Cocktail tomatoes are the perfect choice for the snack garden on the balcony. They thrive in buckets, balcony boxes or even in hanging baskets. Find out here how to plant and care for the popular mini tomatoes.

Planting time on the balcony begins in May

Tomato plants cannot see a good side in frosty temperatures. They are therefore only planted when there is no longer any fear of ground frost from mid-May. The specialist trade has plenty of pre-grown young plants ready at this time. Enthusiastic hobby gardeners insist on growing cocktail tomatoes indoors in February/March. At 18-24 degrees, the seeds will germinate within 10-14 days.

Cocktail tomatoes are planted in a sufficiently large planter that has a water drain in the bottom. Place a drainage of crushed pottery shards over it. Commercial vegetable soil is suitable as a substrate, which you can enrich with compost, horn shavings (€32.93) or guano.(€121.99) Don't forget to leave a pouring edge free. A sun-kissed place on the balcony is a good location, preferably airy and sheltered from the rain.

These care tips pave the way to crisp, fresh fruit

Successful cultivation of cocktail tomatoes on the balcony stands and falls with protection from the rain. Only when this aspect is guaranteed can cultivation succeed. Otherwise, sooner or later the ubiquitous brown rot will strike. If the location is not covered anyway, smart hobby gardeners can simply build the rain cover themselves. All other maintenance work is easy to do:

  • Water the cherry tomatoes liberally, but never over the blossoms and leaves
  • fertilize regularly with compost, horn shavings, guano or nettle manure
  • optionally use a mineral-organic liquid fertilizer for tomatoes in the dosage according to the manufacturer's instructions
  • pinch out weekly if larger fruit is desired
  • offer climbing aids to climbing varieties

With good care, the harvest begins at the beginning of August and lasts until autumn. Bring the last tomatoes into the house in good time before the first frost. Green fruits can easily ripen in a warm, dark room.

tips and tricks

Plant your cocktail tomatoes on the balcony in an innovative 'hanging basket'. Excitingly, the decorative lattice baskets are planted from above and all around. This attribute offers plenty of room for creative planting ideas with different colored tomato varieties.

Category:

Vegetable garden