There are many varieties of tomatoes that you can easily grow at home. The crop is not susceptible to pest attacks, bad weather conditions and will bring a good harvest.
The growing process is no more difficult than for tomatoes from the garden; it is only important to choose the appropriate variety, which, even in winter, will be able to pamper the owner with fresh fruits.
Special varieties
The hybrid selection method is based on constant trial and error, it is caused by the individual climatic conditions in each room. These low-growing and dwarf varieties will feel great on a small windowsill.
Minibel
It is represented by a bush reaching a height of no more than 30 cm. Its fruits, collected in small clusters of 8 samples, weigh up to 40 g each.
Florida Petite
A low crop with small tomatoes, which are collected in a brush of 15-20 pieces. They are very sweet, an individual fruit weighs up to 40 g.
Balcony miracle
The most common domestic variety. Its pink tomatoes ripen 2.5-3 months after planting. The fruits are not large - 20-30 g each.
More about the Balcony Miracle tomato variety, as well as other cherry tomatoes:
- Tomatoes on the balcony: step-by-step instructions on how to grow;
- Tomato Balcony Miracle: description, planting, care, comparison, reviews;
- Cherry tomatoes at home;
- 5 delicious varieties of cherry tomatoes.
Balcony red
It is formed by a very fruitful bush, growing up to 30 cm. Mini tomatoes are bright red and will grow within 3 months after planting. It is noteworthy that the fruits of this variety emit a strong aroma.
Bonsai
Each time it ripens, it will produce 500-600 g of tomatoes. The bush of this low-growing crop does not grow higher than 30 cm. Representatives of the variety do not need insects to transfer pollen, since they are self-pollinating.
Bonsai micro
It is considered the smallest among cherry tomatoes. The average size of a bush is only 15 cm. It is often hung in a basket and has a more decorative purpose.
Pinocchio
It will produce its first harvest within 3 months after planting. The hybrid bears fruit with small, aromatic tomatoes.
Read more about the Pinocchio tomato variety in the article Pinocchio tomato: description of the variety, planting and care
Balconies Yelou
Grows up to half a meter in height. The fruits are small, mostly yellow in color, and grow within 3.5 – 4 months. Round in shape, sweet in taste.
Pearl red or yellow
Famous for its decorative parameters. It grows up to 0.5 m and bears small red tomatoes. A single specimen can weigh up to 50 g and taste sweet.
Native
Bears fruits of 180 g each. They have a characteristic raspberry hue. It is famous for its unpretentiousness - it is able to tolerate coolness, and is an early species.
Igranda
Fruits in round tomatoes up to 150 g each. The variety can easily withstand sudden changes in weather and temperature conditions.
Hermitage
It is preferable to plant in the northwestern regions. Tomatoes grow up to 100 g on it.
Russian troika
It is represented by bushes up to 60 cm tall. Notable for its large, aromatic fruits weighing up to 300 g. It is recommended to start with 2-3 species for comparison, and then plant those that best suit the apartment’s climate.
Planting tomato seedlings in pots
When the seedlings reach a height of approximately 10 cm and there are at least 3-4 developed leaves, the finished seedlings are planted in a pot. Almost anything can be used as a pot or flowerpot: ready-made plastic or ceramic pots, cut plastic bottles, buckets, etc. The requirements are simple: the volume of the flowerpot must be at least 5 liters and it must have holes for draining water. Tomatoes cannot tolerate stagnant water; this has a bad effect on the harvest and can even lead to the death of the plants.
In addition to choosing a pot, you need to take the issue of soil very seriously. Purchased soil, which usually consists of 100% pure peat, is no longer suitable here. It’s best to make the soil yourself. For example, you can make a soil mixture of peat, humus and perlite in a ratio of 2:1:1 or mixing turf/garden soil with humus in a ratio of 3 to 2. However, do not take soil from greenhouses for planting, it may be contaminated. Give preference to ordinary garden soil. In any case, soil taken from the street must be prepared: steamed or spilled with a disinfectant solution.
Read more about preparing soil for tomatoes
- For 8-10 liters of prepared soil mixture, add a glass of wood ash, 30 g of superphosphate, 15 g of urea and 15 g of potassium sulfate.
- Place a drainage layer at least 5 cm high at the bottom of the pot, pour ready-made soil on top and plant young tomato plants in a slight depth.
- The top soil must be covered (mulched). This must be done so that it dries out less, does not create dust around the apartment and does not overheat. This can be done in several ways: lay coconut fiber on top or cover the surface with decorative crumbs.
Read more: All about mulching plants
Sowing time
For tomatoes, sowing dates are divided into:
- Summer-autumn. Fruits from seedlings grown no later than August will ripen in November or December.
- Winter-spring. Tomatoes will ripen in early to mid-spring, but you need to start growing seedlings in winter. November and early December are ideal.
More details about planting seedlings and favorable dates Lunar calendar for sowing seeds for seedlings in 2022 in the table (planting seedlings). Read about plantings after April in articles by month.
Selecting a location
Light-loving plants will begin to lose their buds when there is insufficient lighting, so it is preferable to place them on a balcony or windowsill on the south side. Strong sunlight can harm a young plant, so in the afternoon, during the period of greatest sun activity, it is worth shading the bush or moving it to the eastern or western sides. Additional light is also recommended for tomatoes; the best option is fluorescent lamps. It is worth placing an artificial source while maintaining a minimum distance of 30 cm from the plant. The lack of light in the morning and evening should be compensated for, not forgetting that for tomatoes the daylight hours should last about 15 hours.
Pre-sowing seed preparation
The procedure includes:
- Soak;
- Germination;
- Hardening.
Soaking is done to destroy pathogens. The operation takes 30 minutes. Then it is recommended to rinse the seeds in filtered water.
Germination is carried out in a damp gauze cloth or cotton pad. Afterwards, the material is covered with polyethylene and placed in a warm place for 2-3 days until germination.
The hardening procedure applies to seeds that have already hatched but have not yet sprouted. It increases the crop's resistance to temperature changes. Sequencing:
- Wrap the seeds in gauze;
- Place in container;
- Tie the bag without completely cutting off the oxygen;
- Keep it in the refrigerator at night and take it out during the day;
- Repeat the operation 4-5 times.
Let's start growing
In order for tomato seeds to germinate quickly, they need to be soaked. It is enough to prepare a weak solution of manganese and place the planting material in it for 20 minutes. Thanks to soaking, you can determine which seeds will not sprout: spoiled ones will float (they must be thrown away). Wrap good seeds in a wet towel and wait until they sprout a little.
If the tomato seed manufacturer has applied a protective agent, there is no need to soak them; you can plant them immediately.
Containers for planting
To plant seeds, it is better to take transparent plastic cups - this way you can control watering. Drainage holes are not useful in this case.
Next, fill the glass with soil, leaving a couple of centimeters of free space at the top.
We are landing
- In a glass with soil, you need to make a 2 cm depression, put 2 grains there and fill it with soil.
- The next step is to cover the glass with cling film to create a greenhouse effect and place it in a dark room. The optimal temperature is 25°C.
- After 4 days, when small seedlings appear, they must be moved to the place where they will grow (window or loggia). Thanks to artificial lighting, the plant will not stretch intensively (which should not be allowed at this stage).
- It should be watered when the top lump of earth dries out a little. This way you can avoid the occurrence of various tomato diseases.
The greatest danger to the crop is the fungus. It occurs as a result of dampness and lack of sunlight.
Preparing containers for planting sprouted seeds
After moving the seedlings to the window, you should wait for a few leaves to appear, then you can safely transplant the tomatoes into large flower pots. The container size should be about 5-6 liters, this is quite enough. Fill the bottom of the pot with your choice: expanded clay pebbles or small pieces of polystyrene foam, then add a layer of sand (2 cm), and cover the rest with earth.
Planting seedlings from plastic cups into pots
- Before you remove the germinated seeds, you should moisten the soil in which they are located. This way, when pulling it out of the cup, you can protect the root system from damage as much as possible.
- Next, you should move the bush into a container where it will continue to grow. During this procedure, you should be very careful, do not shake off excess soil - transfer the seedlings along with the soil into a pot;
- After the seedling has been moved to its permanent habitat, cover it with soil, not reaching 8 cm from the edge of the pot - as it grows, there will be a reserve where you can add soil.
Caring for tomatoes on the windowsill: basic rules and growing conditions
In order for the fruit to ripen in a timely manner, the plant must be provided with watering, feeding and regular ventilation of the room; these will have a beneficial effect on the development process of the bush.
Temperature and humidity
Favorable temperature range during the day is +22...+26 °C, and at night +15...+16 °C. At the same time, the recommended air humidity level is 65%. In winter, pots with bushes should be somewhat removed from the glass, as they can be damaged by cold air coming from the window.
In case of increased dryness, moisturizing by spraying is allowed. However, at low temperatures, excessive moisture provokes a number of diseases. Spraying is necessary exclusively for foliar feeding and treating tomatoes against ailments and pests.
Feeding and watering
It is important to prevent liquid from getting on the stems when watering. Its regularity is 2 times every 10 days. Settled and filtered water is ideal. During the flowering period, watering is suspended until the ovaries appear. Mineral fertilizers should be applied for the first time no earlier than 20 days after the dive. The best option is potassium humate, diluted according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. It is worth feeding only on the second day after watering, the regularity of feeding is once every 2 weeks. For adult bushes, both root and leaf feeding is allowed, but such fertilizer is contraindicated for young tender seedlings.
Shaping (stepping) and tying
Thanks to the stable trunk and lack of branching, homemade tomato varieties do not need to be tied up. In rare cases, this does happen, for which you need:
- Carefully drive the peg into the soil without damaging the root;
- Tie up the branches.
It is necessary to remove shoots formed in the leaf axils. Otherwise, the bush will grow leaf mass, but will not bring a rich harvest. After the ovaries are formed, the top is pinched and the lower withered leaves are cut off.
How to care at home in winter: step-by-step instructions
Watering and fertilizers
The size of the fruit and its taste depend on the correct soil moisture regime. The soil must be constantly moist. It is important not to allow the substrate to dry out completely , as this may cause the tomatoes to drop. However, it is worth remembering that excess moisture can lead to rotting of the root system.
Since there is not enough space in the pots for the root system to fully develop, the roots need to be fed to grow. The first fertilizing should be done seven days after picking the seedlings. Most often, agronomists use the following drugs: Mortar, Nitrofaska and Aquarin. Fertilizers are applied three times a day, because there is nowhere for mineral elements to come from.
Starting from the third feeding, the concentration of fertilizers is slightly increased.
Trimming and pinching
Tomatoes need to be pinched starting from the growing season. As soon as the first fruits begin to set on the tomatoes, you need to remove the top of the tomato two leaves above the last bunch. This should only be done with a well-sharpened and disinfected instrument.
Experienced vegetable growers recommend leaving no more than two stepsons at the root - all the rest should be gotten rid of, since they will take away all the nutrients.
The most suitable place for these procedures is early morning or evening after sunset. The cut areas must be treated with ash or ash. With proper manipulation, tomatoes will give a rich harvest.
Diseases and pests
The most effective way to combat insect pests and plant diseases is timely prevention. Regular examination of the bush and taking immediate action when the first symptoms are detected will also greatly facilitate the task of treatment. The plant can be effectively treated only in the initial stages of the disease, then it will become almost impossible to get rid of the disease.
| Disease/pest | Cause/manifestations | Prevention/Corrective Measures |
| Late blight | Spreads primarily by air. The leaves of a diseased plant become covered with dark brown spots, then the spotting affects the stems and fruits, resulting in the complete destruction of the crop. | As a preventive measure, it is worth soaking the seeds in a manganese solution before germination. Already young bushes can be treated with Bordeaux liquid. |
| Blackleg | The cause of the fungal disease is excessive crop density and poor lighting. The first symptoms are blackening of the stem, then the whole plant becomes deformed, it lies on the soil and ends in death. | An admixture of ash and sand in the soil is an excellent prevention of the disease. If the disease has already developed, it is necessary to use fungicidal drugs. |
| Septoria | Distributed exclusively by soil. The leaves of the affected tomato become spotted, covered with black dots, and then dry out. | A solution of potassium permanganate can disinfect the soil as a preventive measure. Treatment with Bordeaux liquid is suitable for treatment. |
| Brown spot | This disease is provoked by excessively wet soil. The leaves become covered with brown spots, and the normal development of the bush and its fruits is disrupted. | Treatment with specialized chemicals. |
| Whitefly | The appearance of the insect pest resembles small scales. Having attached itself to a leaf, it poses a threat as a spreader of infections. | Fertilizing the soil will increase resistance, and you should get rid of the pest and its larvae using a soap solution or dandelion tincture. |
| Thrips | The activity of these pests leads to drying of buds, leaves and further death of the latter. | Regular watering and insecticide treatment will help eliminate thrips. |
Protecting tomatoes from diseases
Another point that is worth paying attention to is the protection of tomatoes in pots from diseases, because even room conditions cannot guarantee their complete absence. One of the main enemies of nightshades is late blight. To prevent its manifestation, it is important not to flood the bushes and drain the water from the pan. The fungus also does not tolerate fresh air, so you need to ventilate the room more often.
As a preventive measure, you can spray your plants with a homemade remedy made from the following ingredients:
- 3 liters of water;
- 100 g garlic (chopped);
- 1 g of dry crystals of potassium permanganate.
Mr. Summer Resident recommends: using hydroponics when growing tomatoes at home
If the roots of a plant are surrounded with a nutrient solution, thereby creating an artificial environment, then it will successfully grow without soil. The method is also applicable to tomatoes, since they have a shallow root system. A hydroponic solution can be easily purchased in a store, or made with your own hands from various types of fertilizers. Then they need to fill a large container and put a small one in it. Pre-prepare a mixture of the following ingredients:
- Crushed stone;
- Gravel;
- Sand;
- Expanded clay;
- Moss;
- Mineral wool;
- Coconut flakes.
Disinfect and fill the inner container with the mixture, plant the plant in it.
