Isn't it wonderful to have fresh tomatoes all year round, but also grown on your own windowsill?
Now it is quite possible.
In the late 1970s, the first dwarf tomato varieties appeared in Israel.
"Pinocchio" is a miniature tomato that can be grown as ordinary tomatoes in the garden, and at home on the balcony.
Appearance and description of the variety
Variety "Pinocchio" refers to the dwarf determinant varieties. The height of the bush is not more than thirty centimeters. It is precisely the miniature size that makes it possible to grow tomatoes on window sills or loggias. Despite the size of the tomato, the yield of “Pinocchio” is quite high. 
Each of the many clusters gives ten to fifteen fruits. Total bush gives about 1.5 kg of tomatoes. Leaves medium dissected, dark green.
Did you know? Botanically, a tomato is a berry.
Fruit Characteristic
The fruits are round, smooth, with a shiny thick skin, fleshy with a large number of seeds. A ripe red tomato has a weight of 20-30 g. The taste is sweet, sour.
The advantages and disadvantages of the variety
The main advantage of tomatoes "Pinocchio" is the ability to grow from seed at home. It is convenient and practical. Gives access to fresh fruits all year round.
Another bonus of the brand is its attractive appearance. Small green bushes, hung with red balls of tomatoes, very nice and unusual look on the window sills. 
Not that a disadvantage, but rather, just a feature of the variety is its determinism. This means that the ovary of the fruit occurs one-time. The bush blossoms and bears fruit only once. After that, it starts to fade.
Stop or prevent this process is impossible. It is just necessary to take as a rule from time to time to remove old plants and plant young ones.
Agrotechnology
Inexperienced gardeners often wonder how to grow a Pinocchio tomato at home. In the cultivation of this variety is no more difficult than with the usual solanaceous.
Soil for tomatoes should be loose, rich in minerals.
There are two options to get land for tomatoes:
- Buy in the store a special ground for "Pinocchio."
- Prepare the soil yourself.
Important! To improve the fruit ovary during flowering, pots should be shaken..Even to increase fruitfulness, you can add dry powder phosphate fertilizer.
Preparation and planting seeds, seedlings
Seeds must be dry, free from stains and defects, otherwise they may not grow. Seeds can be germinated in cut plastic bottles or disposable cups. This is convenient because through the transparent walls you can control the amount of water from irrigation.
If they are sown in small dishes, they are buried by no more than 2 cm, in large ones - up to 4 cm. After sowing, the seeds should be watered with warm water, cover the ground with a film and put in a warm place.
Get acquainted with such varieties of tomatoes as "Malachite Box", "Kiss of Geranium", "Gulliver", "Hospitable", "Orange Giant", "Demidov", "Golden Domes", "Pertusoid Giant", "De Barao", "Stolypin", "Japanese Crab", "King of London", "Cornabel", "Intuition", "Tolstoy".The higher the temperature in the mini-greenhouse, the faster the sprouts will be. Five days after germination, the film is removed. You can dive the sprout after the appearance of one or two leaves.
A month later, the sprouts can be transplanted into pots or planted in open ground. For the cultivation of tomato "Pinocchio" on the windowsill should choose capacity of about 2 liters. 
Cultivation in pots and care of them
If the tomatoes are planted in boxes, then you should not hang out. Planted need no more than eight shoots per 1 square. m. When planting in a pot should adhere to the rule: one pot - one bush.
For better growth of the plant should properly prepare a pot with the ground. At the bottom pour claydite or small stones for drainage. The soil should be well moistened and mixed. In loose, wet ground, a tomato will take root faster.
Tomatoes are very light-requiring. They are well tolerated by direct sunlight, and from a lack of light can begin to fade. In the period when it gets dark early, the Pinocchio needs additional lighting.
Usually for this purpose fluorescent lamps are used, which are set so that they shine at a distance of 20-30 cm from tomatoes. Also, the room must be maintained at a temperature not lower than +25 ° C, otherwise the bush will not bear fruit. 
Planting in open ground, care and watering
Growing tomatoes "Pinocchio" can be in open ground. Dwarf tomatoes can be planted only after the end of frost, but without waiting for flowering. The deadline for landing is mid-June.
Before planting in the soil it is desirable to temper the bushes. To do this on the day they need to make on the street or on an open balcony. In order to avoid frostbite at night, it is better to enter the room.
Important! The ground for the growth of tomatoes must be slightly acidic.Beds can be formed at a distance of 40 cm from each other. Low-growing plants need less free space than their tall relatives. Do holes in a row close to one another at a depth of no more than 15 cm. Add humus to the bottom of the fossa.
You can also add superphosphate and ash. Drink plenty of water with both the wells and the shoots themselves in the container, so as not to injure them when you pull out. Shrubs placed in the pits and covered with earth. 
Watering next time you can in a week. At the same time it is necessary to tear off the yellowed or wilted leaves. The grade does not need a pinch and a garter.
Pests and diseases
Pests threaten tomatoes only when planted in open ground. Fear is worth snails and cabbage. The most reliable way to deal with Medvedka is the use of pesticides.
With increased watering and insufficient light on the tomatoes may appear "black leg". Acidic soil is very suitable for the development of this disease. Damaged plants must be removed immediately with the soil.
Tomato cultivar "Pinocchio", grown on the windowsill in the apartment, is not susceptible to pests due to the lack thereof.
Conditions for maximum fruiting
Maximum fruiting is possible only with high nutritional value of the soil. 
Tomatoes need fertilizers:
- During the growth of the bush - in nitrogen.
- During the setting and maturity of the fruit - in potash.
Did you know? On the territory of Russia, tomatoes appeared in the XVIII century and were used only for decorative purposes..
Fruit use
The most delicious "Pinocchio" will be if it matures on a bush. Tomatoes are most often used fresh, adding to salads.
They are especially popular in Mediterranean dishes. They can be canned and combined in a jar with other tomatoes.
"Pinocchio" - one of the best choices of tomatoes for growing at home. Due to its unpretentious care and good yields, this variety can delight with fresh fruits in autumn and winter. 
Excellent taste and decorative qualities will not leave indifferent those who landed these dwarf bushes.
