil of another... You can put a fan with warm air near the plants for a few minutes, or simply shake the bushes.

The pollen matures at night, so the procedure is planned in the morning... Pollination is carried out during the entire flowering period of tomatoes, regularly examining the condition of the flowers.

Ripe tomatoes are picked immediately before consumption. They have a special taste and aroma, much more useful than tomatoes lying in storage. For preservation, tomatoes are harvested twice a week, ripening unripe in a dark room.