"I successfully grow small-fruit varieties of tomatoes in stone pots on the balcony" - Renata Adamska, Bogatynia
I've always dreamed of a house with a garden, but well… I only have a corner, north-eastern balcony. And that's why I want to show off and encourage other balcony owners to growcherry tomatoes . They are
small, cute and delicious, and - what will please not very conscientious gardeners - completely hassle-free.
Contents:
- Best seedlings to grow at home
- Choosing a Pot for Cherry Tomatoes
- Planting tomatoes in a pot and substrate
- Watering and fertilizing cherry tomatoes
- Pollination of cherry tomatoes in pots
Best seedlings to grow at home
"I buy 2-3tomato seedlings every year . I have a small balcony where I also keep flowers, so I can&39;t go overboard with the number of plants. This year I chose the Ola variety with yellow, fleshy fruits and the Coral "
"about red fruits. In addition, those of the Vilma variety, which are ideal for amateur cultivation, will also work well. It has fleshy and tasty fruit ideal for salads and decorations. The long fruiting period makes it eagerly chosen.
Choosing a Pot for Cherry Tomatoes
The best choice will be a pot made of ceramics or wood.Metal or plastic ones heat up quickly and additionally prevent gas exchange for the plant. The optimal depth is 40 cm and above - the larger the pot, the better. It is also possible to plant them in wide balcony boxes. It is crucial for the root system of cherry tomatoes to develop properly. Avoid dark colors of the pots - not only the material, but also the brown and black shades make the soil heats up faster.
Planting tomatoes in a pot and substrate
After bringing the seedlings home, I immediately replant them to large, round, stoneware pots. I use ordinary flower soil (the cheapest one from the market), which I mix with sand in a proportion of 2: 1.So for a bucket of flower soil there is half a bucket of sand.
Then I put the young bushes into pots, water them generously and place them on the eastern side of the balcony. It is very important that cherry tomatoes get plenty of sun. Then they produce more abundant and the fruit is tastier.
Should I thin out cherry tomato buds?
No. Thinning of the buds is a procedure of removing some of the buds in order to relieve the plant and prevent fruit fineness. While it may be important in the cultivation of tomatoes with large fruits, cherry tomatoes are supposed to be small-fruit.
- says Dr. Eng. Tomasz Mróz
Watering and fertilizing cherry tomatoes
Later, I just regularly water my tomatoes and strengthen them with natural fertilizer once every 2 weeks. When the bushes grow up, I remove the branches that grow in the corners.I only leave the main shoots - strong and thick - and a few side shoots, but also the strongest ones.I do this because the excess twigs causes the plant to lose too much energy in holding unnecessary parts.And so everything is spent on the production of fruit.
Pollination of cherry tomatoes in pots
If you live in a city like me, you also have to take over the bee's job when the plant sets flowers. I pollinate them with a soft paintbrush, but you can also rub the flowers against each other.And basically that's the whole philosophy of growing cherry tomatoes on the balcony.For the fourth year in a row I have such a farm and I have not noticed no problems.
Well, maybe apart from bringing a bag of flower soil, a bucket of sand and stone pots to the fourth floor of the block without an elevator. I encourage everyone to grow these little vegetables. I believe that for a city-dweller like me there is nothing better than to go out on the balcony in the morning and pick fresh tomatoes for breakfast.
How to protect against diseases of cherry tomatoes in pots?
To protect yourself from diseases of tomatoes, buy he althy seedlings or certified seeds of disease-resistant varieties, water the plants directly into the pot without spraying the leaves, get rid of the infected parts of the plants and do not plant the plants too densely.Use a natural yeast spray on tomatoes, a decoction of nettle, comfrey or field horsetail to improve plant immunity and combat already existing diseases.
- explains the expert Anna Błaszczak
Before you decide to grow in pots:
- Tomatoes grown in containers will never yield such abundant crops as those from the ground or from under the foil.
- There are no typical varieties for planting in pots, so we have to choose from the existing ones.
- When buying seedlings, pay attention to whether it is a variety that finishes growth (e.g. 'Ryton', 'Awizo').It is important because with such varieties we do not cut the tops of the main shoots when all clusters have been formed.
- Tomatoes in containers, as well as in ground containers, should be removed from the bottom leaves. This will give the ripening fruit more light.
- We only eat ripe tomatoes, because the green ones contain solanine - a poisonous substance.
