When to move from window sill to polytunnel

[tlck9]

I have grown tomotoes, cucumber, peppers and courgettes on my window sill, but they are overtaking the windows.

When can I move them to my unheated polytunnel?

I've moved the sweat peas and cabbages (as per a previous thread) into the tunnel and they are doing fine.

I'm new to growing and even newer to polytunnels

[shirlthegirl43]

Take a look at Metcheck.com - UK Weather Forecasts - Live Data - Long Range Weather Forecasts and see what the weather has in store then when it looks like it won't be too hot or too chilly gradually move them - daytime in the tunnel and night time indoors. After a week or so you should be okay to leave them in the tunnel overnight (with a cover of fleece at night if you are worried)

Your tomatoes and all will need more gentle care than the brassicas and sweet peas.

[Two_Sheds]

I have grown tomotoes, cucumber, peppers and courgettes

They all need a constant temp (night and day) of about 55F, or 13C

[marathon]

I've had my unheated tunnel for a few years nowand normally move tomatoes at beginning of April.

This year they are going in this week, however, I will be putting in some waterpipe hoops so that I can easily pull over some fleece if the weather reports are to believed. My Min temp at night is 5C but that was on a night when the weatherman said 1 - 2 degrees. There growth might be checked for a week or two but at least they will make use of any sunshinme that does appear.
I'm normally eating red tomatoes by the first week of June.

courgette plant will be going out around the 7th/8th (I've just sown another 2 as back up or to go outside)

French dwarf beans also going out at second leaf stage also about 7th/8th

Not sure about cucumber, I've only just sown mine but I would suugest maybe try and hang onto that one a little longer.

Peppers - No. They really do need to wait a bit longer.

Remember this all needs to be hardend off, for the last week my tomatoes and copurgette plant have been going outside during the day to a mini4 tier plastic greenhouse and the last two night they have stayed out.

You can help to retain heat in the polytunnle by having some paving slabs,bricks inside they keep the heat and a couple of watering cans with water which will have warmed during the day.

Your more south than me so I would have thought your tunnel is similar to mine ifnot better at night depending how exposed you are.

Best thing I did was record each year when i sowed stuff/planted and harvested. I now trust myself more than books as to when I can plant in the pt

Hope this helps

Edited to say as suggested by shirlthegirl metcheck is great I=I check it all the time

[Flummery]

I don't put anything tender - chillies, toms, certaily not french beans, which aren't sown yet - into my cold greenhouse overnight until I know there will be no frost. It does get below freezing in there. It's only a degree or so higher than the outside temp - I have a max min thermometer which takes the temp outside and inside.

Generally speaking, here, it's mid May!

[kentvegplot]

I wouldnt risk cucumbers until June- but tomatoes usuallygo into the tunnel about mid April. At night the tunnel is only a fraction warmer than outside as it loses heat so easily.....so if were me, I'd wait at least another 2 weeks, more like 2 months for the really tender stuff....

[Flummery]

There have been times when my greenhouse has been the same temperature as outside at night. I'm not prepared to lose a whole growing season so I err on the cautious side.

[coreopsis]

I'd back up Flum-the earliest date I put the stuff outside is mid-May but I have to watch the weather if I want to leave anything overnight

[Flummery]

The year before last the Midlands had a hard frost on, I think it was May 18th. We were travelling at 3.00 a.m. to the E M airport and you could see a glittering mist rolling in and the ground was crunchy underfoot. I was so glad I'd left my plants under cover! We don't get the vicious weather some parts of the world get, but you can't trust the British summer!