Growing tomatoes on a window in an apartment or on a balcony

Pros and cons of growing indoor tomatoes on a window

Is it possible to harvest tomatoes at home? At this stage of development of selection, many varieties have been developed that are suitable for growing at home in winter. Even a novice agronomist will be able to grow a good crop of tomatoes on his windowsill.

The advantage of such cultivation is to obtain healthy tomatoes in winter. An agronomist can also be confident that his harvest will be environmentally friendly. The taste of tomatoes will be almost the same as that of a summer harvest from open ground.

It is also worth saying that the cost of tomatoes from the windowsill will be much less than those purchased in the store.

The disadvantage of planting tomatoes in an apartment is the fact that it is not always possible to grow tomatoes. And sometimes the fruits may be too small in size , which is why such cultivation may be impractical.

How tomatoes bloom on the balcony

The flowering of balcony tomatoes is no different from their counterparts that grow in open ground. Everything happens the same way: first the flowers appear, then they set and the fruits ripen on them. Afterwards the process is updated and started again.

FAQ

Natalia Papanova

Blog author

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And now I want to share with you the answers to questions that puzzled me when growing tomatoes. I think you will find this useful.

How long does it take for the tomatoes on the balcony to turn red?

Tomatoes begin to turn red 100 days after planting. Depending on the variety, this period of time can last up to 140 days.

How to determine that the tomatoes on the balcony are ripe?

In appearance and density: the fruits will be bright in color (red or pink depending on the variety) and slightly soft when pressed.

Is it possible to get a harvest from balcony tomatoes all year round?

Yes, but not from one copy, but from different ones. The process goes like this: while one plant bears fruit, you plant another to replace it. As a result, it turns out to harvest all year round.

How many kilograms of balcony tomatoes can be harvested from one bush?

It all depends on the variety. But usually the harvest collected from the balcony does not exceed 10 kg per bush.

Preparation activities

What should the place be like?

Tomatoes are light-loving crops. Therefore, it is best to give preference to the southern sides of the room. If it is not possible to place tomatoes in the southern part, then you should take care of additional lighting. Remember that daylight hours for tomatoes should last at least 12-13 hours. Fluorescent lamps, fluorescent lamps, and energy-saving lamps can be used as artificial light. Now there are special phytolamps. Additional lighting should be placed at a height of 25-30 centimeters from the plants.

As for the air temperature, it should remain at 22-24 degrees Celsius. At night the temperature can be reduced to +16-18 degrees. If the air is heated less, the tomatoes will not grow. And in strong hot air, the crop will begin to dry out. If the room is very hot, you should ventilate the room more often, being careful not to create drafts.

Make sure that the air in the room is sufficiently humidified. You should not place containers with tomatoes close to heating devices, because they dry out the air and the plant itself. It is best to place a container of water next to the tomatoes, which will serve as a homemade humidifier.

Special varieties for winter

To get a good harvest, you must first choose the right variety for planting. Since not every variety is suitable for growing at home. Choose low or medium height bushes. It’s good if these are cherry tomatoes, since this type can easily survive a lack of light and heat, and it also has a shorter ripening period. There are many varieties intended for growing at home. Among the most popular are the following:

• Pearl.
• Balcony miracle.
• Hummingbird.
• The pearl is yellow.
• Pinocchio.
• Angelica.
• Glasha.
• Alpatyeva 905 A.
• Moskvich.

What should the pot be like?

In order to grow seedlings for winter cultivation at the initial stage, ordinary plastic cups in which you need to make drainage holes are also suitable. But special peat cups are more suitable. As soon as the seedlings are ready for picking, they need to be moved into pots with a volume of 7-10 liters. The material of the flowerpot is not particularly important. Plastic, clay, and ceramics are also suitable.

Soil features

The soil can be purchased ready-made in the store, or you can prepare it yourself. To do this, we take soil, humus, coarse river sand and peat. The components are taken in the following proportions: 5:5:2:1.

For every 10 liters of substrate you need to add a little urea (no more than a matchbox). You need to take potassium sulfate in the same amount, as well as a tablespoon of wood ash. All ingredients are thoroughly mixed and scattered into containers.

Providing a microclimate

For comfortable growth of tomatoes, it is necessary to maintain a temperature of 25ºC during the day and 15ºC at night. It's good to have a thermometer to monitor the temperature. If the temperature outside is appropriate, then it is best to keep the windows open, especially since this plant is resistant to drafts. And an extra supply of fresh air never hurts.

Tomatoes in an apartment will grow optimally with 9-10 hours of regular natural sunlight. If it is not enough, then it is possible to use special daylight lamps or phytolamps for additional lighting.

The use of artificial light sources is less effective, but it helps to grow tomatoes on the windowsill in winter, when daylight hours are very short and cloudless weather may not be observed for weeks.

Step-by-step instructions for planting on a windowsill

Seeds

Reference! Before sowing, it is better to soak the seeds in a growth stimulator. Otherwise, there is a risk that the seeds will not germinate.

1. The substrate is poured into the planting container, and then a seed is placed there, which is sprinkled with a small (about 10 mm) layer of soil.

2. Moisten the soil with a spray bottle so that the seeds are not washed out. Water for irrigation should be left standing for at least 2-3 days.

3. After planting, the cups are placed in a bright and warm place.
   The cups can be covered with film until the first shoots.
4. Within 7 days the first shoots will appear. They need to be opened every day for hardening, and after 3-4 days the film must be removed completely.
5. Grown seedlings need to be watered once every 4-5 days.
   The seedlings do not need spraying. You can pick out sprouts only when at least 4 leaves appear on them.

Seedlings

Before this procedure, you need to prepare containers. For this:

1. A drainage layer is placed in the flowerpots. It can be made from brick chips or small gravel. The pot is completely filled with substrate. In the middle of the flowerpot you need to make a small depression, which is thoroughly moistened.
2. The seedlings are watered from the roots and moved into prepared flowerpots.
   Water again. The soil is slightly compacted. Important! Experienced agronomists do not recommend planting two sprouts in one flowerpot. They will not produce a good harvest or will die altogether.
3. The pots are placed in a well-lit place. The containers are turned twice during the day so that the plant develops evenly.

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.

Support and hanging

Often, low-growing varieties are used for home cultivation. Such a bush can bear up to two kg of fruit. Therefore, there is no need for supports. But this procedure is necessary because most often it is the pots with soil that may not support the weight of the fruit and tip over.

1. First you need to choose a suitable place to place the flowerpot. It is good if the flowerpot stands near some wall or window on which the entire bush will rest.
2. Then you need to place wooden pegs in the pots (one support for each bush).
3. A bush is tied to a peg - this needs to be done as high as possible.

Low growing tomato varieties

On windows in a warm house and on balconies from May to September, when the ambient temperature at night reaches +15 degrees, you can also grow low-growing (standard) varieties intended for open ground. There are no special differences in agricultural technology between dwarf and standard tomatoes.

Homemade tomatoes that grow no more than 60 cm in height are suitable for growing on the window, and varieties with bushes and up to 1.5 m can be used on balconies.

Related article: Standard window sill height from the floor

The best standard varieties with guaranteed yield

• Sanka (Aelita) - early, first ripening 65-75 days after sowing, tomato height up to 50 cm, red fruits 100-130 g, yield up to 2 kg per bush.
• Tomato Russian garden. Height up to 35 cm, red fruits up to 60 g, yield up to 1.5 kg. Extra early variety - 60 days after the first shoots.
• Golden (SeDeK) - bright lemon round tomatoes 150-200 g, ripening is extended, begins after 90 days. Hypoallergenic dietary variety with a high content of betacorotene.
• Firewood - bush up to 30 cm, fruits long - 12-15 cm, red, sweet, weighing up to 180 g. Grows even in containers of 1.5-2 liters.
• Mongolian Dwarf - bush height 20-30 cm. And such a baby can produce 8-12 red tomatoes weighing 150 g.
• Moscow dawns. Grows up to 50 cm, yield – 3-3.5 kg of red tomatoes weighing up to 120 g.
• Beta is a standard variety of cherry types, fruits up to 50 g, the bush grows up to 50 cm.
• Severin is one of the most unpretentious tomatoes for the home and balcony, height 50 cm, red tomatoes weighing 80-100 g. Productivity up to 4 kg during extended ripening.
• A high-yielding variety of low-growing tomatoes, Vidimno-Invisible, produces up to 5 kg of tomatoes weighing 60-100 g per bush. Requires garter, as branches can break under the weight of the fruit!
• Bushman - with a height of about 45 cm, the weight of tomatoes reaches 300 g. Very juicy, dense, red-raspberry color.

Diseases and pests, ways to combat them

The most common ailments are:

• Late blight. In this case, brown spots appear on the tomatoes, which increase over time. You can fight it with garlic tincture. Spraying is carried out several times with an interval of 5 days.
• Fusarium wilt. Characterized by wilting and yellowing of the lower leaf blades. Over time, other leaves begin to turn yellow. To get rid of this disease, you need to treat the plant with Barrier or Hom. After this, it is important to loosen the soil as often as possible.
• Alternaria blight. It is distinguished by small gray spots that look depressed. They fight this disease with the help of drugs such as Antrakol, Consento, Tattu.

Let's name tomato pests.

• Whitefly. This insect causes yellowing of the leaves, which soon turns black. You need to fight whiteflies with the drug Confidor.
• Slugs. They eat leaves and fruits. Affected plants begin to rot. To prevent slugs, you need to treat the soil with a solution of ash, tobacco dust or lime.
• Spider mite. It appears on tomatoes in the form of small dots. Sucks the juice out of the plant, which leads to death. A tincture of garlic or dandelions will help. You can add laundry soap to the solution.
• Medvedka. A rather large insect, the length of which reaches 5 centimeters. It affects the main root system of the plant. The fight is carried out using tincture of hot pepper or vinegar.

It is quite possible to grow tomatoes in an apartment in winter. And this is not difficult. Therefore, if you want to have home-grown tomatoes in winter, you need to put in a little effort and devote time to it. The main thing is just to wish.