How to grow tomatoes?

 When we think of an urban garden, we always have one crop in mind: tomato plants. They are simple but they have their secret. What are the tricks for growing tomatoes on the terrace and balcony?

Tomatoes in a bowl. If they are cherry and in-branch, we will have better results herald

If supermarkets had preserved the flavor and aroma of the traditional tomato, there would not be so much proliferation of urban gardens. We would even go further: not so many people would dare to rent a plot to grow their vegetables. Such is our longing for a real tomato, which we feed just by smelling it, that we are capable of becoming gardeners just by getting those fruits of yesteryear.

What do we need to grow tomatoes on the balcony? A planter, a lot of suns, and a lot of water. But one element is key if we want to grow them in pots and not in the field: the subscriber. If we do not take care of it, we will have problems with the tomato plant: either it will not flower enough, or the fruit will not form, or the plant will become ill. Growing tomatoes seems simple, but it has its own. What are the tricks for growing tomatoes on the balcony or terrace? Here we explain it to you.

1. SUN AND WATER

We can only grow tomatoes, no matter their variety, if we have many hours of sun and enough water. Tomatoes grow comfortably in the hot summer sunshine and are the perfect choice for hot terraces and balconies. They cannot be grown indoors; in glazed galleries, it will only be possible in spring.

2. BE CAREFUL WITH THE POT

If we want to grow large tomatoes, we will need a pot about 30 centimeters deep. Each tomato plant needs another 12 inches wide to grow freely. If we put the tomatoes close together, they will compete with each other and there will be problems with their development.

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3. PAY, ALWAYS

One of the main mistakes in tomato cultivation is ignoring its needs. It is a fast-growing plant that develops many flowers and fruits, so it will have to be fertilized every two or three weeks. If the sheet is yellowish, add iron. If it curls up on itself, it lacks calcium.

4. PRUNING, IMPORTANT

The tomato seems to enjoy throwing more and more branches. Those that come out of the armpit (elbow between two branches) must be removed since otherwise they will subtract a lot of strength from the rest and we can find a very large specimen without flowers or with a plant that does not bear any fruit.

Prune regularly

There are several types of tomato, but in general, the Zaragoza variety or the cherry variety is usually grown. The first would be for large planters, about 30 centimeters deep; the second, with smaller window boxes, balcony type. That is why the cherry is increasingly popular in those ?? culinary balconies ??, and we can put it on the windowsill of the kitchen, along with a pot of mint, basil, parsley, or marjoram.

The secret of tomato cultivation is its pruning: 

The plant forms new shoots in the armpits between the leaf and the stem. If we let them grow, a tangle of branches will form, the plant will lose a lot of strength and the flowers and fruits will not form well. Therefore, you have to be very attentive and remove those small ramifications. How to avoid it? They are removed when they have just come out, it is only necessary to ?? clamp ?? with the fingers.

In the case of the traditional tomato, it is an important factor to train it correctly. The plant needs support to grow, and for this you have to put some canes high enough, to which the tomato plant will hold, tying it with a little raffia. Do not tie the knot too tight, because the trunk of the tomato will continue to get fatter and if we have held it too tightly, it will end up being strangled. It is better to leave it a little loose or to control these restraints and correct them as the tomato grows. It is a good idea to also join the reeds to each other so that they resist the blows of the wind that often accompany summer storms. The final set, with the tomato plants growing in a reed structure, is usually very suggestive and will give a rustic touch to the terrace. Water, lots of water Tomatoes require a lot of water, which means they have to be watered almost every day. 

That will be a problem if we go on vacation:

unless you have a drip irrigation controller,  and you do not intend to grow tomatoes anywhere. There are many dreamers who want to have a small urban garden on their balcony without considering that these plants have to be watered in the hottest weeks of summer.

A traditional tomato planter needs between two and four liters of water a day. If you don't have enough liquid, the plant will wrinkle and we will immediately notice that it needs to be drink. 

Do not trust yourself: 

irrigation must be programmed well and assume that the cost of water is important.

What does this continuous watering also mean? The more we water a pot, the more nutrients the soil loses. It is inevitable that the water seeps through the earth and ends up coming out through the hole in the bottom of the pot. That water that comes out is full of nutrients, which are lost down the drain. For this reason, tomatoes will have shortages very soon if we do not control the fertilizer. The lack of phosphorus and potassium will be noticed in the flower and the fruit, but there may be other deficiencies, such as chlorosis (lack of iron) or wrinkled leaves (lack of calcium).

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