How to grow Tomatoes in a container on your balcony

Most of the time, when I tell people I grow vegetables, they assume I live in a villa with a  huge garden. I actually live in an apartment and although, I do have a large terrace, I believe there's no reason why you can't grow food on your balcony if you set your heart on it. Honestly, when I started last year, I had never so much as SEEN a tomato plant, let alone grow one. Once I started, I expected my plants to die every day. Surprise, surprise, they didn't just NOT die on me, they gave me absolutely gorgeous loads of ripe, fresh fruit from January all the way into April.

So here's how you can go about growing a tomato plant on a balcony/terrace or in a container in your garden...

Shopping List To start Tomato seeds 4-8" pot or plastic cup with a small hole in the base Potting soil  (50l ) Watering can For your growing plant Cosmoplast container or bucket(50l)  Compost bag (50l) or Granular fertiliser (small pack) Water-soluble general-purpose plant food and tomato plant food (optional) Tall bamboo cane or stake Plant ties or nylon socks

Choose seeds 

Start with Franchi , Alta Selezione or any of the other brands available in Carrefour/Geant/Lulu and plant nurseries such as the ones in Satwa (on the Maya/Laal Supermarket road near the bus station). 

Sow seeds 
October, in my view, is the best time in the UAE to sow seeds outdoors. There's still time in the first half of november for you to get going. Use plastic cups, newspaper tubes, toilet roll tubes, egg cartons, yoghurt pots or buy seed trays- anything will do but I do recommend you sow your seeds in a small container to start with. Fill it up with potting soil, dampen it with water and making a slight hole with your finger, drop a seed in. Cover with soil and water again, gently, with a watering can. Check everyday and keep soil moist at all times. Don't drown your seed by overwatering!

Fill up big bucket 
If you are using a bucket (the cheaper option at 21 Dhs), drill a couple of drainage holes in the bottom. Next,  I suggest you improve your soil to give your plant the best headstart.
You can:

• Use 50:50 potting soil and compost to fill your bucket. 
• Use only potting soil and add recommended quantities of granular GrowMore or other all-purpose inorganic fertilisers available in supermarkets. Don't confuse these with water-soluble fertilisers, often sold as 'plant food'.

Whichever option you choose, water your pots deeply and leave for a couple of days before transplanting.

Transplant 
At the right time! Leave your growing seedlings in their small pots for too long and they'll start going all sad-looking and spindly on you. Those rapidly growing roots need space. See our tips for transplanting here.

Water 
Religiously! Ahhhh, this in my opinion is where the real labour of love starts. We have no rainfall to fall back on. Get yourself a nice watering can as you'll be using it quite a bit. It really depends on how much the temperatures drop but I find that up until the end of November, you need to water everyday, early in the morning or late in the evening. Water deeply until the top of the soil is thoroughly wet and water drains from the pot. Always water near the base of the plant rather than overhead. For December and January, you can probably get away with watering every other day.

A word about the ideal amount of sunshine for your tomato plant- try to position it so that it receives 2-4 hours of sunlight in a day, preferably the gentler morning sun or later afternoon sun.

Prune and Stake
Drive a stake or bamboo pole into your bucket a few centimetres from the plant. As the main stem grows, tie it to the stake at intervals, using plant ties or nylon socks. If your seed packet says your tomato is the indeterminate type (get big, produce all season), you have the choice to prune. Pruning basically involves removing the suckers- these are the little shoots you find growing in the v-shaped point between your main stem and a branch. If not pinched as soon as they appear, they will develop into individual stems with their own fruit-bearing branches. If you get lazy like me and forget to prune,your plants will get very big and top heavy. This definitely means more produce but may result in smaller tomatoes. If you are growing Determinate tomatoes such as Roma, there is no need to prune as they have a much more compact growing habit.

Fertilise 
When it comes to fertilisers, we are not spoilt for choice in our part of the world. Having said that, if you start with improved soil as outlined above, your tomatoes are already on their way to healthy growth and produce. But tomatoes are heavy feeders and will do better if fertilised periodically and when flowers and fruit appear.

Choose from:

• General purpose water soluble plant food until first flowers appear. After that, switch to plant food especially formulated for tomatoes, with high potassium levels. These are easily available in supermarkets under various brand names. Always stick to the regime and quantity suggested on the pack. Nutrients from a liquid fertiliser are immediately available to the plant but also leach out relatively quickly due to frequent watering.
• Slow-release granular fertilisers such as Growmore. Rake and water recommended quantity into the top couple of inches of the soil around your plant.
• For those who want to go the organic way, top with compost or vermicompost, both available from Shalimar.
• For extra TLC this year, I am looking forward to trying a product called Bio-Vita from Shalimar herbals- a liquid plant tonic containing seaweed extract, humid acid, Niacin, folic acid and other nutrients. 

Don't let the pests pester you too much
In my experience, the first to arrive are the leaf miners. Often, gardeners despair at the first sight of them, burrowing their way into the much-loved, tender young leaves.  But really, much as I worked myself up into a frenzy last year, I found that they cannot do much harm, especially once the plant is a little established. As long as the seedlings sprouts new growth steadily, it will be alright.
Another problem you may see earlier on is curling/discolouring of the leaf edges. Usually, it's a case of water stress- your young plants not getting enough water.
Once your plant is producing tomatoes, you may notice something called Blossom End Rot, a dark patch at the base of your tomatoes. Again, usually a case of water stress.
Ofcourse, there are many many other things that can go wrong with your tomato plants but more often than not, they don't. So I suggest you don't let your imagination and your Googling run away with you and scare you off growing tomatoes even before you start.

Instead, just throw a couple of seeds into some soil and see what happens. I promise, you'll learn so much in one year, you'll never need to come back here. But do! We'd love to hear your tomato growing stories.

Also, any other ideas, products, comments are welcome!

Shalimar Herbals 009714 2239474