Cherry tomatoes are among the most desired by gardeners. Plant tomatoes in pots and in two months you will have fresh vegetables on your balcony. Tomatoes are not pretentious at all and grow in all conditions if they have a lot of sun! On the other hand, they will pleasantly surprise you with their taste and culinary qualities.
In addition to being used in the classic cucumber and tomato salads, cherry tomatoes are used for almost everything. They are great for Italian pizzas, spaghetti sauces, mushroom risotto. In their raw state, they add freshness to any rich casserole or savory cake. In general, if you have cherry tomatoes on hand, you can always make something out of nothing and impress unexpected guests without much preparation.
But to have cherry tomatoes, you must either run to the nearest store or grow them yourself. And as we know, there is nothing tastier and more healthy than home grown vegetables!
It is easy to grow cherry tomatoes in pots, because these plants adapt very quickly to different living conditions. But they need a lot of sun most of the day.
If you have a balcony or sunny terrace, you can grow a lot of vegetables in pots. Cherry tomatoes are among the most productive. The cherry tomato varieties with small and red or yellow fruits, which especially fragrant and sweet are recommended. But if you are an inexperienced gardener, start with one color.
You can also grow tomatoes in pots if you have a garden but have little space for vegetables or salty and sandy soil. Under these conditions, you can create a small potted vegetable garden with quality soil and you will have veggies all summer long.
Growing cherry tomatoes in pots is extremely easy, as long as you follow a few simple tips here.
Growing cherry tomatoes in pots
The first thing you need to get are cherry tomato seeds. There are many varieties and exotic varieties, but if you are going to grow cherry tomatoes for the first time, it is best to bet on the simplest variety. Keep in mind that you will only need a few seeds, as even two plants are enough for a small household.
The most suitable for growing outdoors for our climate are the mid-early and late varieties of cherry tomatoes. There is an option to get ready-made seedlings from the market.
Cherry tomato seeds are planted in pots filled with peat and soil mixture to get seedlings. The pots are placed in a sunny place. Yogurt cups can be used, as well as empty mini pots from a flower shop.
Tomato seedlings are ready for planting in the soil in about a month. Strong plants are planted in a large pot, large enough to take over their root system. Dry natural fertilizer should be poured into it.
Prepare deep pots, which are about 30-40 cm deep and wide, put the first layer of fine gravel mixed with the soil and then the fertile soil rich in humus. Add a handful of white agroperlite balls, which retain moisture at the root of the plant.
The plant is removed together with the soil from the pot and planted and the whole root system must enter the soil to the green part of the stem. Fill the hole with soil and press firmly on top of the soil around the base of the plant. It is watered abundantly. Cherry tomato pots are placed on a south terrace.
The plants are watered every two days. Fertilize with liquid fertilizer every two weeks. High-growing varieties are regularly pruned to ensure earlier ripening and to form the plant as a single-stem or double-stem. The tip is removed over one or two leaves above the inflorescence.
When the tomatoes have grown significantly, a stick is driven into each root, so that it can go up in one direction. Tomatoes are attached to them with the help of tendrils or rags. The growths at the base of the leaves are removed regularly.
As you can see, although growing cherry tomatoes in a pot is not difficult, it has its subtleties. The main thing is that the tomatoes get a lot of sun and water. We will remind you once again that you should water them when the soil loses its moisture. Be careful with overwatering the plants, because too much water can lead to tomato diseases.
From now on, all you have to do is wait for your cherry tomatoes to grow. And for more detailed advice you can contact the specialists from the nearest agropharmacy.
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