Caring for indoor tomatoes. Features of growing tomatoes on windowsills in winter

14.06.2019

Many years of research by breeders made it possible to grow tomatoes all year round in room conditions. Enough varieties have been bred that delight with crops and are a natural decoration of the interior. Taking care of such tomatoes is no more difficult than taking care of garden bushes, which sometimes suffer from a lack of moisture and pests. To grow fresh tomatoes in a pot on a windowsill or planter, you need to know some agronomic nuances and, more importantly, choose the right variety.

The yield of indoor tomatoes

Due to the compactness of the fruit with a high saturation of natural sugars, they are characterized by excellent taste. Some varieties have a pronounced decorative focus and are not able to bring a significant yield. Such bushes are very beautiful, but their fruits are too small, few in number, and are not considered as a full-fledged fruit. food product and are used to decorate dishes. But there are many tomatoes that can bear fruit at home with impressive fruits in size. Based on this, priority is given to one or another variety.

The mass of a tomato varies in the range of 15 to 130 grams. With the right approach, you can get an excellent result in the form of a low, dense bush, completely covered with fruits. For the entire fruiting cycle, such a potted tomato delivers an average of 2 kg of high-quality crop.

Indoor tomatoes are perennials. Some time after the collection of the last tomatoes, the bush throws out fresh leaves and again prepares for fruiting. The age of the plant sometimes reaches 5-6 years, but the highest yields are given in the first 2 years.

Properties of ornamental varieties

Before you start growing tomato crops, you need to understand that the microclimate of the premises is different from the natural environment of the garden, and any tomato will not work. When selecting seeds or seedlings, it is necessary that the variety has the following properties:

short stature: a flower pot will not provide the necessary set of nutrients for a tall fruit-bearing plant, and there will also be a question of sufficient space for growth. Only special dwarf and low-growing varieties of tomatoes are suitable for home growing;
resistance to sunlight deficiency and diseases: short daylight hours and weak sun activity, especially on cloudy days, require additional lighting for normal plant growth. Potted tomatoes can do without this and grow well in low light, thanks to short internodes that keep the plant from stretching upwards. Breeders have developed hybrid varieties that are resistant to leaf mold and blackleg. They are the ones who demonstrate high performance endurance and productivity with a minimum of care;
standard (treelike): tomato crops need pinching and tying. Such problems are unusual for standard varieties with the structure of a small tree - one strong central stem and a lush crown;
ampel (hanging): some varieties of dwarf tomatoes are designed for planting in tall pots or planters. Fruiting stems grow from top to bottom, forming a spreading plant shape.

Varieties of indoor tomatoes

Due to the popularity of growing tomatoes at home, several varieties stand out, unpretentious and showing stable yield results.

Standard varieties

Variety name	Variety Description
"Room Surprise"	lettuce early ripening variety with bright red elongated fruits (25-30g), which are collected in clusters. The height of the bush tree reaches 50 cm, and the best yield is achieved when using backlight
"Florida Petit"	high-yielding variety with red round fruits (25-40 g), which are characterized by sweetness, juiciness and strong aroma. The plant thrives in low light conditions. The height of the bush does not exceed 30-35 cm
"Balcony Miracle"	early ripe large-fruited variety with round and sweet tomatoes weighing up to 100 g. The unpretentious standard bush grows up to half a meter high and adapts well to short daylight hours and low light
"Pinocchio"	versatile low growing variety (30 cm) with abundant small sweet fruits (20 g) collected in clusters. The yield is up to 1.5 kg. "Pinocchio" grows well in beds and pots, is not picky about light, suitable for canning
"Window Yellow"	the variety is new, but very promising. A low standard bush (25 cm) is resistant to low light and during the fruiting period is completely covered with clusters of golden berries weighing up to 30 g

Ampel tomatoes

The choice of varieties of ampel orientation is more modest than that of standard counterparts. But still, there are a number of plants that agronomists liked:

Variety name	Variety Description
F1 Cherripalchiki	Hybrid tomato with small elongated red fruits, collected in brushes of 8-10 pieces. Slightly leafy stems grow up to 50 cm long and are capable of yielding up to 2 kg.
"Citizen F1"	An early maturing variety with round red fruits (30 g), which are distinguished by a rich taste. Easy to care for, can be used for vertical growth (with tying) and tolerates reduced lighting well
"Tumbler"	Ultra-early tomato with a cascade-shaped bush and round tomatoes weighing 25-30 g. Productivity reaches 2 kg, but may decrease with a lack of light

How to grow indoor tomatoes

The practice of potted tomato farming is based on growing a bush from seedlings. On average, the period from germination to the collection of the first ripe fruits takes up to 3 months. This is important to consider if the goal is to get fresh tomatoes by a specific date. For example, a February crop will produce a plant sown for seedlings at the end of October.

Sowing seeds

In order for the bush to grow strong and healthy, a 20-30-minute seed disinfection is performed in a weak solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate). Before processing the seeds, it is necessary to discard half-empty and dry ones. To do this, they are placed for 10 minutes in salt water(1 teaspoon per glass). Those that float are ejected. Disinfected seeds are sown in a box (general container) to a depth of 1-1.5 cm with an interval of 2-3 cm. Garden soil or a purchased substrate is used as soil.

Planting seedlings

The appearance of 2-3 true leaves in seedlings indicates the readiness of the plant for planting in a separate container. A cylindrical pot with drainage is optimal, the volume of which depends on the type of tomato:

for dwarf - 2 liters;
for indoor - 3-4;
for ampelous - from 5.

Properly prepared nutrient soil is of great importance. The following composition is considered universal:

5 parts compost (rotted);
5 - garden soil;
2 - yellow sand;
1 - peat soil.

In the manufacture of 8-10 kg of soil, it is necessary to add half a glass of wood ash and 30 g (matchbox) of potassium sulfate and urea (urea).

When planting seedlings, the stem must be buried no lower than the cotyledon leaves. Pots with planted seedlings are placed on the windowsill (preferably on the south windows) and turn the other side to the sun 3 times a week. In the morning, in the evening and on cloudy days, the seedlings are additionally illuminated with a phytolamp. After 7-8 days, nitrogen fertilizing of tomatoes is performed (half dose).

» Tomatoes (tomatoes)

Tomatoes all year round are no longer a curiosity. But if not from a supermarket bag, but from a windowsill in own apartment is an exclusive. Juicy, ripe, sweet and, most importantly, organic fruits on your table will delight the whole family. At the same time - no cost or money or time. This review provides a description and characteristics the best varieties potted tomatoes.

Thanks to the efforts of breeders, many different hybrid varieties tomatoes, unpretentious, but very fruitful, which easy to grow on the windowsill of the house in an ordinary flower pot . Maintaining a microclimate suitable for tomato growth, you can indulge yourself in the winter with the unique taste of homemade tomatoes.

Because the ripening time of various early maturing varieties varies from 90 to 110 days, it is easy to calculate the date of planting seeds so that fragrant fresh tomatoes ripen for the New Year's table. The main thing is to choose the right variety that meets all your wishes. You will be able to collect big harvest from a limited area at any time of the year.

The best indoor varieties for a mini-garden at home

Standard and ampelous varieties are suitable for a window bed of tomatoes. They develop in height no more than 35-45 cm, do not branch, which means that they do not need to be tied up. Many hybrids are adapted to short daylight hours and lack of sunlight, good resistance to the most common diseases (blackleg, leaf mold).

From neat small bushes you will get 1-2 kg of fruit per season. If planted in batches in several bushes with an interval of 20-30 days, you can provide yourself with vitamins for the whole winter. In addition, indoor tomatoes have excellent taste and a high content of sugar and vitamins in the pulp (compared to ordinary ones).

The best standard hybrids for growing on a window at home are:

balcony miracle

Forms standard bushes about 0.5 m high, tolerates lack of light well, fruits are round, red, weighing 70-100 g with high sugar content. Tomato begins to bear fruit already 80 days after germination.

Micron NK

The smallest of the known varieties, the height of the bush barely reaches 15 cm, sweet fruit red or bright yellow color weighing 10-12 g, ripening period 100-110 days. This variety is more decorative and is completely independent of the length of daylight hours.

Pinocchio

compact bushes, one of the best indoor tomatoes, fruits are sweet, round, weight - up to 20 g. It can be grown in the garden in the summer, and in the fall, transplanted into pots, brought home. And if you sow the seeds after September 20, you will harvest the first harvest by the New Year. - mid-season, ripens in 105-115 days.

Bonsai

Early maturing variety (matures in 85 days), unpretentious to light, yield is not the highest - 0.5 kg, but the fruits are very tasty and sweet;

honey bunch

Early maturing standard bush with a dense crown, height - 40 cm fruits are sweet, juicy, yellow. Differs in high productivity.

There are a lot of indoor and balcony varieties, and they all enjoy well-deserved popularity: Cherripalchiki F1, Balcony Yelow, Pearl yellow, Bonsai micro, F1 Balcony red, Room surprise, etc. A unique feature is that they can grow more than one season. Dried bushes can be left in pots, watered occasionally, and after a while green leaves will begin to appear again. Tomatoes are able to grow this way up to 5 years, but the yield will decrease. The bushes bear fruit most abundantly in the first 2-3 years.

Cherripalchiki F1

Proper preparation of seeds for planting at home

The principle of growing a tomato at home is no different from growing in a garden: first we get seedlings from seeds, then we dive into pots in a permanent place. In advance, you should worry about preparing for planting seeds and soil.

It is better to buy seeds in specialized stores in order to be sure of the quality and compliance with the variety indicated on the package.

But still, before planting, it is better to check and sort the full grains from the empty ones again. To do this, dip them in salted water for 10 minutes (1 teaspoon per 200 g of water). Semi-dry or empty seeds will float, while healthy, full-fledged seeds will sink to the bottom. They need to be soaked for 20-30 minutes in a solution of manganese, to protect future plants from late blight.

To speed up the germination of seeds for a couple of days, you can put them in a damp cloth to “peck”. Tomato seeds prepared in this way are sown in a container for seedlings in moistened soil to a depth of 1 cm and at a distance of 3 cm from each other. After that, the soil is lightly tamped, covered with plastic wrap and cleaned in a warm place until shoots appear. The film needs to be pricked in several places so that excess moisture does not accumulate under it, as this can cause seedling diseases. It is desirable to withstand daytime temperature + 22-25 degrees, night - + 15-17.

After about a week, the first leaves (false) appear, the temperature at this time is lowered to 20 degrees and the room is occasionally ventilated. It is also necessary to monitor the humidity - do not overdry, but do not overmoisten, so that the seedlings do not get sick with a “black leg”.

You can prepare the soil yourself or buy a ready-made substrate. For healthy plant growth and a good harvest, this mixture is most suitable:

the soil itself must be from 50% humus, 45% black soil, 5% sand;
for enrichment 1 cup of wood ash is added to one bucket of soil, 1 matchbox of superphosphate, potassium sulfate, urea.

Fill containers with this mixture - plastic cups with drainage holes or wooden boxes with pallets 10-12cm high.

Transplanting tomato seedlings and further care

After the appearance of 2-3 true leaves on the seedlings, it is necessary to pick the seedlings, i.e. you need to choose the strongest and most developed sprouts and plant them in pots or other containers specially prepared for this. The size of the container should be 8-10 liters, for the smallest ornamental varieties tomatoes, you can take a container of 4-5 liters. In the process of caring for plants, you must follow the basic rules and technologies of agricultural technology:

Lighting. Pots with tomatoes are placed on the windowsills on the south side. Once every two days they are turned 180 degrees so that the plant is even, does not lean towards the sunny side. In cloudy weather, as well as in the mornings and evenings, it is necessary to provide plants with additional illumination - a phytolamp or even ordinary electric lamps (except for those varieties whose growth does not depend on the length of daylight hours).

Watering. Indoor tomatoes are very sensitive to watering. Regular soil moisture contributes to good growth, the formation of ovaries and the ripening of fruits. The lack of moisture will lead to the fruit falling off, but its excess leads to the spread of various diseases - rot, late blight, fungal infections. You need to water 2 times a week, moderately and without irrigating the stems. With the beginning of flowering, watering should be stopped and resumed with the appearance of ovaries.
Feeding tomatoes. Three weeks after the seedlings dive and then every 10-15 days, we fertilize the plants with special mineral and organic fertilizers, which we apply to moist soil on the second day after watering.
Whip tying. Low standard bushes with a stable trunk usually do not need support. The branches of medium-sized tomatoes are tied to pegs that are stuck into the ground, trying not to damage the root system.

Pasynkovanie. Be sure to carry out stepsoning, i.e. removal of “stepchildren” shoots in the axils of the leaves throughout the entire growth of plants for its proper formation. Stepchildren thicken the plant, take away nutrients, reduce the yield of tomatoes.

After the formation of the main ovaries, it is also necessary to rip off the top.

Pollination. Indoor varieties are enough good harvest they give without pollination, but if desired, pollination can be carried out with a brush, carefully drawing it over the flowers.

Growing hybrid varieties of tomatoes on the windowsill in winter time – this is not only a benefit, but also a great pleasure, a very interesting activity. With a little attention and free time, you will get a harvest of exclusive varieties of bright, sweet and very healthy tomatoes from your windowsill. Caring for such a plant will be easy even for beginner gardeners.

Not having your own land plot, you can feast on freshly picked fragrant tomatoes, growing them on a balcony or windowsill. Most often, people want to grow vegetables on the windowsill in winter, when the summer season is far away, but they want to tinker with the ground. But even in the warm season, this is an excellent solution for residents, for example, apartment buildings. Of course, this is not a way to fully feed the family, but an opportunity not only to save a little, but also to get moral satisfaction. It is pleasant for everyone not only to see the result of their work, but also to taste it, because vegetables grown with their own hands are always the most fragrant and tasty, and most importantly, healthy and not treated with pesticides.

Growing tomatoes and caring for them in an apartment is not much different from growing them in open field and caring for indoor plants. But there are also some features. Breeders bred a large number of varieties of tomatoes specifically for growing in the room. If you want to grow tomatoes on a windowsill, then it is best to choose undersized varieties, such as Florida Petit (Little Florida) and Oak. Outdoors, plants grow 25 - 35 cm tall. In the room, they stretch up to 40 - 50 cm, but at the same time, the trunk of the plant is strong enough and you don’t have to tie the plants up.
They differ in the compact sizes of a bush and high decorative effect. fruits on them small size but very tasty. And due to the fact that there are a lot of them on each bush, the harvest is quite decent. Also, such low-growing varieties as Pinocchio, Balcony Miracle, Buttons, Bonsai, Mikron NK, etc., have proven themselves well.

If you have a large, well-lit balcony or loggia, then you can try planting large-fruited and tall varieties: bull heart”, “Cream”, “De Barao”, “White filling”, “Carlson”. But in this case, it must be taken into account that for one such bush you need at least 10-15 liters of soil.

planting tomatoes

In order for seedlings to appear faster, the seeds must first be soaked. To do this, place them in a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate for 10-15 minutes. Then throw out the seeds that have not sunk to the bottom, and take out the rest, wrap them in a wet cloth and wait for them to hatch. If the manufacturer put on planting material special protective and nourishing film, soaking is not necessary.

Suitable for planting tomatoes "Universal" soil, which you can buy or make yourself by mixing black soil, sand and peat in equal proportions. To enrich the earth with minerals, it is better to add sifted charcoal. Before planting, the soil should be doused with boiling water, and then allowed to cool. Thus, it will be disinfected, warmed up and well moistened.

For sowing seeds 200 ml plastic cups can be used. It is desirable to choose glasses transparent so that you can control watering. Do not make holes for water at the bottom, because with a small volume, the soil will not have time to absorb enough water. The glass must be filled with earth, leaving at the top somewhere on the finger of free space. Make a hole 2 cm deep, plant 2 seeds, fill the hole with soil. After that, the glasses should be covered with plastic wrap to prevent moisture evaporation and placed in a dark place with a temperature of 24-26°C. On the third or fourth day, as soon as the first shoots appear, we transfer the crops to a cool window sill with artificial lighting so that the seedlings do not stretch too much, and do not water until upper layer the soil does not dry out to avoid the development of fungal diseases.

!!! The greatest danger to tomatoes is fungal diseases, the appearance and distribution of which is facilitated by dampness. The development of the disease is prevented solar lighting and free access fresh air. good remedy to combat plant diseases is spraying with a Bordeaux mixture. For its preparation, it is necessary to dissolve 10 g in 0.9 l of water. blue vitriol in glassware, and dilute 20 g of slaked lime in 0.1 l of water. Pour milk of lime in a thin stream into the solution of vitriol, with continuous stirring. The finished mixture is stored for no more than 24 hours.

When two or three "real" leaves appear, transplant the tomatoes into large pots. For dwarf tomatoes, a 4-5 liter container will suffice, but the more space, the better. At the bottom of the pot, put expanded clay or pieces of foam, pour a layer of sand 2-3 cm and some soil. Lightly water the seedlings, and then carefully remove from the glass along with a clod of earth. Place the seedling in a pot, and fill the free space with soil. If more than one sprout has grown, then it is better to leave the healthiest one, and pinch off the rest with your hands at the root. Top up with 2-3 cm of earth and water. Thus, 5-7 cm should remain free in the pot to the top edge. This will make it possible to pour soil into the pot as the plant grows, thereby replacing hilling.

Watering

watering tomatoes depending on the return and time of year should be different. In the first month of tomato life, the soil should be moistened often, every day or every other day, but moderately. Further, the plants can be watered more abundantly and less often. When the tomatoes begin to bloom and the ovary appears, do not allow the earth to dry out. Tomatoes do not like high humidity. It is advisable to water the plants a couple of times a week, abundantly wetting the soil. For irrigation, it is better to use water at a temperature of 20-25 ° C. It is not necessary to erode the soil under the bush - it is enough that it is wet. It is best to water the plants in the evening. If it so happened that you need to water during the day, then it is better to do it through the pan. Do not water tomatoes on a sunny day. Water should not fall on the leaves or stem of the plant, as water droplets, like small lenses, focus the sun's rays and plants can get burned. On particularly hot summer days, or if the air at home is very dry, spraying can save. During this period, adhere to the rule "it is better to overfill than underfill." But winter period and cloudy days, on the contrary, - "it is better to underfill than overfill."

Lighting

Tomatoes are very demanding on lighting. In order not to use artificial lighting, it is better to plant seeds in late March - early April, and place the plants in the south or southeast. For uniform lighting every two days, you can turn the tomatoes with the other side to the window.

On cloudy short winter days, it is simply impossible to grow lush bushes in an apartment without additional lighting. It is no secret that light is the main component of the process of photosynthesis, which is important for a plant, without which normal growth and development of a plant does not occur.

Additional lighting can be arranged using white and daylight fluorescent lamps. Such lamps give a light similar to sunlight and at the same time do not emit heat. Therefore, they can be placed close enough to plants. Also, in specialized stores you can buy phytolamps adapted specifically for indoor cultivation vegetables.

Top dressing tomato

For better fruiting, once every two weeks it is recommended to carry out fertilizing plants with organic fertilizers. You should not use chemicals, as there is a high risk of overdosing with the dosage and getting fruits full of nitrates, because if manure, ash and other organic fertilizers are provided by nature itself and plants take exactly as many nutrients as they need, then chemical fertilizers are absorbed by the plant uncontrollably. And if you overfeed, then at best the plant will die, and at worst (for you) case, the plants will become lush and beautiful, but their fruits can be poisoned. Therefore, for fruit-bearing plants, it is better to use only organic fertilizers.

You can feed a tomato with well-rotted manure diluted in water. It can be prepared in advance at the dacha, allowed to overheat, and stock up for the winter, and put to overheat on the balcony. When the manure is overheated, it smells quite strongly. If it is necessary to fertilize, but there is no balcony where manure in any container could overheat, then you can feed it with horse manure. When it overheats, it practically does not smell. They can be fed and not overripe. Top dressing with water infused with manure should be carried out once a week or two. You can alternate it with top dressing ash.

Fertilizing with manure stimulates plant growth and flower formation. But plants may not be able to cope with the abundance of color, and the flowers will fall off without forming ovaries ( when 2-3 bunches of tomatoes are tied, remove the remaining peduncles and stepchildren to reduce the load on the plant). In this case, the way out of the situation will be ash. It promotes the formation of ovaries, as well as the growth and ripening of fruits. Ash can simply be sprinkled on the ground around the plant or diluted in water and fed with this solution.

To feed with manure, it is enough to dilute two tablespoons of manure (with a slide) in a liter of water. For top dressing with ash - one teaspoon of ash must be diluted in a liter of water.

pasynkovanie

Further plant care certainly includes such items as pinching and bush formation. From the axils of the leaves grow the so-called stepchildren. Their growth requires a lot of nutrients necessary for flowering and fruit formation. In order to have more fruits, stepchildren must be removed so that the yield does not suffer. This is best done when the stepson has grown 1 - 3 cm long, breaking off with his hands, and not cutting off, to avoid infecting the plants.

When forming a bush, only one stepson is left - under the first inflorescence of the brush, thus forming a plant in two stems. Tie the stems to stakes as needed. In addition to stepchildren, it is desirable to remove yellowed and damaged leaves.

Tying up

All varieties of tomatoes, with the exception of undersized ones, require tying. Otherwise, the plant may not support its own weight and its trunk may break. If tomatoes grow on a balcony, then you need to think in a timely manner where the plants will be tied up.

Medium-sized varieties can be tied to a peg. When planting tomatoes in a large pot, a peg is also dug in with the plant, 50 - 60 cm long (from ground level). When the plant reaches right size, it can be tied to this peg without any problems.
If you do not prepare in advance and do not dig in a peg, then later, when the plant is already large, it will be possible to damage the roots.
You can tie up with an old nylon stocking, or a strip of flannel cloth. Just do it carefully, the node should not be placed on the plant.

Pollination

Tomatoes do not require artificial pollination, but for better tying, you can lightly tap the stem several times a week, shaking the flower brushes. After the main part of the fruit is formed, the top of the plant, as well as flowering brushes, should be removed, as they will not allow the already formed fruits to fully develop.

With poor ventilation, high ambient temperature, insufficient soil moisture and poor lighting, the leaves of plants do not twist, but stretch upwards, flowers and fruits fall off. It is often necessary to ventilate the room and water the plants, carefully monitor temperature regime. With excessive watering and top dressing, on the contrary, a powerful dark green bush with weak flower tassels is formed. In this case, the plant is fed less often, the soil is not watered for about a week, and the flowers are pollinated by hand using cotton swabs.

Lemons grown in an apartment look very beautiful (and tasty).

The main recommendations for successfully growing tomatoes on a windowsill or balcony

- It is better to give preference to small-fruited, but high-yielding hybrids and varieties of tomatoes. In a small area, it is difficult for a plant to feed large fruits, there will be few of them or they will ripen for a long time. Small fruits ripen gradually, which will provide fresh vegetables everyday.

- Plays an important role right choice seeds. For growing in a city apartment, self-pollinated early maturing undersized or bush hybrids will be most suitable. Nowadays, special varieties are also bred for home growing (in this case, the seed bags will say "suitable for growing in an apartment").

- So that a beautiful, juicy, fruit-bearing bush grows from a seed, the plant needs to provide a suitable temperature and the necessary amount of light. Vegetable beds should be located on the south or southeast windows. On short winter days, additional lighting with fluorescent lamps is mandatory.

- Do not allow the soil to dry out. In the heat, the plant can drop flowers and ovaries. If there is no time to monitor soil moisture, you can arrange an "irrigation system". To do this, you need to dig into the ground plastic bottle, having previously made several holes in it. Which side to dig it in depends on the size of the pot. The main thing is that there is a funnel on the surface for pouring water. Thus, the roots will constantly receive moisture, and from above the earth will not be covered with a crust.

- feed the plants once a month is enough. During flowering, the twigs need to be shaken a little to improve pollination. For these purposes, you can use a universal fertilizer for indoor flowers or specialized growth concentrates. But it is very important not to abuse fertilizers, the saying "you can't spoil porridge with oil" is inappropriate here. The norm specified in the fertilizer instructions must not be exceeded. Better yet, divide it into two times (it is better to feed more often). In order not to burn the roots, the plant must first be watered. clean water, and only then - a solution of fertilizer.

- Pots with seedlings and adult bushes must be rotated 180 degrees once a day. This is necessary so that the bushes are even, as plants tend to bend towards the light. And, at the same time, it is necessary to protect the plants from the scorching rays of the sun. Burns on the leaves and the yield can significantly reduce, and the appearance of the plant will be spoiled. To do this, you can "tint" the glass with white paper - and the room will not be so hot, and the plants will become more comfortable.

- Don't pick unripe tomatoes. Singing on the bush, they become fragrant and juicy. This is what we lack in purchased fruits

- Do not force plants to compete. By planting two bushes in one pot, you can not only not increase the yield, but lose it altogether. If there is nowhere to transplant extra plants, it is better to throw them away altogether, and then the rest will be pleased with a generous harvest.

P.S. It is no secret that many insects, including mosquitoes and ants, cannot stand the specific smell of tomato leaves. Several plant pots tomatoes on the windowsill will become a reliable barrier to mosquitoes in the hot season.

Today I will tell you how to grow tomatoes on the windowsill. If they had told me three years ago that I would grow tomatoes on the windowsill ... But there is a simple explanation for this - it’s worth growing one unusual herb and away we go ... After successfully grown oregano, thyme, lavender, tarragon, chives, lemon balm, watercress -lettuce apparently the turn of heavy artillery has come :).

Armed with the recommendations of my grandfather, an experienced gardener, I decided on this adventure. In stock: a large, bright balcony on the southeast side, cherry tomato seeds (positioned as balcony varieties), soil of dubious quality and 2 pots of 2 liters each (maybe they will be too small).

How to grow tomatoes on a windowsill

I offer my own version of growing tomatoes on the windowsill, in detail and in pictures. So far everything is going well!

2. Balcony golden seeds. I took a cotton pad and moistened it warm water, poured out a dozen seeds, moistened them with a spray bottle.

3. Seeds Tomato Cherry. Same procedure as for Balcony Gold seeds.

4. Moistened another cotton pad and covered the seeds. A moist environment allows the seeds to wake up and swell a little. One day is enough, I got 2 days. Didn't wet additionally. I did not pickle with manganese, since it is impossible to buy it in a pharmacy.

5. Ingredients for the soil mixture: ready-made on peat and humus,. The soil was previously calcined in an old pan in the oven - about 2 hours. How to disinfect the soil wrote.

6. as the first potash fertilizer and additional soil disinfection.

7. Phytocide returns the necessary bacteria to the sterile soil, without which the plant will not absorb nutrients. I prepare the solution according to the instructions, moisten the soil (not abundantly, in no case should the earth be turned into mud). I water all the plants in the house with the remaining solution - most likely the bacteria in the water quickly die, so this watering cannot be called fertilizer.

8. Always add to the soil. Not more than 30% of the soil volume. Vermiculite is a mineral that has been processed at ultra-high temperatures to become porous. The pores in vermiculite are filled with oxygen, absorb a lot of water and gradually release it into the soil, preventing the roots from rotting. It is a natural source of potassium and magnesium. Perlite works in much the same way as vermiculite, loosening the soil like sand. The combination of these minerals improve soil quality.

10. I made holes in 100 g cups, filled them with earth. Seeds were applied 2 per cup, pressed into the ground quite a bit, 3-5 mm. Wet the surface with a spray bottle. The glasses were marked with the letter of the variety. It is convenient when all the cups are in one tray to turn them at the same time, for the sun.

11. I built a quick greenhouse from a bag, bamboo sticks and adhesive tape. Sowing thyme also fell under the film, for the company :). Seedlings sit in the greenhouse until the first shoots - loops. The temperature should be around 18-20 degrees, it is advisable to place the seedlings in the shade until they sprout. She covered the greenhouse for the night for a few more days, look at the weather and trust your intuition.

12. 4 days after sowing. The first time we irrigate the seedlings - carefully, from the sprayer, do not flood. We take it out into the light, but watch the temperature - the cups warm up, you can cook weak roots in the hot sun.

13. 7 day. yellow tomatoes they look much healthier, hatched faster and stretch well. Every day I irrigate the crops a little.

14. 14 days. The first true leaves have appeared. You can make the first top dressing with mineral fertilizer. But if you make ashes, you can get by before transplanting into a pot. We irrigate the soil and spray on shoots - either early in the morning or in the evening. If the weather is cloudy and it is damp outside, you should not sprinkle the leaves (so as not to provoke fungi).

15. First true leaves on yellow tomatoes.

16. First true leaves on red tomatoes. The sprouts did not stretch out, everything suggests that they have enough light and nutrition. Can be moved to pots.

17. I have 2 liter pots. Most likely, for the root system of these varieties of tomatoes there will be little of such a volume and they will have to be transplanted before they decide to bloom. Moreover, it became a pity for the handsome men, and decided to put a couple in pots. The pots should have holes for draining water, 3 cm of drainage (expanded clay).

18. I poured prepared soil (the same as for seedlings).

19. We remove the seedlings from the cup, turning it over, holding the seedlings. Everything is very easy.

20. Put the soil cup in the pot.

21. I poured the soil into the pot, around the tomatoes.

22. I marked varieties in pots with pictures cut out of seed bags.

23. It would be possible to wait a little longer, the seedlings were too small. But through the glass, I saw the roots that had reached the bottom, I decided not to torment the plants.

24. Yellow bushes are likely to be larger.

25. A little less than a month has passed. This is Cherry.

Kherson tomato has already become a brand not only in our country and the CIS, but also in the EU. On the shelves of stores in Germany, Scotland, Cyprus and other countries, you can find canned tomatoes “in Kherson style”. Processing companies in European countries are increasingly ordering tomatoes in bulk in Ukraine.

Most delicious tomatoes grown open way on rich soils of the Kherson region in soft climatic conditions. Since there is enough potassium in the local soil, tomatoes grow sweetish, juicy, with a soft (not “wooden”) core.

balcony miracle

We turn to the main topic - where to get the plants. For summer residents, the answer is simple - to dig out healthy undersized bushes from the garden, on which there are still small fruits and flowers.

The dug up plants are transported carefully so as not to break, planted in 2-3-liter containers (for example, in a plastic bucket) or in balcony drawer two plants. The soil is either taken in the garden - the upper fertile layer, or ready to buy in the store: “For tomatoes and nightshade”, “Universal”, “Living Earth”, etc. You can make up the soil mixture yourself: 70% humus and 20% garden soil (but not the one where tomatoes, peppers, eggplants grew), 5% black peat and the same amount of washed sand. The soil must be disinfected - pour a strong boiling solution of dark-colored potassium permanganate or freeze it on the street, on the balcony. Care is simple: in the morning, regular watering with settled warm water, if necessary, top dressing with complex mineral fertilizer (1 teaspoon per 5 liters of water).

If you can’t dig up tomato bushes, you can get plants from stepchildren. At the end of the season, side shoots 10-15 cm long are cut off (small 5-7 cm can also be used). They are put in a jar of water, and when the roots appear, they are planted in small pots with nutritious soil, falling asleep part of the stem to the base of the leaves.

After the rooted stepchildren begin to grow, they are transplanted one by one into large pots or planters. The roots of stepchildren are very fragile, so you need to plant carefully so as not to tear them. The advantages of this method: fruiting occurs quickly, it is possible to save the variety you like if there are no seeds.

Video: Indoor tomatoes. Growing tomatoes in winter

Seedlings are sown at the end of March, and for autumn cultivation - in July. The seeds of indoor tomatoes have been prepared by leading breeding companies for sowing, they do not need to be disinfected and can be sown dry. Or, to speed up germination, you need to hold it in a damp cloth in a warm place (for example, on top of the refrigerator, but not on the battery). Sow as soon as small roots appear.

Sow to a depth of 1-1.5 cm in small cups with a diameter of 5-6 cm (seedlings will appear in 4-6 days). When the seedlings grow 2-3 toothed leaves, transplant one plant at a time into pots with a diameter of 10-12 cm.

Further care, as for ordinary tomato seedlings: not frequent, but plentiful watering and only in the morning. So that the soil is evenly moistened, water is also added to the pan. When watering, the water is defended for 3 days from chlorine or passed through a filter. Watered once every 5 days, and at high temperatures - after 1-2 days. This is especially important during fruiting. However, plants should not be sprayed, even on hot days.

Plants with 4-5 leaves are transplanted into beautiful large pots, where tomatoes will delight the owners with a harvest. A week after transplantation, they begin to feed using any complex mineral fertilizer (mortar, aquarin, nitrophoska, etc.). In tomatoes growing in pots, its walls limit the ability to independently extract the missing nutrients, so you need to feed the plants constantly after 7-10 days. Moreover, the concentration of the first two dressings should be low (1/2 teaspoon of fertilizer is poured into 5 liters hot water, cool down). From the third feeding, the dose is increased: 1/2 teaspoon per 3 liters of water. Before applying, the nutrient solution is filtered through gauze in three layers, and after feeding, the plants must be watered with water.

Ventilate the tomatoes on the window more often by opening the window to lower the temperature.

During fruit set, the removal of 2-3 cm of soil from the pot helps them to ripen better, and in return, adding biohymus, humus or garden soil from under cucumbers, cabbage.

With weak growth and poor fruit formation, when the tomatoes are very small, you can sprinkle the bushes with a solution of mineral fertilizer (1/4 teaspoon per 1 liter of hot water, strain, cool). You can also use ready-made liquid fertilizers (ideal, veta, etc.), without exceeding the concentration recommended on the label.

40-50 days after germination, flower clusters appear on the plant, and flowering begins 20-25 days later. Then it is necessary to additionally pollinate the brushes daily or twice a week by tapping the stem with a pencil. This should be done without fail, otherwise the flowers will not be pollinated, because there is no wind in the room.

It is good once every 10 days after watering to sprinkle the soil sifted with oven ash with the obligatory subsequent loosening so that a crust does not form.

In stunted tomatoes lower leaves do not cut, the plants do not stepchild, that is, they do not remove the growing side shoots. Only varieties that form tall plants should be formed into 2 stems, leaving one stepson under the first brush. It, growing, gives a second stem.

If they want to increase the yield, the fruits are cut when they turn brown or pink, and put on ripening. Harvest on dwarf varieties is from 0.5 to 1.5 kg (from tall plants, where larger fruits, the crop did not hang, but it is much larger). If the fruits are not cut brown, the harvest will be less, but from my own experience I know how difficult it is to keep some of the tomatoes from ripening on the branch, they look so beautiful among the greenery of the foliage.

I had the experience of growing tall tomatoes with a stem of more than 1.5 m on one window. The yield is higher than that of undersized plants, however, there is much more trouble: a special garter on the window; accommodation not in beautiful pot, and in a 10-liter bucket; watering and top dressing plentiful and frequent. After that, I grow only undersized small-fruited tomatoes and get not only fresh vegetables from the garden on the window, but also a lot of positive emotions.

Tatiana Oktyabrskaya