Young toms, light or temperature?

[dan1979]

I have a choice, indoors at a fairly constant 16 degress on an East or North facing windowsill.

Or

outside in a sheltered spot 10-12 degrees south facing (I'd bring them in at night)

They're all just developing their first true leaves.

Thanks

[SarzWix]

Whereabouts are you in the country dan? I definately wouldn't put mine outside where I am, just yet. Although the East/North facing windows aren't ideal either

[Cutecumber]

Neither situation is ideal - they need the 16 degrees temperature but in more sun than you can give them on a windowsill.

I don't think they'll cope with 10-12 degrees at all, especially not at such an early stage - you'll see them start to go purple and they'll stop growing. So, keep them indoors and do everything you can to increase the available light - put something white behind them to reflect back some light.

[pigletwillie]

I grow in excess of 500 tomato and pepper plants in my heated greenhouse every year.

The temp is kept at 10 degrees thats all, they wont make good plants if it goes any less than that but 10 degrees is adequate for them to grow SLOWLY. Light is the main issue as is a lower temp whilst light levels are low. Too warm with low light gives you leggy plants that are not fit to plant out.

At present my January sown tomato plants are only a couple of inches high, which is just right. Come mid April when they get planted into the tunnels they will be between 12-18" high with the first truss of flowers present.

So, light over temp, as long as the temp is over 10 degrees.

[SarzWix]

Mine are out in the small greenhouse, heated to 10-12°c too PW, but what they aren't getting is any wind or rain or any other atmospheric interference. Even if Dan has a 'sheltered spot' to put them in, they're still outside!! Ideally, if they have to be outside, a cold-frame or mini greenhouse in the said sheltered spot would give them a better chance, but even then they'd be subject to temperature fluctuations without a heater.
Dan, rock or hard place...

[Two_Sheds]

Thing about windowsills is they get VERY cold at night.

[Cutecumber]

That depends on the windowsill and the window. The temperature doesn't vary as much as it does outside - I've got a max-min thermometer on my (single glazed, north facing) windowsill and it is always more temperate than the greenhouse.

Oh, it's there because I've got potatoes chitting... it's not just some weird fetish