If you enjoy gardening or you just love growing some basic crops yourself, one of the setbacks you might experience if you live in an apartment is the lack of space for planting. However, whether you live on a farmstead or a modern apartment, your passion for gardening can still be sustained if you have the right knowledge. With a couple of pots and the right procedure, growing tomatoes on a balcony can be a walk in the park.
Just like other vegetables like spinach, celery, kale, eggplant, green onions, and peppers, tomatoes are also a great plant that can be cultivated in a small container on your balcony with ease. It is a very productive plant and does not require much space to grow. If you need some tips on how you can grow very healthy fresh tomatoes for yourself, here is the ultimate guide to help you on how to grow your tomatoes on a balcony. With just a few materials, you can be sure of enjoying some fresh home-grown tomatoes.
- Look for the Right Spot to Use
Tomatoes need an average of six hours of unobstructed, direct sunlight in a day, so look for a place where you know you can get at least six hours of sun to place your pots or your containers. Ensure your location is also close to a water source, this is because tomatoes need a regular moisture supply. If you can not get a place close to a water source, then you must put systems for easy and regular watering in place. You can do this by getting a garden hose or watering can.
- Choose the Right Container
whether you are using pots or any other form of container, your ideal pot size should be about 18 inches in diameter or 24-inch depending on the tomatoes you are planting. For your tomatoes to be fully grown and develop strong roots, they must be planted in very spacious containers. Ensure you drill several holes in your container to create drainage, and avoid water logging. Also bear in mind that the bigger your container, the more soil it can hold, and the more soil you have, the more available nutrients for your tomato plants, and the better the soil will be able to hold water.
Note: If you live in warm regions you may want to avoid black plastic containers. This is because they tend to hold a lot of heat, which warms the soil and can diminish plant growth.
You can consider this set of 2 Round Planter/Pots for easy planting and healthy growth of your tomatoes.
- Choose the Best Tomato Varieties
The type and variety of tomatoes you choose for planting on the balcony have a great influence on its success. Generally, there are types of tomatoes that tend to do better in pots(determinate), while there are those that extra effort(indeterminate) to do well. It is advisable you also choose the bush variety if you do not have too much space. This is because the bush variety grows fewer vines which makes it easier for you to maintain in a place where you have just a little space to manage.
- Use Good Quality Potting Soil
Fill the containers with the finest quality potting mix, such as aged compost-enriched for best results. The soil should also be light and fluffy, it will provide plenty of space for air and moisture to move through the soil. Using garden soil from planting beds might not be the perfect option as it tends to be excessively heavy for containers, it over-compacts and may contain disease organisms. Your choice of soil should also be light and fluffy so that it can provide plenty of space for air and moisture to move through the soil.
- Plant Your Tomatoes the Right Way
Dig the holes deep enough to cover two-thirds of the tomato stem to encourage more root growth. cover pots with a frost blanket and swaddle them with blankets, straw, or burlap for extra protection in chilly weather. Put one tomato per pot, and ensure you avoid overcrowding to make sure that the plants grow optimally. Finally, ensure you plant healthy seeds.
- Nurture the Plant
When planting tomatoes in pots, keep the soil at least one inch below the rim of the pot, so that you can add a layer of mulch to help keep the soil moist. Ensure you also water regularly, the soil should be consistently moist, but not saturated. Also make sure you feed your tomato plant with the right nutrient to get healthy, and juicy tomatoes.
Conclusion
Growing tomatoes on the balcony could be an exciting adventure. However, it takes dedication and proper knowledge application to get the best and the most rewarding experience.