Maybe for someone a balcony is a place to store unnecessary things, but some owners of additional meters to the apartment manage to create a real garden on it. Growing cucumbers and tomatoes on the balcony is a very real thing, not to mention he althy greens - dill, parsley and onion.
As practice shows, this can be done using even plastic bottles, which are usually thrown away as unnecessary. So where do you start?
Which loggia fits the "garden"
Alas, not every balcony is suitable for gardening. It is important not only how it is equipped, but also where it is located. To prevent growing tomatoes on the balcony from becoming an expensive hobby, instead of bringing, if not profit, then at least savings, it should be well lit by the sun for most of the day.
Don't think that tomatoes can only be grown on a glazed balcony. It's not so easyif it is open to all the elements, then the process will have to be limited to the exceptionally warm season, and in order to protect tender seedlings from showers and winds, it will be necessary to equip a screen or protective curtains.
On an insulated and glazed balcony, you can grow tomatoes at least all year round, provided that the technology is followed, the varieties are correctly selected and the temperature and light conditions are observed.
Before you wonder how to grow tomatoes on the balcony, you should decide on the place itself. As the owners of the "balcony beds" note, if the room is located on the north side, then it is better to leave this idea right away. The ideal location is when the loggia "looks" to the southeast or southwest. In this case, it will be easy to grow tomatoes on the balcony, as the plants are not threatened by the scorching summer sun or the complete absence of it throughout the day.
The "correct" varieties of tomatoes
Do not be upset for those who have a loggia facing the north side or not at all. Everything related to growing tomatoes on the balcony is equally applicable to the "beds" on the windowsill.
To get a good harvest, you should follow some rules when choosing seed. Among them:
- You need to take into account the size of the bushes. As a rule, tomatoes for a balcony and a window sill do not have tall stems, otherwise it will be difficult to care for them, and much more space will be required. The best option is a bush height of 50 cm. In this case, it will not be necessary to install trellises,to tie branches.
- The ripening speed should be maximum, so you should choose early-ripening varieties that yield crops in 85-90 days. These include "balcony red F1", hybrid "balcony yellow", "bonsai". The latter is especially good for window sills, as it has a stem no more than 30 cm long, while each bush can collect up to 500 g of fruit.
- Productivity is the factor for which balcony gardeners get down to business. The most prolific varieties suitable for growing in pots are (based on 1 m22): "Balcony Miracle" (up to 2 kg), "Red Caramel" (2.5 kg), "yellow caramel" (2.8 kg), indeterminate variety "golden drop" (4 kg), "yellow date" (2.8 kg). These are the most popular varieties of tomatoes for the balcony. If there is a desire to enjoy small fruits or preserve them, then you can pick up varieties specially created for home cultivation. Among them, cherry tomatoes are in the lead. On the balcony or windowsill, they look very impressive, hanging in bright clusters. The most popular varieties are Garden Pearl (2.5 kg), Cherry Fingers (3 kg), Candied Cranberries (2.6 kg).
- Resistant to diseases and drafts. As a rule, hybrid varieties are resistant enough not to worry about their possible infection, but it is better to check with the seller or on the seed bag.
- Versatility of varieties also plays an important role. As a rule, tomatoes are selected that are suitable both for canning and for eating raw.see.
Indoor and large varieties
Many amateur gardeners are not stopped by the small area of the balcony. For growing tomatoes, varieties are taken not only from undersized bushes, but also traditionally field ones such as "bull's heart", "white filling" and others. The only difference is that when caring for the latter, you will have to build trellises or make supports.
Choosing a variety of tomatoes for growing on a balcony is not difficult, as well as for a bed on a windowsill. There are hybrids that are called indoor. Among them are "pinocchio", "angelica", "ballerina", "oak", "baby" and others.
Preparation for sowing
As a rule, this process will not be difficult, since ready-made soil can be purchased at flower shops. This is the best option, since the soil mixture in this case is already enriched with the necessary minerals and fertilizers, disinfected. The main thing is that the package should have a mark “for tomatoes”.
If there is an opportunity and desire to prepare the ground yourself, then this will require:
- Equal ratio of humus, peat and sod land.
- You can apply a different composition: take one portion of peat and sand for 2 parts of leafy land.
It is important to know: if the soil mixture was prepared on its own, then it should be disinfected by calcination (10 minutes in the oven at 200 ˚С or 2-3 minutes in the microwave is enough) or watering with boiling water or a solution of potassium permanganate.
Preparatory work
The difference is how to grow tomatoes on the balconyat home and in the garden, only the size of the plot. To make it easier to navigate the process, you need to follow a simple step-by-step technology, which is as follows:
- Preparation of seeds. If the seed is from an agricultural company, then it must have been processed to increase its resistance to diseases and pests. If the seeds were bought from the hands, then it is enough to soak them for 20-30 minutes in a weak solution of potassium permanganate (1 g per 100 g of water) to secure future seedlings. Important to know: when soaking, you should remove the seeds left to float on the surface, as they will not sprout. It is necessary to hold them in a wet cloth or gauze until the sprouts hatch. Sprouted produce he althier and stronger seedlings.
- If on this site you need to choose the right place for planting, then in the case of a balcony, these are containers. As a rule, balcony gardeners use wooden or plastic boxes, which are pre-covered with foil. Flower vases and plastic bottles of at least 3 liters are also suitable.
- If the soil was prepared on its own, then it should be fertilized in advance, as well as prepare drainage. As a recharge, wood ash, superphosphate (in granules) or s altpeter are best suited.
- Sprouted seeds are sown one by one in a container for seedlings (you can use disposable cups), ordinary seeds - 2-4 pieces in one container.
- The next step is seedling care and picking.
Let's consider the stages of growing tomatoes on the balcony.
Sowingseeds
So, knowing which tomatoes to grow on the balcony, choosing the right containers and "arming" with soil mixture, you can start sowing seeds. To do this, each tomato seed (preferably if it has hatched) should be placed in a glass of soil, watered and covered with a film. Every day you need to open the future sprout for 10-15 minutes, check the moisture content of the soil and water it if necessary. The optimum temperature during the day should be 22-24 ˚С, at night 16-18 ˚С, and the sowing time is the end of February - the beginning of March.
First pick
When the seedlings begin to grow (usually after 7 days), you need to create optimal lighting for them. If there is a lot of sun on the balcony, you will have to make shading so that its rays do not burn tender leaves. In the event that it is not enough, you need to install lamps, otherwise the plants will stretch in length.
When the first leaves appear, additional feeding will be required, for which complex mineral fertilizers are suitable. When 3-4 leaves appear, seedlings can be transplanted into other larger containers. The final transplant to a permanent place of residence is carried out after the plants are finally strong (3-4 weeks after the appearance of the first leaves).
Plant care
To make strong bushes with a plentiful harvest from seedlings, you need to properly care for it:
- Watering is done once every 4-6 days, provided that it is still cool outside, in the warm season - every 3 days.
- Fertilizers are applied every 10 days. This will allow the plants to get stronger and develop properly asthe root system and the stem (nitrogen-containing agents are suitable, but until the first ovaries appear). During the period of flower formation, superphosphate or sodium sulfate in the form of an aqueous solution can be used (no more than 3 times per season).
- As you grow in the container, add soil and install strips for tying the bushes. This should be done even if the variety is short, as the fruit clusters will bend down the stem.
These are the basic rules for seedling care.
How to form a bush
Staging is a mandatory process to increase the yield. Extra shoots should be removed for several reasons:
- This allows the light that tomatoes love so much to penetrate even to the lower leaves, and also ventilates the entire bush, preventing infections from developing in the crown shade.
- Fruits increase in size, as the excess green mass does not take away some of the nutrients.
- The bush looks more well maintained.
The diagram below shows which stepchildren should be removed when forming a bush.
Bottle garden
Is it any wonder that domestic craftsmen have adapted to grow tomatoes on the balcony in plastic bottles in limbo? It turns out that this method has been practiced for many years and has proven to be convenient, practical, fruitful and unusual.
The bottle garden technology is quite simple:
- A bottle of 3-3.5 liters needs to cut off the bottom. From it you canmake a device for drip irrigation, pre-piercing a few holes in it.
- In the prepared container, two holes should be made for the ropes so that you can hang the entire structure from the ceiling of the balcony or to some kind of vertical support.
- Seedlings, together with an earthy clod, must be inserted into the container down with leaves, threading the latter along with the stem into the neck of the bottle.
- Cover the remaining space with earth, leaving room for the prepared bottom. It must be turned over and inserted into the bottle so that the holes are in contact with the ground.
The container with the upside down plant is ready to grow, and gravity will do the rest, because this approach frees the owner from building supports.
Summarize
Increasingly, on the windowsills and balconies of hostesses you can see not decorative flowers, but flowerpots with cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, garden greens. Such a hobby is not only pleasing to the eye, but also to the stomach, as tasty fruits can be picked right in the apartment all year round. The technology for growing tomatoes is quite simple. The main thing is to choose containers, suitable varieties and prepare the soil mixture, and the harvest will not be long in coming.
