Fruity tomatoes on the balcony - plant & harvest yourself
It doesn't matter whether it's fruit, herbs, or vegetables; growing food on your own balcony is becoming more and more popular.
One of the favorites is clearly tomatoes. They can be prepared in a variety of ways or simply nibbled from the vine. Even if you don't have a green thumb, we'll show you how you can grow your own gorgeous tomatoes in no time at all and how you can use The Plant Box to save time, effort, and dirt when gardening on the balcony.
The right place: do tomatoes fit on my balcony?
Like many other vegetables, tomatoes love a nice sunny spot. They can thrive particularly well in the sun and bring you beautiful red and flavourful fruits. A south-facing balcony (possibly also a south-east-facing balcony) is particularly important for this. Here your tomato plants are exposed to the sun all day long and can develop a particularly good flavour.
In addition to plenty of sunshine, tomatoes need good rain and wind protection. That will help prevent the plant from being snapped over by a strong wind gust or storm. If you still have a free spot in the sun directly on the house wall, your tomatoes will be even happier - they are supplied with additional heat there.
The frost-sensitive tomato plants should only join your other balcony plants starting in mid-May - before that it is too cold for them outside.
How do I properly grow my balcony tomatoes?
Even if you don't have any gardening experience, you don't have to be afraid to plant your tomatoes yourself on the balcony. We'll show you how to get your own red snack on the balcony in just a few steps.
Once you've secured a spot with plenty of light for your tomatoes, it's time to get all the supplies you need. With our short checklist you will find what you need:
The right container for balcony tomatoes
If they are not growing in the vegetable patch, you will usually find tomato plants in a container; it should give the plant enough space for it to take root and grow properly. The pot size remains the same for most varieties - low-growing varieties can actually thrive optimally in hanging baskets or small pots.
The best soil
Tomatoes are heavy feeders. This means that they remove a lot of nutrients and other minerals from the soil. When it comes to potting soil, you can choose between organic soil, vegetable soil, or special soil for growing tomatoes. However, one factor has to be right for all of them: A high nutrient content.
When buying the soil, you can completely adapt to your existing budget. Specialty soil is often the most expensive option, but it already contains all the nutrients and fertilizer you need. You can't go wrong with regular or organic soil either, as long as you enrich it with some compost or tomato fertilizer.
Which tomato varieties grow on the balcony?
Even if there is little space available on your balcony, you are not limited to the well-known cherry tomatoes when choosing your tomato plants. The bush tomatoes are also among the compact growing varieties; they produce plenty of large fruit and still grow low. The list of suitable tomato plants is long - we have prepared a few good examples for orientation:
Bush tomatoes:
- Red Riding Hood
- Bajaja (bush tomato)
- primabelle
- balcony star
- vilma
- Tumbling Tom
How to grow your tomato plants
Once you have chosen your variety, you can start planting from mid-May:- Fill the vessel (bucket, hanging basket, pot, etc.) with the soil.
- Make a well in the center of the soil.
- Plant the tomato plant in the soil up to the base of the leaves.
- Put a stick (bamboo, wood, or a trellis) next to the plant for more stability.
- Water your tomato plants plentifully and regularly; however, be careful to avoid waterlogging.
- Feed your tomato plants with fertilizer as needed to properly meet their nutritional needs.
Care tips for bright red and juicy balcony tomatoes
We've all bitten into a juicy tomato and we know that tomatoes are made up of a lot of water - 90% to be exact. That’s why your tomatoes also need a regular water supply. You should avoid overwatering and waterlogging, as this can lead to stand rot and affect your plants.
Before your tomatoes finally bloom or bear fruit, they need a particularly good supply of nutrients as they are heavy feeders. You can add some liquid fertilizer to the regular watering.
As summer temperatures continue to rise, you can cover the soil around your tomatoes with a layer of mulch to keep the soil from drying out too quickly after watering.
Time to harvest: How to harvest and store your balcony tomatoes correctly
Harvesting the tomatoes is super easy: thanks to their color, you can judge the ripeness of the fruit very well. If you want to be sure that the fruit is really ready to eat, you can also check whether it can be easily detached from its stem. You can also tell if the tomatoes are soft and edible with a gentle squeeze.
After harvest, tomatoes prefer a cool location, preferably far away from other fruits and vegetables. The fridge is one way to store your tomatoes; however, their freshness is quickly lost there. You can slow down this process by not removing the stems from your tomatoes after harvesting. If you have a basement, it's a great place to store your juicy, red tomatoes.
From flowers to vegetables: ready-made balcony plants from The Plant Box
We want to make designing your balcony as easy as possible for you. That's why we create creative arrangements of plants, flowers, herbs, and even vegetables and fruit, tailored to the season and time of year - so you can constantly expect new combinations in the most beautiful colours, shapes, and sizes. The best thing about it: Our arrangements come straight to your home by post as ready-made plantings - order, unpack, and simply place in your balcony box - done!
Your advantages with the finished balcony plants from The Plant Box:
- Large selection of different, creatively arranged balcony boxes made of flowers, herbs, and vegetables
- Little effort for a freshly planted balcony: Our refills are delivered to your home “ready for use” and can be planted in just a few simple steps
- Something for every balcony: Creative refills for all lighting conditions
- Varied balcony boxes: Become a member of the Plant Lover Club and look forward to new plantings 5 times a year.
- Tips, ideas, and instructions included
Impressive flower beds and vegetable gardens can be grown even on small balconies in the big city. This works - also with the help of The Plant Box - much easier than expected. Try it out and easily turn your balcony into an oasis of well-being.
