Lowest tolerated temperature for outdoor tomatoes

[T-lady]

I've moved them into a polycarbonate cold frame but they've only been there a few days. It's pretty open to the weather at night (I've been leaving the door open and one of the side panels is missing providing tonnes of ventilation!) but it does get quite warm during the day.

What do you reckon? - I've always been a bit of a gambler with hardening off (ie: I barely do it)

[Flummery]

Hmm. You're not far from me really. Not sure which are hardy in your list but I always harden off for quite a long time so by the time they get onto the plot or garden they're probably more protected in the ground that on my draughty patio! Put them out in the day they back in the cold frame at night for a week, I would.

[T-lady]

Thanks Flummary, I'll do that with the majority and chance it with the Sub Arctic and Black Krims - I can cope with making chill-cosies for a couple of plants!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone, I'm off home now and leaving my 'net connection at work

[kentvegplot]

Gosh, T-lady , how many toms?? I do hope you (and the rest of the street) like them!

My metcheck forecase says around 6, and the Ferline have been out overnight for the last 3 days anyway, so I think I will stick them in at the weekend. I can always run round with the fleece if it threatens very cold.

[T-lady]

Rats! OK, so I succumbed yesterday - having had a really lousy weekend I just had to do a bit of planting to bring my spirits up. I was quite restrained and only put out 6 tomato plants but ... my forecast for tonight is ZERO degrees! I did check yesterday and it said 4 degrees which I thought I could combat with some fleece. .. but zero degrees. Eek!

I need to do some major constructing of cloche-type structures. Any thoughts greatly appreciated ... toms are about 1 1/2 ft tall.

[deezyb]

I hadn't checked the forecast for last night and was devastated to wake up this morning to a frost!!! - should've checked, hope my tumbling toms are okay - other toms in the greenhouse thankfully. Have got the fleece ready to put on the tubs outside tonight if needed!

[T-lady]

Bad luck deezyb, hope it'll be Ok. I know that the forecast is vicious again for Scotland tonight

[deezyb]

Thanks for the weather tip T-lady - maybe I should fleece them up now in case I forget

[gemlady]

Was going to put some plants in the garden yesterday but saw the frost warning so held off. Put the electric heater on in the greenhouse last night and will be on again tonight, after nurturing them this far I'm not going to lose plants to frost.

[markwcel]

ive had an alicante tomato plant out for 2 weeks now...was no room in the greenhouse for it...metcheck saying were not getting below 5 degrees during the nights for the next 2 weeks

[Matt.]

My tomatoes suffered from the cold on Sunday night. According to metcheck there wasn't a frost but they were looking decidedly unheathy yesterday. Not realising this would be the case I didn't have any protection so they were in the cold again last night.

If they are still living this evening I'll wrap them up for tonight which should be the last cold evening for a while. I guess I got too greedy. Fortunatly (because I am greedy) I still have a load of plants in the greenhouse because they wouldn't fit in the car. Phew! They're not the best but at least they're alive.

Moral: Sow more than you need. Transplant more than you need. Chance the weather at your risk.

[T-lady]

Hey Matt, sorry to hear about the toms and hope that they'll pick up. Maybe if they're big enough they can recover from a bit of a shock?

Mine got triple wrapped in a kind of tent formation - bubble wrap, fleece and then, believe it or not, the plastic that they use for body bags (I've got some very odd friends who work in even odder places!). I'll unwrap them tonight and see what we've got ...

I'm with you on the 'Moral' bit though. Problem is it means the greenhouse gets crammed with plants that you're probably not going to use - the moral dilema of gardening!

[Cutecumber]

It's been an interesting spring for tomatoes - I sowed three batches, end of January, end of February and end of March.

Because March was so cold and dark round here, the most successful have been the February batch. Those sown in January started well but then suffered a check in March. The last sown batch just got confused, what with snow in April...

Now they're all hardened off the January plants have a good amount of fruit set, but the February plants are looking the most healthy.

So there you go!