Growing tomatoes on the balcony step by step

It is always good to have your own garden at hand, and if you want, you can place it even in the apartment! In this case, your family will always eat only fresh and healthy vitamins.

One of the most popular vegetables on any table is the tomato, and it is this crop that we buy in the store most often.

And those who have already planted a plant at home, not only save the budget, but also get a new hobby. After all, this is quite a fascinating process! How to grow tomatoes on the balcony?

Necessary conditions for tomatoes at home

Grown with their own forces room tomato – the most delicious and useful vegetable, so it is worth the effort to get a decent result.

Growing tomatoes on the balcony is a responsible, but fascinating activity. For tomatoes to please you with the yield, it is necessary to adhere to the basic rules in the care of them.

Temperature regime, light and placement in the apartment

Tomatoes on the balcony will grow well if they are provided with the necessary lighting and warmth. Place containers with plants is better on the southern, southwestern or southeastern windows. In the first case, you will have to shade the bushes from the searing direct rays of the sun. The northern side is categorically not suitable for growing tomatoes on the balcony.

Tomatoes are a heat-loving crop, so the optimal temperature for them is 23-24 degrees during the day and not below 14-15 degrees at night.

During the flowering period, the plants especially need warmth. It is recommended to air the windows as often as possible, especially in the summer heat, so balcony tomatoes will get enough oxygen.

If tomatoes do not get enough natural light, it is necessary to use a special phytolamp.

The necessary container

At the initial stage, it is convenient to grow tomatoes on the balcony in plastic bottles or glasses. However, then for transplanting will require a more voluminous container of 4-5 liters.

Growing tomatoes on the balcony – benefit and aesthetic pleasure, especially if you choose to plant a bush beautiful elongated container, the plant will get even more decorative appearance.

At the initial stage, when growing in small cups or bottles, you can not make holes at the bottom of the dishes, this will not harm the plants. However, permanent pots should be equipped with such holes for the outflow of excess liquid.

In addition, do not forget about the drainage layer at the bottom of the container, consisting of small pebbles or expanded clay.

Soil, watering and fertilizer

Tomatoes in the open ground, as well as in the home, will need fertilizer. For this purpose, often use complex mineral fertilizers, you can buy them in a gardening store. Such fertilizer is dissolved in water according to the instructions and watered with this liquid bushes.

Some gardeners for fertilizing tomatoes prefer organics, such as a weak solution of cow dung or chicken manure. A good alternative to store fertilizer is also a mixture of wood ash and superphosphate (1 tbsp.) dissolved in three liters of water. Tomatoes are fed once every 10-14 days.

Of course, you can buy a special ready-made soil substrate in a store, but it is better to make a suitable soil mixture yourself.

For this, you can take ordinary garden soil and mix it with humus + a little peat. You can also add compost and washed river sand to the garden soil.

Water the tomatoes on the balcony once every three days with a moderate amount of warm water.

Do not overwater tomatoes, as they poorly tolerate overwatering and can get sick.

Growing tomatoes on the balcony step by step

Tomatoes will bring a good harvest, if properly planted and cared for. Tomatoes on the balcony are not too demanding, but there are some nuances in planting and further care.

For example, it is advisable to soak the seeds in a weak manganese solution for 20-30 minutes before planting.

If the planting material is not treated with special substances for better germination, you should do it yourself, soaking it in a solution of stimulants.

Planting

How to properly plant the seeds? There are several options here, and all of them bring a good result.

• Method one

Take a plate and cover it with a piece of cloth, put the seeds on top and cover them with a moistened cloth. Then you should wrap the dish with seeds in polyethylene and leave it warm. Make sure that the cloth does not dry out, and dampen it a little if necessary. When the seeds will sprout, you can plant them in fertile soil.

• The second method

We take the seeds and place them for 2-3 days in the refrigerator to harden them. After that, we transfer the seed into cloth bags. We take a thermos and fill it with hot water. Then we drop the seeds in the bags into the thermos, there they should stay overnight. In the morning we make planting in the prepared soil. We make holes in the ground 0,5-1 cm deep and sow seeds in them, then water with warm water and cover with a layer of soil. The pot should be covered with polyethylene and left in a warm place. “Hothouse” will need to be removed every day to ensure the access of oxygen.

• Method three

Cut 1.5-liter bottles are filled with soil and watered with hot water. We wait for the earth to cool. Then make hollows in the soil and put there 2-3 seeds, and if they are previously sprouted – one. Cover the container with polyethylene and set it in the heat. When the sprouts will sprout from the ground, you need to put the pots in cool conditions, but not in the cold. Water only as the top layer of soil dries out. It is desirable to use a phytolamp for illumination.

Transplanting into a large container

In about 1.5-2 weeks the seedlings should get stronger and more mature, then they can be transplanted to a permanent place.

To do this, we take a voluminous container, fill it ¾ with soil and make hollows in the ground.

Plant the plants 2 centimeters lower than they were in the first pot. Carefully pour the earthy substrate from above and water it with water at a comfortable temperature.

The container is placed in the light, in a week you can make the first feeding.

Then follow the standard scheme of care.

Important features in the care

Growing tomatoes on the balcony can bring a lot of pleasure and benefit, if you take into account the special needs of this culture.

• Tomatoes need garter as they grow, the only exception is very low varieties.
• When the bushes start to form shoots, we need to remove the extra ones so that the plant has enough strength to bear good fruit. Sick, yellowed leaves are also removed.
• When fruiting tassels form, the lower leaves are also removed. Additional shoots may grow from the axils of the leaves, they should be trimmed.
• On one stem, it is desirable to leave no more than 4 brushes of ovaries, and the top should be pruned.
• Tomatoes on the balcony pollinate themselves, but periodically it is recommended to shake the bush for better pollination.
• When the fruits are fully formed, you will need to pinch the top and remove the flowers, this is done so that the already existing tomatoes are well developed.
• Pluck the fruits from the branch can not be fully ripe, they will still ripen at home.

As you can see, you can grow tomatoes on the balcony no worse than their vegetable “counterparts”. It is not as difficult as it may seem at first glance.

Experiment, choose the best options for planting and care!