Windowsill Cherry Tomatoes

This past winter I decided that I wanted to grow food. More specifically, I wanted to wake up in my Albany studio apartment, reach my hand to my windowsill, and pick food off of my plants.

That was my dream at the end of January when I first planted the seeds. My dream became a reality this weekend, with a few welcomed alterations. One tomato ripened, but instead of plucking it bedside I plucked it from the backyard that my boyfriend and I share outside of Albany. Wonderful, welcome alterations.

I learned a lot from growing the tomatoes, but it really came down to proper hydration and sunlight. I received amazing sunlight in my Albany studio. I planted all the seeds not expecting them all to sprout, but they all grew! I had to give plants away and had to compost a few of the smaller ones. I ended up with 5 giant plants.

One mistake I made was that I waited too long to put them outside. I waited a few extra weeks just in case of cold weather, but I really shouldn’t have waited. Instead the plants started growing really tall (around 5 feet) to find more sunlight. By the time I put them outside they were weak and lanky. They ended up shedding most of their original leaves and grew stronger ones while outside.

Only one tomato has ripened so far, I have about a dozen waiting to burst with color. I am just so proud of these guys.