When to plant outside?

[honeybee1980]

Hi All,

New to growing vegetables, and I started some from seed a few months back. I now have tomatoes that are getting quite big for their pots. My question is... is it safe for me to now transplant them outside? Also my Courgettes? I am hoping that the cold weather has gone, but being in England we just never know when Jack frost might return.

Any Advice much appreciated...shall I take the risk this weekend and plant my tomatoes and courgettes out??

Thanks

Honeybee

[Bigmallly]

Hi, pop your location in your profile then any question relation to climate can be answered easily. I personally won't be putting any Toms or Courgettes out till "maybe" the end of May, possibly early June. I think it's still a tad cold for them just yet, especially at night.

[WendyC]

Definitely a question of "Location, location, location". South west might be ok, north east probably not.

[Bren In Pots]

Honeybee you need to harden off your plants before they can go outdoors permanently have a read at these threads :-

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ops_77268.html

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...nts_78375.html

[Scarlet]

Definitely a question of "Location, location, location". South west might be ok, north east provably not.

I'm in the south west and mine aren't going out yet either. Early mornings here are still very cold. End of May usually for me.

[WendyC]

I'm in the south west and mine aren't going out yet either. Early mornings here are still very cold. End of May usually for me.

That's interesting. I always thought I was a bit cautious planting out as I plant out well past the last frost date, but I know we have had frosts in June up at the allotment. It's just more exposed than the cosy, south facing back garden.

[Scarlet]

I'm also cautious, after spending a couple of months tending to plants I don't want to stall or kill them just to save two weeks hassle. Last frost dates for me (they say) are early May but over the years after having frosted or stunted plants I don't plant out till last few days of May earliest.

[The Goatreich]

I have courgette, pumpkin, and squash that I'm eager to get outside too. I'm in Newport South Wales and according to some websites I've found we're past the last frost date. I'm still keeping an eye on the weather however.

I'll likely wait until the end of May to plant out my tomatoes.

Unfortunately I'm having very little luck with my kale which I sowed out a month ago, so I'm going to put some more in the ground soon, and hope for the best with that.

The main thing I'm nervous about planting outside is the bloomin' slugs!! I need to protect against them somehow.

[BertieFox]

In my experience there is little advantage in rushing to get things like tomatoes and courgettes planted out. I put out some courgettes several weeks ago and even covered them with a plastic cloche every night, but they still got touched by a slight frost and really have just 'sulked' without growing much. Meanwhile, the ones in large pots in the polytunnel have doubled in size.

With any of these tender crops, they will suffer a check back if forced outside before it is warmer. Always try to harden them off in any case, placing the pots outside during the day and back in the greenhouse during the night, until they are ready to go out without being shocked.

I know it is a real chore looking after large numbers of plants in pots under cover, but as the safe date for planting out for most of us is only a week or ten days ago, I would just keep tending them in their pots (and FEEDING them so they don't start going yellow, if they are outgrowing their pots) and plant them out when completely safe.

[Bill HH]

It isn't just the frost you have to worry about, night time temperatures are still low (Under 10c) and the plants just stop growing, they stall and it doesn't do them much good. But sometimes for reasons of space you just have to risk it. You could always harden them off by putting them in a garage at night rather than your house. The lesson is one we never seem to learn starting plants off early produces problems later down the line. Plants started later can often overtake the early ones and produce bigger and better crops. I have been gardening for 40 years and still get itchy feet in February, that urge to be sowing things.

[honeybee1980]

Thank you so much everybody for your advice really much appreciated! A few more weeks indoors is the plan .


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[Two_Sheds]

is it safe for me to now transplant them outside?

with tomatoes, you have to beware of blight: most of us can't grow them outside at all, because just before they are ripening they get struck down

In my experience there is little advantage in rushing

Absolutely right.
My forecast is for night temps to be in double figures from now on, and I know from my planting diary going back 9 years what has worked (and not) previously. With that knowledge, and weather forecasting good rain all week, I dashed up the lotty and planted out my Frenchies & pumpkins

[DannyRam]

That's interesting. I always thought I was a bit cautious planting out as I plant out well past the last frost date, but I know we have had frosts in June up at the allotment. It's just more exposed than the cosy, south facing back garden.

I remember snow in the first Tuesday in June and a heatwave started on the Friday. Last for months. I think it was 1977