Growing tomatoes on a windowsill
Juicy appetizing tomatoes can be grown not only in the summer at their summer cottage or in a greenhouse. Useful and tasty fruits can be obtained at home by breaking a small vegetable garden on the windowsill.
Variety selection... Of course, not every variety of tomato can be successfully "moved" into the house. First of all, you should pay attention to its characteristics. On a bag of seeds, you can find terms that are not entirely clear to a beginner. They sound like this: sort determinant (D), superdeterminant ©, semi-determinant (P), indeterminate (I). Determinant and super-determinant are low-growing, weakly branching varieties that are quite suitable for indoor keeping. But semi-determinant and indeterminate are already tall varieties that are more appropriate in a greenhouse.
The best varieties for growing in an apartment are “White filling», «Balcony miracle», «Linda", A group of varieties"De Barao», «Siberian early maturing», «Bonsai". And the varieties "Cherry», «Pear red», «Pear pink», «Cherry yellow»Are distinguished by an unusual color of fruit and look very beautiful on windows.
Seat selection... North window - not suitable for home tomatoes at all. Not a very good choice, but still acceptable, are east and west windows. Tomatoes that grow on the sill of the south window will grow and bear fruit very well.
Choice of capacity... Since the tomato has a rather powerful root system, the pot for it should be at least 25 cm high. The diameter of the dishes for permanent maintenance should be at least 20 - 22 cm.
The soil... For tomatoes, sandy loam and loamy soils with a slightly acidic reaction with a pH of about 6. are suitable. But plants also tolerate moderately acidic soil well. A soil mixture can be prepared by mixing humus and black soil in equal parts. Add 1 - 2 cups of wood ash and sand, 10 g of urea and 40 g of superphosphate and potassium fertilizer to a bucket of soil.
For growing seedlings homemade tomatoes can be taken in a special container. And as a soil, you can use a standard seedling mixture. Before sowing, the seeds must be soaked for 20 minutes in a weak solution of potassium permanganate (1 gram of potassium permanganate for half a glass of warm water). After that, they need to germinate a little. The soil must be shed well and the seeds must be sown to a depth of 1 cm, keeping the distance between the seeds at 2 - 4 cm. The container with the crops must be covered from above with a film or glass to provide the required microclimate. From time to time crops need to be ventilated. Seeds begin to germinate at temperatures of 15 ° C in a warm and shaded area. When the seedlings have the first pair of true leaves, they can already be transplanted into permanent pots. At this time, young plants already need to be transferred to a sunlit place. To support the stem, stick a peg or mini-ladder into the ground near the tomatoes.
Temperature regime... During the day, the temperature in the room where the tomatoes grow should be about 20 - 25 ° C, at night - 10 - 15 ° C. In cloudy weather, the daytime air temperature should be 15 - 18 ° C.
Tomatoes do not like overheating. And when grown next to a central heating battery, they need to be protected with a wood or polyethylene screen.
During flowering, the daytime air temperature should not fall below 24 ° C, and the nighttime - 18 ° C. In rainy weather, the air temperature during the day should be at least 20 ° C.
Watering... Watering requirements for tomatoes at different stages of development are very different. Their greatest need for water is during seed germination, the least - during flowering. With early sowing, tomatoes need to be watered 1 - 2 times every 7 days, in May - every day or every other day. After transplanting into a permanent container, tomatoes need to be watered, monitoring the condition of the soil. The earthen lump between waterings should dry out a little at this time. Tomatoes do not like excessive watering and cold water. The water for them should be slightly warmer than room temperature.
Humidity... Tomatoes are not afraid of drafts.The required air humidity is established during ventilation. There is no need to artificially increase the humidity by hanging a wet cloth on the batteries if the tomatoes have already turned into an adult plant. But until 6 - 7 true leaves appear, these actions will only benefit them. For the same purpose, you can put a glass of water near each plant. When tomatoes are in bloom, they should not be sprayed as this can interfere with the pollination process.
Pollination... It has been noticed that tomatoes grown on the windowsill are less pollinated and set fruits. For pollination to be successful, the air must be dry at this time. In addition to airing, you can help this process by lightly tapping on the peg to which the plant is attached, or on the brush.
Top dressing... Tomatoes must be fed at least twice: during the appearance of 3 - 4 and 5 - 6 true leaves. After that, you can feed the plants every decade. It is advisable to feed during budding. As top dressing, you can use mineral sticks, adding potash fertilizer during the budding period and fruit setting. After feeding, you need to rinse the plant or sprinkle it with water to avoid burns.
Formation... Under indoor conditions, tomatoes are grown in one stem. Lateral shoots must be removed, leaving no more than 3 cm. Plants can be pinched over 2 or 3 - 4 brushes. 2 leaves should remain above the fruiting brush. When the fruit ripens, the lower leaves on the first cluster must be removed. First of all, yellowed, dying leaves are removed, and then green ones. This improves air exchange and illumination, and makes watering and harvesting easier. It is better to remove the leaves gradually, and not all at once.
