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Cherry tomatoes are one of the few plants that have been introduced into cultivation quite recently, unlike other tomatoes that have been grown for more than one century. Little cherry tomatoes quickly became fashionable. And deservedly so - they have many undeniable advantages, including excellent taste. There are no such sweet varieties among large-fruited tomatoes.
Growing cherry tomatoes has its own characteristics. There are many varieties for all conditions. Among small-fruited tomatoes, there are liana-like plants that reach three meters and are completely crumbs, hardly higher than 30 cm. It is the latter that are suitable not only for open ground and greenhouses, but also for a balcony and even for an apartment. Among them there are varieties specially adapted to the lack of lighting. The root system of such babies is compact, which makes it possible to grow these tomatoes in flower pots.
Cherry for the balcony
What are the requirements for tomato varieties for balconies?
- They need to keep up quickly.
- Be small in size.
- Be undemanding to conditions cultivation.
Cherry varieties for home or balcony
You can grow the following cherry varieties at home.
- Traditional and familiar: Balcony miracle, Bonsai, Minibell, Basket on the window, Pinocchio. All these varieties are early, very compact, give tasty and elegant fruits. But they have one drawback - early fruiting, they quickly end it.
- Newly Created Cherry Hybrids: Ira F1, Cherry Likopa F1, Cherry Kira F1, Cherry Maxik F1, Cherry Lisa F1 are free from this disadvantage. Planted in containers of at least 8 liters, they can bear fruit until January, even at room conditions. But these hybrids will require shaping and garters.
They will prolong the season for the consumption of fresh and healthy tomatoes for a long time. But to continue fruiting, they need backlighting.
Outdoor cherry
For growing cherry tomatoes in the open field in the middle lane, it is better to choose determinant varieties and hybrids that ripen early
Cherry Blosem F1
This is a powerful plant with a height of 1 m. It ripens early, after 100 days. To get a good harvest, this hybrid is carried in 3 trunks, a garter is necessary. Fruits are red and round, weighing about 30 g. Canned well.
Granddaughter
Red round tomatoes are 20 g or more. The bush is low, only 50 cm, does not need shaping and garter.
Irishka
This is a low cherry variety, no more than 50 cm, is distinguished by early maturity and rather large red fruits - up to 30 g. The variety can be not tied up or pinned.
Honey candy F1
A very sweet hybrid with yellow-orange plum-shaped fruits weighing up to 30 g. It is medium early in terms of ripening, 110 days will have to wait for the first fruit to ripen.A multi-fruited cluster can consist of 28 tomatoes. A bush grows up to 80 cm. A plant is formed in 2-3 trunks, a garter is required.
Greenhouse cherry
Small-fruited tomatoes are most productive when grown in a greenhouse. A long fruiting period of up to 6 months allows you to extend the time of consumption of this delicacy for a long time. In order to fully use the entire space of the greenhouse, it is better to grow tall, indeterminate varieties in it.
It is there that they fully realize their potential and give a record harvest. In the heat, such a greenhouse needs constant ventilation.
Cherry for greenhouse
Kish-mish red, orange and yellow F1
Hybrids that differ only in the color of the fruit. They grow above 1.5 m, the ripening period is medium-early. The fruits are medium-sized, only about 20 g, but very sweet. Multiple bush, the number of tomatoes in it can reach 50 pieces.
Plants need not only a garter and formation of 2 stems, but also a rationing of the yield. You don't need to leave more than 6 brushes on it.
Miracle bunch F1
Indeterminate tomato with complex brushes, consisting of red balls weighing 20 g. Early ripe variety, need shaping and garter.
Dark chocolate
The variety is indeterminate, mid-season, the fruits are dark, almost black in color. Type of fruit cocktail, weight about 35 g. Need shaping in 2 or 3 trunks and a garter.
Cherry black
Tall variety up to 3.5 m, ripening period is very early. The first cherry fruits can be tasted after 65 days. Tomatoes are small, typical cherry, weighing about 25 g. They lead this tomato into one stem with a mandatory garter.
Wherever you are going to grow cherry tomatoes, this process will have to start with growing seedlings. When to sow seeds for seedlings? For each region, the sowing time will be different. They are calculated, knowing that by the time of planting, the age of young tomatoes should be from 55 to 60 days. For late varieties, it should be a week and a half more, and for early varieties it may be less.
Stages of growing cherry tomato seedlings
Growing tomatoes cherry starts with seeds. Their correct preparation for sowing is the key to strong seedlings and all the health of the tomato as a whole. The seeds are treated by keeping in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate for 20 minutes, then washed with running water and treated with a growth stimulator, for example, epin or vitalizer HB 101 according to the instructions.
If fresh seeds are soaked, the juice is diluted with water twice, if the seeds are doubtful in terms of germination, the juice does not need to be diluted. Soaking time is about a day. If the seeds are processed by the manufacturer, which is necessarily written on the package, then they are sown without preparation.
The prepared seeds are sown in the ground. It is best to buy a specialized soil for tomatoes. Seeds are sown in containers to a depth of 0.5 cm.
The soil should be moist, but not waterlogged. Sprinkle the seeds with earth and cover the container with glass or film, you can put it in a plastic bag.
The melt water, into which it turns, has amazing properties and is very useful for future seedlings. If possible, it is also good to water the seedlings with melt water. Useful properties are preserved in it for 12 hours after the snow melts.
The appearance of the first shoots loops is a signal that it is necessary to put a container with seedlings in the brightest place on the windowsill. The package must be removed. A decrease in temperature to 15 degrees during the day and 12 at night is an important condition so that young shoots do not stretch out. After 5-6 days, the temperature is raised and maintained at an optimal level: about 20 degrees during the day and about 16 at night.
When the seedlings release the third leaf, and it happens a month after germination, it is necessary to start picking it. 3 hours before her, the seedlings are well watered. Each plant must be planted in a separate cup, while pinching the central root so that the tomatoes form a strong and branched root system before planting.
It is best not to touch the plant at all, carefully choosing a lump of earth with roots, but if this does not work out, it is permissible to hold the seedlings by the leaves.
If several varieties of cherry tomatoes are grown, so as not to confuse anything later, it is better to sign each glass.
Some gardeners use special cassette nurseries for picking. They are equipped with a tray that will keep the windowsill clean.
After picking, the seedlings are shaded for several days so that the seedlings take root better. Further care for it consists in careful watering and fertilizing with complex mineral fertilizer once every 2 weeks.
It only needs 1-2 drops per liter. The seedlings will be much tighter and will not stretch as much.
Outdoor cherry
Planting seedlings
Seedlings are planted in open ground if frosts are no longer expected. The planting pattern depends on the habit of the tomato. The more compact the plant, the less nutritional area it requires. On average, 1 sq. m beds are planted with 4 plants. The preparation of the beds and planting holes is the same as for large-fruited varieties. In the fall, the beds are fertilized with humus and superphosphate, respectively, 10 kg and 80 g per 1 sq. m. The planting holes are filled with a handful of humus, or better compost, add a tablespoon of ash there. Cherry tomatoes love fertile soil, but excess nitrogen is bad for them. Tomatoes are especially demanding for potash fertilizers.
Seedlings before planting need to be accustomed to new conditions of existence. To do this, in warm weather, it is taken out into the open air, at first for a short time, gradually increasing the time of its stay on the street. On warm nights, you don't need to bring it home.
Well-watered seedlings are planted, carefully removing them from the glass. Plants are buried to the first true leaf. The well needs to be watered, at least a liter per tomato. Sprinkle the soil with dry earth or humus on top to reduce the evaporation of water. Planted tomatoes are covered with spunbond, it is thrown over arcs to protect young plants from the sun.
Watering mode
When the tomatoes take root, after about a week, they are watered for the first time. In the future, cherry tomatoes are watered regularly, increasing the amount of water during the period of fruit filling.
Therefore, they need to be watered regularly, without waiting for the soil to completely dry out. Excessive moisture is also harmful to tomatoes. Therefore, you need to observe the golden mean.
Top dressing
Top dressing is started no earlier than 15 days after planting. The first feeding is done with a complex fertilizer with microelements.
In the initial period, for the formation of the root system, cherry tomatoes need a sufficient amount of phosphorus.This is a sparingly soluble element, so it is so important to add it in the fall so that by the time the seedlings are planted, it has time to dissolve. Good help to build up the root system and humates. In order for them to be better absorbed, it is better to carry out foliar feeding with their solution.
Further feeding should be regular, every 2 weeks. It is better to use a water-soluble fertilizer with an NPK ratio of 1: 0.5: 1.8. During the growing season, it is necessary to carry out foliar feeding with a solution of boric acid and the same solution of calcium nitrate. Needed for tomatoes and magnesium, especially on sandy and sandy loam soils.
Cherry tomato formation
This is a very important operation. If you do not pinch the tomatoes, the ripening of the fruits is delayed. Most often, in cherry tomatoes in the open field, one trunk and a stepson are left under the lower flower brush. If the summer is warm, it is permissible to leave the stepson above the flower brush, forming a tomato in three trunks. Only standard varieties of cherry tomatoes do not stepchildren.
Disease prevention
Growing cherry tomatoes is impossible without taking care of plant health. This type of tomato is considered to be quite disease-resistant. But preventive treatments for late blight are mandatory for them. Before the formation of the first flower cluster, chemical fungicides can be used. With the beginning of flowering, it is better to switch to folk methods.
In the fight against diseases, mulching the soil around the tomatoes is a good help. If the plants are not in contact with the ground, they are much less likely to get sick. In addition, the mulch will keep the soil moist, which will allow you to water the cherry tomatoes less often, and the soil will become looser and more fertile. For mulch, hay or any grass that does not contain weed seeds is suitable. The thickness of the mulching layer should not be less than 5 cm.
Cherry in the greenhouse
Growing cherry tomato in a greenhouse not much different from growing in the open field. The distance between plants when planting depends on how much they will be loaded with the crop. If you plan to keep plants in 3 stems, it is better to leave at least 70 cm between the tomatoes.
Care cherry tomatoes in the greenhouse in addition to watering, fertilizing and shaping, it also includes the observance of the correct thermal regime. On hot days, the greenhouses need to be ventilated, not allowing the temperature in it to rise above 30 degrees. It's not just stress for the plants. Pollen in such conditions becomes sterile, pollination and fruit setting does not occur.
They will not only attract pollinating insects, but also improve the taste of the fruit.
An important measure in the greenhouse cultivation of cherry tomatoes is the timely pinching of the tops of the plants. It should be carried out one month before the air temperature is below plus 8 degrees. This will allow all the small tomatoes to ripen on the bushes.
Cherry on the balcony and at home
It is not always possible to grow tomatoes in the country, but you can do it at home. It is small-fruited tomatoes that are the best option for growing on the balcony... Consider growing cherry tomatoes on the balcony step by step.
Seedling
Seedlings for tomatoes on the balcony can be grown in the traditional way. But it is quite possible to sow tomatoes and immediately to a permanent place - in pots with a volume of at least 3 liters. For insurance, at least 3 seeds are planted in each pot. After germination, the strongest plant is left.
A very important point is the sowing time.They depend not only on the desire of the home gardener, but also on the ability to organize lighting for the plants.
Further care for tomatoes on the balcony will consist in providing it with moisture, nutrition and light.
Watering
The limited volume of the pot assumes fairly frequent watering, especially during the hot season. If there is a lack of moisture, the ovaries on plants may fall off. Overflowing tomatoes is fraught with root rot. Watering should be done if the topsoil is dry to a depth of 2 cm. Excess water from the pan after watering is removed.
Top dressing
A small amount of soil will prevent cherry tomatoes from growing without regular feeding. It is better to carry out them with a water-soluble complex fertilizer, for example, Kemira lux, at intervals of two weeks. You can alternate mineral dressings with organic ones. For such small volumes, it is better to buy ready-made organic food in the store and use it according to the instructions.
Lighting
With insufficient lighting, the process of photosynthesis in plants slows down, which affects not only its development, but also the yield. Tomatoes grow well if the window or balcony is oriented south, southeast or southwest. If this is not possible, you will have to highlight the cherry tomatoes. Daylight hours for them must be at least 12 hours.
Reproduction
When the growing season of a tomato comes to an end, the plant can be propagated by stepchildren. Break off the scion from the tomato bush and place it in the water. After a week, it will grow roots and can be planted in a pot of soil.
This propagation method is suitable not only for cherry tomatoes, but also for any tomatoes.
Formation for undersized standard tomatoes are not needed, but it will be useful to strengthen the bush with a garter so that the pot does not turn over under the weight of the fruit.
The best hybrids are Cascade Red F1 and Cascade Elo F1, red and yellow.
Conclusion
Cherry tomatoes are a great alternative to large-fruited tomatoes. Correctly selected cherry varieties lose very little to them in yield, but they win in taste and benefits.
