With a little care, tomatoes thrive both in beds and in pots on the balcony. In order to place the plants correctly, specific requirements are required. We explain the central key factors for high-yield cultivation.
When do tomatoes move outdoors?
From mid-May it is warm enough outside for tomatoes to be planted. Until then, careful cultivation takes place behind glass, so that the young plants start the season with an impressive growth advantage. This is how the location in the garden and on the balcony should be:
- sunny location
- likes to be bathed in air without cold draughts
- nutrient-rich, humus-rich soil, fresh and slightly moist
- in the planter high-quality pot substrate or special vegetable soil
Place the tomato plants in the soil up to the cotyledons at least 80 centimeters apart. With grafted varieties, make sure that the thickened grafting point is still visible. The young plants turn on the botanical turbo if you enrich the substrate with compost and horn meal. Water daily for the first three days after planting.
Climbing aids ensure stability
So that the tendrils of tomato plants do not crawl along the ground, they are given a support. Place climbing aids such as tomato sticks or trellises in the ground and tie the first shoots to them. Parallel to further growth, the ever longer tendrils are guided upwards on their supports.
Protection from raindrops is the be-all and end-all
Throughout the season, tomato plants are under threat from the merciless blight. Since the fungal spores multiply explosively in damp conditions, rain protection in the bed and on the balcony is essential. If you don't have your own greenhouse, a tomato roof works well.
tips and tricks
Wherever you plant tomato plants, always put some fresh nettle leaves in the planting hole. The leaves rot quickly in the warming soil and release valuable nutrients to the roots for a vital start to the outdoor season.