How to grow cherry tomatoes at home in winter?

Small mouth-watering tomatoes have long gained well-deserved popularity among chefs and summer residents. In addition to the excellent taste, cherry is an extremely beautiful shrub, so homemade cherry tomatoes on the windowsill can become part of the interior decor, an original decoration of your home.

Do you think that growing tomatoes at home can only be done by experienced gardeners? By no means, even novice amateur flower growers will be able to realize such a tempting idea if they use our recommendations.

What is needed to grow cherry on the windowsill will be discussed in the article today.

Window sill equipment for cherry tomatoes

It is possible that you have already tried to grow seedlings or some vegetables at home in the winter and your venture was not successful. In most cases, among inexperienced growers, tomato bushes do not bear fruit, wither in winter due to improper arrangement of pots with seedlings.

The first thing to do in order to grow cherry tomatoes at home is to equip the place where our plants will grow.

To grow cherry tomatoes at home you will need:

The sill of a window facing south or east - this should be a well-lit area. Cherries are quite demanding on light, with a lack of it, the buds immediately fall off.
Artificial lighting is a mandatory requirement if a mini garden is created in winter. In very rare cases, natural light is sufficient, but in the vast majority of cases, winter daylight hours are too short, so artificial light sources will be required.
The pallets in which we will plant tomato seeds. They should be covered with plastic wrap and a dark and warm place should be found for them. Instead of special trays, you can use 100-gram plastic cups, you just need to remember to make holes in them.
Flower pots, because after the appearance of two real cherry leaves on the windowsill, they are planted in permanent containers. Cylindrical pots are preferable to square or rectangular pots, they fill better with the root system. The minimum volume is a two-liter pot for 2 seedlings. Homemade cherry tomatoes grow well in iron buckets - now you can pick up small buckets, beautifully painted.

Note! Even if good windows are installed in your home, in winter the cold will come from the glasses and you will not be able to quickly grow cherry tomatoes on the windowsill if you do not insulate the area on which the pots with tomato seedlings will stand. Pieces of foam rubber, boards or other insulating building material will do.

Seeds or rooted stepchildren?

The most common way is to grow cherry from seed. Low-growing self-pollinating varieties are suitable for the windowsill. About 90-100 days after planting the seeds, you will receive the first fruits.Each tomato branch that grows from the stem can produce up to 20-25 small tomatoes that will ripen at the same time.

Varieties of cherry tomatoes for the windowsill:

Bonsai;
Cherry Lisa F1;
Thumbelina;
Minibel;
Cherry.

Buy only those seeds, the packaging of which says - indoor. Also popular is a series of varieties indicating "balcony" (Balcony Gold, Balcony Red) and some others.

Meanwhile, growing small tomatoes by rooting stepsons also has its advantages:

no seed costs;
cherry tomatoes will grow on the windowsill much earlier than when grown from seeds;
you are confident that you will get the right kind of plant - a healthy plant, the fertility of which you have no complaints about.

How to grow cherry on a windowsill in winter with the help of stepchildren? To root the stepchildren, place them in a glass of water and do not forget to add fertilizers for indoor flowers according to the instructions. Within a week, in a maximum of two, the stepchildren will be ready for transplanting into the soil.

Soil and dressing for indoor tomatoes

For homemade cherry tomatoes, use the same soil as for standard sized tomatoes. You can buy a ready-made potting mix or make your own.

Prepare the soil: mix a mixture of turf, peat and compost (or humus) in a ratio of 1: 1: 1, with the addition of a small amount of sand. Add crushed charcoal to the finished mixture (1 glass per 10 liters of soil) - it contains the whole complex of necessary minerals, with the exception of nitrogen.

We do not overuse top dressing - we are going to eat tomatoes and do not want to get poisoned. The ideal top dressing for homemade tomatoes is a solution of chicken manure or manure, infused 24 hours before watering, but it is practically inaccessible in an apartment.

We feed the plants with what they have - complex mineral fertilizers, but little by little and not more often than once every 10-14 days.

How to care for indoor cherry blossoms?

Look at the photo - all the tomato bushes on the windowsill are small. To prevent small seedlings from stretching excessively, they need light. Even with insufficient lighting, the stretch can be reduced.

Interesting to know! It is necessary periodically with a brush to gently stroke the top of the shoots and leaves. What happens when you do this? The hairs are damaged and the plant begins to actively bush.

Care Tips

Cherries are self-pollinating, but under some conditions the ovaries are difficult to form, and it is better to help the formation of the ovaries by walking over the flowers with a brush. Conditions under which the ability to form ovaries is reduced include high humidity or high temperatures, more than 30 ° C.
When diving, we pinch the tip of the root so that the root system is better formed.
We avoid high humidity, in cloudy weather we cut watering by half. With high humidity, stepchildren grow.

It is advisable to immediately decide what you plan to do with the stepsons. They can be left, and then the bush will be lush and beautiful - this is important, because on the windowsill we grow not only food, but also a plant that looks pleasant. On the stepchildren, as well as on the main branches, ovaries and fruits appear.

It should be remembered that resources - water, nutrients - are spent on food for stepchildren. If the pot for the plant is small, the soil will be depleted quickly enough.

Therefore, if you plan to leave your stepchildren, you need to take care of a more capacious container for growing in advance and much more often you need to feed such plants.

Otherwise, growing cherry tomatoes in general and growing cherry tomatoes on a windowsill in particular is no different from growing standard tomatoes: the same watering, loosening the soil and feeding.

If you follow these simple recommendations, cherry tomatoes grown with your own hands on the windowsill will delight you with juicy greens and delicious fruits. Good luck!

Cherry tomatoes are a miniature tomato variety characterized by good yield and great taste fruits.

Compact bushes can be placed in a greenhouse or greenhouse, but completely it is possible to grow them in pots, placed on a windowsill, loggia or veranda.

…

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:

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.
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.
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.
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 occasional 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. Watering regime depends on the weather. In dry and sunny weather, 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 the flowering and fruiting period, fertilizing 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, besides, 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.

You've probably seen in stores more than once cherry tomatoes... They usually sit in a small basket and look great. These vegetables can decorate many dishes and add a piquant touch to them. These tomatoes, which are rather small in size, have a very pleasant sweetish taste with a slight sourness. Having tried them once, you will certainly have a desire to grow such vegetables yourself, and it is quite possible to do it. These tomatoes can be grown at home on your windowsill., but in order for the harvest to be good, you should know a few nuances.

Features of growing and care

In order for your cherry tomatoes to grow without causing any particular problems and bring a good harvest, several nuances should be taken into account:

First you need choose the right pot for this plant. They should be cylindrical in order to better fill with the root system. It is not advisable to use pots, the shape of which resembles a rectangle or square. And after the containers are selected, they must be filled with nutrient soil.
A southern or eastern window sill is perfect for placement, since the plant loves light very much.
Also tomatoes will need supplementary lighting, as otherwise they begin to throw off the buds. For this, it is desirable to use a blue-red shortwave source.
Seeds are sown in pallets, after which they are covered with polyethylene film (glass). They are kept in a place where it is dark and rather warm, ranging from 25 to 30 degrees. When the first shoots appear, the film is removed, and after 2 real leaves grow, the plants must be dived into the pots, where they will grow.
Once the tomatoes are transplanted to a permanent location, they must be properly cared for, which is very similar to that of simple outdoor tomatoes. Plants need timely watering, pinching, prevention and treatment of diseases, fertilization, garter to the support.
If you have the desire and experience, then these plants can be grown hydroponically.

Optimum humidity

Cherry tomatoes, of course, love moisture, but it should be borne in mind that an excess of it can lead to a rapid build-up of stepsons and green mass in the plant. When the weather is cloudy, these plants need to be watered 2 times less than usual. In tomatoes of this type, the pistils are spliced with stamens (because of this, they are self-pollinated), however, if the soil moisture is very high and the air temperature is kept at 30 degrees, then the ovaries are extremely poorly formed. You can improve the situation with a brush. She just needs to walk through the flowers, which will significantly increase the number of ovaries.

Breeding features

The stems and cuttings of this plant root very simply and easily. Therefore, it is not necessary to grow cherry tomatoes from seeds. You can easily move them out of your garden.You can also root shoots or stepchildren.

In order for the stepsons to take root, as quickly as possible, very little fertilizer for the flowers must be added to the water poured into the glass. And if they are provided with good indoor conditions, then their rooting will occur after only 7 days. So, just an excellent seedling in the spring is obtained from plants that you rooted in the fall. And these seedlings can be obtained in just half a month. Plus, this type of seedling begins to bear fruit after just a month, and that's all, because they are part of an adult, well-developed plant.

Also, another advantage of this type of plant reproduction and planting them in open ground is that they have time to give a crop long before late blight begins to actively spread.

A few tricks

There are several tricks in growing cherry tomatoes:

So, in June, you can plant newly rooted shoots for the second time, and they will actively bear fruit until mid-autumn.
German gardeners know one trick that allows them to exclude the pulling out of seedlings if they do not have enough light. And this is very easy to do. You will need a soft brush that you need to gently brush over the leaves and tops of the shoots from time to time. As a result, the hairs are slightly damaged. located on their surface, due to which the seedlings begin to grow much slower and bush.
Some gardeners also grow cherry tomatoes in buckets made from iron. Such plants are not planted in open ground. The fact is that thanks to such an unusual capacity, tomatoes are not infected with late blight. And this is because iron can significantly inhibit the growth and development of this fungus.

Hybrids and varieties for the windowsill, as well as the loggia

Cherry Lisa F1;
F1 bead;
Baby;
Minibel;
Date F1;
Craiova;
Bonsai;
Thumbelina;
Pygmy;
Greenfinch F1;
Cherry Lycopa.

The choice of soil mixture and feeding features

Surely a large number of people who decide to grow cherry tomatoes on their windowsill find it very difficult to resist the bright packages of fertilizers that are available in literally every store. After all, it seems to them that without them the plant simply cannot grow normally and bring a good harvest. But here it is worth considering that abundant feeding of plants can do them very great harm.

And you should also know that the substances contained in fertilizers can accumulate in the fruits, as a result of which they become poisonous. And in order for cherry tomatoes to grow well, it will be enough to choose the right planting soil and feed them with any WMD once every 2 weeks, or use simple plant tinctures for these purposes.

The soil mixture is prepared simply. To do this, you need to mix sand, compost, peat, garden and turf soil. It is also recommended to add a little charcoal.

According to many experts, conventional mechanical mixing of the soil is less effective than that which is carried out with spraying of layers. Due to this, the soil is restructured, and as a result, when watering, the liquid will be more evenly distributed over the substrate.

Using the above tips, you will certainly be able to grow strong and healthy cherry tomatoes that will delight you with their harvest for a long time.

Video review

The summer cottage season is coming to an end, the harvest has already been harvested, a long, boring winter is ahead. And who told you that cherry tomatoes grow worse on the windowsill than in the garden? Funny bushes, hung with bright fruits, will delight you all winter, decorate the interior and add a pleasant variety to the menu. Such simple gardening will delight you and your loved ones, will add 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 will need is to prepare special containers, buy good seeds and potting soil. 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 feeding. Cherry tomatoes grow on the windowsill as well as outdoors, especially if you choose a place with sufficient lighting. It is desirable that these are windows facing west or south. The air temperature must be above 20 degrees, otherwise the yield will decrease.

Soil preparation

Let's start with how to plant cherry tomatoes. It is better to buy land in a store, be sure to be loose and fertile. If you decide to make the soil mixture yourself, then you will need garden soil, leaf humus, peat. Be sure to disinfect the ground before planting. 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 the oven, but this option is suitable if you need a small volume.

Choosing a pot

Windowsill cherry tomatoes will grow in whatever pots 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 drain 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.

The best varieties for home cultivation

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

Hybrid Ampelny

Growing cherry tomatoes on the balcony, I want the bush to take up as little space as possible, but at the same time give a lot of fruits. The Ampelny hybrid is perfect for these criteria. It will grow beautifully 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 delicious, dense and very beautiful.

Growing seedlings

Cherry tomatoes on the balcony are grown 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 picking itself contributes to the development of additional roots and the correct formation of the bush. For growing seedlings, you will need any wide containers with a depth of 8-10 cm. Fill them with earth, water them 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 sprouts appear, the film must be removed and the box with the seedlings must be transferred to the windowsill. It is desirable that it be lighter here and a little cooler so that the seedlings do not stretch out. This period lasts about 20-25 days, and it will end with the formation of two true tomato leaves. You now have real cherry tomatoes growing. The seedlings are ready for the first pick. Since we are preparing seedlings for growing on the balcony, there will be several transplants.

Seedling picks

Transplanting tomatoes is almost painless, but you need to be careful not to damage the fragile stalk. The first pick is performed in pots with a diameter of 8-10 cm. The tip of the root is pinched at the same time so that the root system develops better. The pots should be placed on a light windowsill, the air temperature should be around 23-25 degrees. Now it is necessary to constantly look after the seedlings, water, loosen the soil and apply a 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, the daylight hours are short, so the lighting of the tomatoes should be organized, otherwise the seedlings will stretch out and die.

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

Further care

Now the plants have transferred the final potting, where they will grow throughout the growing season. Cherry tomatoes at home need regular watering as the soil dries up. To prevent the formation of a crust on the surface, the soil must be loosened regularly. 10 days after transplanting, you need to apply a complex mineral fertilizer to the soil. Each plant will require approximately 250-300 ml of solution. The concentration is indicated on the individual packaging. It is necessary to repeat feeding every two weeks to provide conditions for normal fruiting.

Stepping

Almost all varieties form stepchildren during growth - these are lateral shoots that develop in the leaf axils. Low-growing houseplants form 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 low-growing plant will have a central stem and two stepsons at different levels. In addition to the stepsons, sick and yellow leaves, as well as the 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 bundles 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 just shake the flowering twigs. When the majority of the brushes are 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 upward, as if trying to pull it to the surface. This is necessary to break off small roots. Then the plant is spud and watered. The root system responds with the powerful development of additional roots, and this has a positive effect on the growth and ripening of fruits.Don't 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.

Date of publication:Growing at home