How to grow tomatoes on the windowsill: planting and caring for homemade tomatoes

There is nothing more pleasant than from winter go back to summer.

Create a summer mood and diversify the menu in the cold season by growing delicious tomatoes on the windowsill.

Popular varieties of tomatoes for growing on the windowsill

When choosing a variety that is suitable for growing on a windowsill, two important indicators are guided:

• The size of the bush. It is necessary to take into account the area that will be allocated to indoor tomatoes, the cultivation of this crop will be problematic if the tomatoes have little space and sun.

• Early maturity and high yield. For cultivation of tomatoes in the winter are suitable varieties, the fruits of which ripen in 90-100 days.

You can choose from undersized varieties of ordinary tomatoes, bushes should grow no higher than 40-50 cm, also excellent indoor tomatoes - varieties of cherry tomatoes:

• Room surprise;
• Bonsai;
• Balcony miracle;
• Japanese dwarf;
• Thumbelina;
• Leopold;
• Baby;
• Pygmy;
• Little Red Riding Hood;
• Minibel;
• Bonsai micro.

You can experiment with tomatoes: growing in pots of several varieties will allow you to choose the best sample method.

How to create conditions for growing

Growing homemade tomatoes on the windowsill, it is important to provide enough plant space for the crown and roots. Cherry tomatoes have enough of a 2-liter pot; for larger varieties, a pot or a container of 5-6 liters is needed.

Ate you chose the balcony tomatoes, for their cultivation the size of the pot can be even larger, 8-10 liters.

In the process of development, some varieties of tomatoes will require support for the stems.

Lighting

Tomatoes perfectly perceive direct sunlight. Windows are suitable for their placement on the south, south-west side of the house. In natural light, the tomatoes before formation of the ovary are recommended to gently turn the different sides towards the sun so that the bush grows symmetrically. Light day for tomatoes should be at least 12 hours. Growing tomatoes at home in winter requires additional lighting. Lamps for lighting set at a distance of 30 cm from the plants.

Humidity and temperature

For good plant development and high yield of tomatoes, the temperature during the day should not be below 22-26 degrees. At night it can be cooler, 15-16 degrees. In winter, cold air may come from the glasses, in which case it is recommended to move the plants some distance from the windows. Favorable humidity of air - 60-65%.

Soil composition

There are several recipes for preparing a soil mixture for growing tomatoes on a windowsill.

• Soddy soil, in equal proportion with peat and humus.
• Vermiculite - 1 part, compost and turfy earth - in 4 parts, you can add a little ash.
• Earth - 2 parts, peat, sand - 1 part each.

Land from the garden is recommended to pre-pour a solution of potassium permanganate in boiling water to destroy the infection and pests.

In the departments and shops for gardeners sold ready-mix soil. Their composition is optimally selected for tomatoes and peppers. Information on the composition of the soil and the plants for which it is suitable is indicated on the packaging.

Growing tomatoes on the windowsill

In addition to the soil and packaging, you need to prepare the seed. There are two options for obtaining seedlings: seed and rooting cuttings. The second method of reproduction of tomatoes during cultivation and care on the window sill allows you to speed up the harvest by saving time for forcing the seedlings. Side and apical shoots of tomatoes, for example, after pasynkovaniya, rooted in a glass of water or directly in the ground. The cuttings should be in a warm place without drafts; you can feed them with suitable fertilizers.

Rooted cuttings are transplanted to a permanent place. This method of reproduction is suitable for cultivation of tomatoes on the window and for growing seedlings for the garden.

Preparation of soil and planting material

Before you grow tomatoes on the windowsill in the apartment, choose seeds. For sowing tomatoes suitable large, whole seeds of light shades, without stains, darkening. They are soaked for 25-30 minutes in a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate for the prevention of late blight. Then, after processing the growth stimulator, leave to swell on a damp cloth in a warm place.

For the preparation of seedlings is convenient to use plastic cups. They are filled with soil, which is watered with boiling water for disinfection. After cooling to room temperature, the soil is ready for planting seeds.

Sowing and seed care

Sprouted tomato seeds are planted in cups of earth, 1 piece each, deepening by about 1 cm.Soaking the seeds is not necessary, then they are deepened into the soil by 2 cm or 2-3 pieces. In this case, weak shoots will then need to be removed, leaving one germ per cup.

Tanks with seeds until germination cover with a film and placed in a warm place. Since watering seedlings of tomatoes on the windowsill is often not recommended, you need to wait for the topsoil to dry out. After the appearance of the first leaves of the film can be removed, the seedlings placed in a well-lit place.

How to properly care for tomatoes at home

Tomato seedlings are fertilized on day 20-21. To stimulate growth, before planting tomatoes in pots, the seedlings are “hardened”, slightly lowering the ambient temperature several times. A month after germination, the seedlings are transplanted to a permanent place.

Picking

The picking method is the most popular way of planting seedlings of tomatoes, peppers and a number of other crops. It lies in the fact that the central part of the root of a plant is shortened by about one third during transplantation, in order to allow the horse system to grow in width.At the same time, many varieties of miniature tomatoes do not need picking, they are transplanted by the method of transshipment, without disturbing the earthen room and not touching the root system. Claydite drainage is poured into the pot for room tomatoes at 10-15% of the tank's depth. Then the container is filled with earth, a groove is made for the roots of the tomato, into which the plants are placed, adding earth to it. The bottom leaflets should end up 2-3 cm above ground level.

Watering and feeding tomatoes

Watering tomatoes in the winter on the window is carried out with warm water every 3-4 days, as the soil dries. Feeding tomatoes spend 3 times a month. If you water and fertilize tomatoes more often, you can get the effect of increasing the green parts, to the detriment of yield and size of fruits.

Masking

In the axils of the leaves of tomatoes are formed shoots - stepchildren. They need to be removed by pinching fingers. If you do not, the foliage will be too much, and the yield will decrease. Bushes of some varieties are grown in 2-3 trunks, then the lowest stepchildren are left to form them. Side shoots on some varieties are also removed.

Treatment of homemade tomatoes for diseases and pests

With improper care, indoor tomatoes also suffer from pests and diseases. Late blight is the scourge of this culture. For its prevention it is necessary to observe the mode of watering, not allowing stagnation of water in the pot. Like other types of mold, it does not like fresh air. Regular airing of tomato bushes prevents the development of fungi. Experienced gardeners are preparing a remedy for late blight with their own hands:

• chopped garlic -100 ml; • potassium permanganate - 1 g; • water - 3 liters.

Tomatoes are sprayed with this compound for prophylaxis. Increased soil acidity is undesirable. It can be lowered by adding 20 g of ash to 1 liter of water for watering.

Homemade Tomatoes: Harvesting from the Window Sill

During flowering shrubs shake to help tomatoes in pollination. After the fruit has set in, 4-6 brushes are left on each stem, the rest are removed. Pinch the top of the bush. If the ovary is too thick, the plant will not have enough strength, and the fruits will be too small. When the fruits begin to turn pink, they need to be plucked and left in the light for ripening, freeing up resources for the fruits remaining on the bush.With this method of harvesting it will be the maximum.