At this time, not everyone has the opportunity to grow tomatoes in a separate area: someone does not have a dacha, and someone has health problems. It is quite possible to grow vegetables at home if you follow the instructions and fulfill all the conditions. In this case, the result of a home experiment will give excellent fruits, no different from garden crops.
It is becoming more and more popular to grow your fruits or vegetables indoors. The reasons may be high prices for products or doubts about the integrity of the manufacturer.
Of course, growing tomatoes at home is cheap – they do not require special feeding. In case it is needed, it can always be prepared at home using ordinary products.
For this breeding method, dwarf types of tomatoes are perfect. In addition to looking amazing in a neat flower pot, home-grown tomatoes will also bring great benefits to the body.
The specifics of growing tomatoes in an apartment
Despite the fact that the apartment is a limited space for planting vegetables, you can allocate space for small pots that will accommodate tomatoes by placing them, for example, on a windowsill or balcony.
Thanks to this method, you can enjoy the juicy fruits of tomatoes from early spring until the first frost.
What varieties are suitable for growing at home
When choosing this crop, you should not give preference to high-growing varieties, it is enough to take tomato seeds, in which the bush will be compact, then there will be no unnecessary problems with additional care.
Varieties for growing tomatoes in winter on the windowsill
An excellent variety for planting in mid-September, in order to get the first fruits by the New Year holidays. This type of tomato is unpretentious in care, does not require special feeding. The Pinocchio variety is one of the most popular varieties for growing at home. The fruits are similar to cherry tomatoes, in no way inferior to other types: very tasty and juicy.
The well-known variety is time-tested and has established itself as one of the best for growing on the windowsill. From one bush of this variety of tomatoes, you can collect more than two kilograms of fruits, which is quite a lot.
These tomatoes are suitable for growing even in winter, provided that they receive additional heat and lighting. The fruits are very small, but bright and tasty. One bush brings up to 600 g of vegetable crops.
The bush of this variety of tomatoes grows 50 cm in length, the fruits are larger and sweeter. Tomatoes of this variety are successfully grown not only in the apartment, but also in the open garden.
When can I plant tomatoes at home
Each variety of tomato is planted at its own time, and there are also varieties that can be grown all year round, while adding additional heat and lighting.
In order to get a crop by the middle of winter, the tomato should be planted closer to September, and in order to feast on tomatoes in the summer, planting should be done in March or April.
How to create conditions for growing
Caring for vegetables grown in an apartment is not much different from caring for tomatoes grown outdoors.
Successful cultivation of ornamental tomatoes requires a clarified balcony or any place near the window.
The tomato is a culture that loves light. In order not to have to do artificial lighting, the tomato should be planted in mid-April. Place the plant pot on the south side of the window.
To obtain uniform light, the pot can be rotated in different directions.
How to grow tomatoes in winter
During the cold months, growing a crop without additional heat and lighting is quite difficult. Sunlight is a necessary element of photosynthesis.
So that the attempt to plant tomatoes in the winter does not turn into torture, it is worth purchasing a special fluorescent lamp.
This device gives visible light without generating heat. Thanks to this, the lamp can be installed quite close to the vegetable crop.
Often in stores that sell garden supplies, you can see special fitolamps. They are designed to facilitate the process of growing various crops at home.
What you need to grow tomatoes in an apartment
For planting dwarf tomato species, Universal soil will be a good option. You can cook it yourself or do it easier – buy it.
To make a universal mixture on your own, you need to combine sand, black soil, peat and charcoal in the same amount (it needs to be sieved).
Before planting tomatoes, the soil must be scalded with hot water, and then given time to cool. Thanks to this, the soil warms up, is slightly saturated with moisture and will be disinfected.
Let’s start growing
In order for tomato seeds to sprout quickly, they must be soaked. It is enough to prepare a weak solution of manganese and place 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 germinate a little.
In the case when the manufacturer of tomato seeds has applied a protective agent, they do not need to be soaked, they can be planted immediately.
Planting containers
For planting seeds, it is better to take transparent plastic cups – this way you can control watering. Holes for drainage in this case will not be useful.
Next, you should fill the glass with earth, leaving a couple of centimeters of free space to the top.
Landing
- In a glass of soil, it is necessary to make a recess of 2 cm, 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 optimum temperature is 25°C.
- After 4 days, when a small seedling appears, it must be transferred to the place where it will grow (window or loggia). Thanks to artificial lighting, the plant will not be intensively stretched (which should not be allowed at this stage).
- It should be watered when the top clod of earth dries out a little. Thus, the occurrence of various tomato diseases can be avoided.
The greatest danger to the culture is the fungus. It occurs as a result of dampness and lack of sunlight.
Preparing containers for planting germinated seeds
After moving the seedlings to the window, you should wait for the appearance of several sheets, then you can safely transplant the tomatoes into large flower pots. The size of the container should be about 5-6 liters, this is quite enough. Fill the bottom of the pot to your choice: with expanded clay pebbles or small pieces of foam, then pour a layer of sand (2 cm), cover the rest with earth.
Planting seedlings from plastic cups in pots
- Before you get germinated seeds, you should moisten the soil in which they are located. Thus, when pulling out of the cup, you can protect the root system from damage as much as possible.
- Next, you should move the bush to the container, where it will continue to grow. During this procedure, you should be very careful, do not shake off excess soil – transfer the seedlings together with the soil into a pot;
- After the seedling has been moved to a permanent habitat, cover it with soil, not reaching 8 cm to the edge of the pot – as it grows, there will be a supply where you can add soil.
How and how to water tomato seedlings at home
Watering should be carried out depending on the weather and the age of the tomato.
In the first months, seedlings need more regular watering (every 1 day). The procedure should be done carefully, without overdoing it. As the seedlings get older, they will require less water and hold moisture better. They check the soil moisture according to the same principle – focusing on the structure of the soil (dry first layer or not).
Tomato is a plant that does not like high humidity, but also does not tolerate dry soil. The state of the earth should be carefully monitored.
When the plant begins to bloom, water several times in 7 days (no more than 2 times). A good water temperature for humidification is at least 22°C.
The optimal time for watering a tomato growing in an apartment is evening. During the day, you can only water through the pan. Under the scorching rays of the sun, it is undesirable to perform the procedure.
An important rule for watering tomatoes is to prevent water from getting on the petals and stem (only the soil is moistened). On hot days, you can spray with water through a spray bottle.
Growing tomatoes at home: top dressing
In order to plant a plant in a pot and provide high-quality lighting, crop care does not end. For better fruiting of tomatoes, it is necessary to carry out top dressing.
How and what to feed tomatoes
Top dressing is an indispensable element of increasing productivity and preventing crop diseases.
In this case, for home cultivation, you should not use purchased fertilizers, but prepared ones yourself.
With store-bought fertilizers, it’s easy to get the dosage wrong, resulting in a crop full of nitrates.
Some of the best and most effective fertilizers are ordinary manure, ash and similar products. It will be difficult to overdo it with them, the plant will take as much as it needs.
Feeding should be done with manure diluted in water. The composition can be prepared in the fresh air, in order to avoid an unpleasant smell in the apartment. Before the procedure, the manure needs to be slightly overdone.
Feeding the plant with liquid mixed with manure is worth 1 time in 7-10 days.
How to prepare a composition for feeding tomatoes – mix three large spoons of manure in one liter of water.
For a crop that cannot cope with an excess of sunlight, ash will be an excellent top dressing. How to prepare a fertilizer agent – stir a small spoonful of ash in a liter of water.
Feed the same way: no more than once a week.
How to do pinching
An important point in further care is the creation of the shape of the future bush and pinching.
Small stepchildren grow from the axils of tomato leaves – they must be removed, then the tomato will bear fruit better.
The procedure is done when the stepson has grown by 1-3 cm. A prerequisite for removing sprouts is to cut them off with your hands, but not with scissors.
During the formation of the culture, it is necessary to leave the stepson under the first brush.
Tomato garter
Most tomatoes need this procedure, this list does not include only low-growing varieties. Unfortunately, this manipulation is indispensable, because it will be difficult for a tomato to hold the fruits without a garter – the trunk may break.
It is recommended to tie it to wooden glazing beads, which must be installed just before planting the plant in a pot, otherwise the root can be easily damaged.
Video instruction on growing tomatoes at home from seedling selection to harvest.
Features of growing tomatoes at home
For the fruiting of a vegetable crop, it is necessary to perform a number of care procedures, as a result of which the yield will be at the highest level.
Care instructions:
- it is preferable to grow tomatoes of low varieties at home;
- purchase high-quality and fresh seeds for planting;
- provide the plant with optimal thermal conditions;
- make it a rule to carry out feeding in a timely manner;
- rotate the pot 1 degrees at least 180 time during the day;
- do not pick fruits before ripening;
- plant one seedling bush in a pot.
As you can see, growing this culture is not difficult. Growing tomatoes in an apartment does not require special conditions for keeping and feeding, on the contrary, this is a great opportunity to have a crop grown with your own hands.
The main condition for successful planting is good seedlings, then caring for the culture will bring real pleasure.
