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Life in our climatic zone does not imply uninterrupted consumption of fresh vegetables all year round. We stock up on frozen and canned foods, but in winter we often want vitamin food, and sometimes it is simply necessary. There are ways by which you can grow tomato seedlings on the windowsill without leaving your home. We will talk about this today.
What varieties to choose
For planting a tomato on a windowsill, low-growing varieties with medium-sized fruits are suitable. It will be more convenient for you to take care of them at room conditions. The advantage of this species is early fecundity, small size of bushes and determinant type of structure. The latter means that the vegetable will grow to the height intended by nature and no more. Low tomatoes are more resistant to late blight compared to other hybrids. Phytophthora does not affect them, as low-growth vegetables grow quickly and bear fruit. 
For tomato seedlings on the windowsill, choose the following varieties: “Watercolor”, “Supermodel”, “Skorospelka”, “Golden Stream”, “Red Fang”, “Garden Pearl”. The latter variety is characterized by fertility – the crop is obtained all year round. 
On the Minibel bushes, the fruits reach the size of a small ball weighing 25 g each, and the height of the bush is 30-40 cm. It is easy to grow Andreyka – these plants do not require seedlings. “Arktika” is a cold-resistant cherry weighing 30-40 g. The fruits of the “Room Surprise” tomato resemble a plum, and the plant height is 50 cm. “Little Red Riding Hood” is a standard, ultra-early vegetable, the lower fruits of which can reach 120-150 g, to the end of fruiting – 70, 50 and 30 g.
You should not be afraid of tomato hybrids – they will grow well on the windowsill. Crossing frees from stepchildren. If the letter F is indicated on the package, it is a hybrid.
Cultivation
For proper cultivation, follow the main rule – undersized tomatoes do not like excessive fertilizer. When you have decided on a tomato variety, choose garden soil. It must first be steamed in the oven at a temperature of 100 degrees with the door open. This operation is carried out in order to neutralize the larvae that are possible in the soil. It would be useful to add sand and ash there (the latter can be found in the store).
Peat tablets are also suitable for tomatoes. The plant needs a sufficient amount of soil, otherwise the lower leaves turn red and signal a lack of soil. Next, select containers or pots in which vegetables will grow, be sure to make drainage holes so that the water does not stagnate.
Seed preparation
To prevent diseases, tomato seeds must be treated in a solution of potassium permanganate. For this purpose, they are placed in gauze and immersed in the substance for 20 minutes, but not overexposed, then rinsed with water. To prepare the solution, you should take 1 gram of manganese and 1 glass of water, stir. Tomato seeds will come off the same way through nutrition.
Useful for future plants is melt water, which accelerates their germination. This procedure can be performed when there is snow in the yard. It must be collected in a bucket and allowed to melt a third of the entire mass: the resulting water is drained, and the rest thrown away. Freezing in the refrigerator will also work well: when more than half of the liquid turns into ice, you need to throw it away, and use the rest to stimulate seed germination.
Natural bioregulators “Zircon” and “Immunocytofit” are suitable for processing.
You can use the following schemes:
- Heat treatment for 25 minutes at 50 degrees; then soaking for 18 hours in a solution of epin at 23-30 degrees; after this sowing. A solution of epin is prepared as follows: 100 drops of the substance are added to 2 milliliters of water.
- Soaking in a manganese solution for 15-20 minutes; soaking in epin solution (see the first method).
Epin can be replaced with undiluted aloe juice, squeezed from the leaves and aged in the refrigerator for 5 days. Seeds are soaked in juice for a day. All of these substances have a beneficial effect not only on future plants, but on the quality of fruits.
Do not forget the following nuances: first, tomato seeds are disinfected, then bubbled (soaked in air-saturated water). “Immunocyfit”, “Zircon” and other biologically active substances are used after disinfection and at a temperature of at least 20 degrees, since the procedure will be ineffective otherwise.
Seed sowing
Swollen seeds signal that they can be planted in the ground. The soil should be moist and slightly compacted. Do not make grooves – take tweezers and spread the tomato seeds on the surface of the soil in rows. The distance between rows should be equal to 3-4 centimeters, and between future shoots – 2 centimeters. 
Stick to this rule, otherwise mature plants will get a “black leg” – a disease that appears when planting too densely. The spread out seeds should be gently pressed into the ground by a centimeter and covered with soil.
Care
Growing tomato seedlings on the windowsill provides a lot of light, heat and regular watering. It is very important to provide constant fresh air – these plants love it, and if there is insufficient ventilation, they can grow slowly. Humidity in the room should be in the range of 50-60%. Avoid drafts. A comfortable temperature for germination is not lower than 20 and not higher than 25 degrees.
When the first shoots appear, it is important to provide enough light so that the plants do not stretch. Thin stems lead to further delay in harvest, poor growth or death when seedlings dive.
About landing in the ground
Here the main rule is to carry out this procedure correctly and in a timely manner, which will ensure rich and uniform fruiting of the tomato. An area with open soil should be well lit and protected from drafts. Avoid too moist soil, places where potatoes used to grow. It is better to plant on the ground where root crops, greens or legumes used to grow – so your plants will not become infected with late blight.
Immediately before planting in a permanent place, it is necessary to moisten the earth in a container with plants so that the seedlings can be safely removed. Break the earth with holes, pour water and immerse the plant there. After compacting the soil lightly, sprinkle with dry earth.
Overgrown tomato seedlings should be planted in furrows 15 cm deep. Remove the lower leaves on the plants, and sprinkle the stems with earth so that a root system forms on them. After planting, it is useful to mulch the soil near the seedlings, that is, sprinkle with mowed grass, branches, sawdust, straw, peat, cardboard. This will prevent the rapid evaporation of moisture and the growth of weeds.
Video “Some secrets of growing tomato seedlings”
In the video, the famous gardener Oktyabrina Ganichkina talks about how you can grow healthy tomatoes on your windowsill, loggia or balcony.