They are called cocktail tomatoes, mini tomatoes or cherry tomatoes and thrive perfectly on the balcony. A sunny, warm location is not enough for a rich harvest. Only a balanced care program can provide balcony gardeners with refreshing tomato enjoyment. You can find out how to properly water, fertilize and prune balcony tomatoes here.
How do you properly care for balcony tomatoes?
Balcony mats require lukewarm, lime-free water and constantly moist substrate. They should be regularly supplied with liquid fertilizer, especially after fruit sets have formed. Thinning is not usually necessary for these varieties, but can be done to harvest larger fruit.
Water balcony mats correctly – how does it work?
A prudent water supply is one of the main pillars in the care of balcony tomatoes. What you should pay attention to:
- Use lukewarm and lime-free water
- Keep the substrate constantly moist
- Alternatively moist tomato soil causes the fruits to burst
To prevent tomato diseases, leaves, shoots and fruits should remain dry. Please do not water balcony tomatoes with the water hose.
When and how should tomatoes be fertilized on the balcony?
Liquid tomato fertilizer guarantees the ideal nutrient supply for tomatoes in balcony boxes and containers. Until the first fruit appears, only fertilize every 2 to 3 weeks. If growth is promoted too intensively before fruit set, the harvest yield will fall far short of expectations. Only apply the fertilizer weekly after visible fruit sets have formed.
Pruning balcony tomatoes – when does it make sense?
Balcony growers are very popular with beginners because with these varieties, pinching tomatoes is not part of the care of tomato plants. If you would like to harvest larger fruits, there is nothing wrong with using the traditional method. The aim of the measure is to remove unnecessary shoots so that existing energy can be invested in fewer and larger tomatoes. It's that easy:
- Stingy shoots sit in the armpit between the main shoot and the petiole
- Remove at a height of 2 to 4 cm
- Grasp and snap off the greed instinct between thumb and index finger
- Stronger shoots gently break off to the side
You should not tear off any shoots on balcony tomatoes. If you only notice such an axillary shoot when it is more than 5 cm long, it is not being fully exploited. In this special case, you only cut off the tip of the shoot so that no flowers can form.
Read how to properly prune your tomato plants.
Tip
The large hanging basket on the south balcony is now reserved for hanging tomato varieties. Seductive varieties, such as Gold Nugget or Tumblin Tom Red, stand out with casually elegant tendrils, dotted with golden yellow or red mini tomatoes.
