The Early Tomato Sowing Thread

[Two_Sheds]

The Auntie Madges were repotted up to their necks and are doing well. The PW French Blacks are also leggy (can't be helped in Feb) and will be repotted next weekend probably

[zazen999]

Have you any idea of the lowest temperature that the toms have had inside the greenhouse or the lowest outside air temperature overnight?

Nope. They are still alive now though and we've had a good few cold nights.

The aim was always to only grow a few indoors.....

[Sylvan]

*sulk* My first lot are only 4 days younger than your Auntie Madges Two_Sheds and they're nowhere near as advanced. Mine only have one pair of true leaves.

My Tamina were potted up to their necks today, as were 5 of the 7 varieties sown on 25th Feb. Might have been a bit too soon. Fingers crossed...

[Chef_uk]

mine have now germinated, although probably not really that early anymore

[King Carrot]

They made me do it, honest





Firstly, I live in a very mild area AND I have loads of spare plants.

8 Latah Vine
2 Stupice
2 Matina
1 Jaune Flamme

planted in the homemade “cobbled together” greenhouse/tunnel hopefully, for an early July crop.

If temps below 6 C are predicted I’m covering them with plastic bottles or ice cream containers. Practically all my other toms came indoors tonight for the first time in a few days (as they physically still can )as well as my French Beans and Courgettes as 5C is forecast, though we can be 1, 2 or even 3 or 4C above that as we’re right by the sea.

I was looking over some old notes from a few years back when ourselves and four young cats lived in a 28ft mobile home with no chance for seedlings on window sills or anywhere. I actually used to start seeds off around this very time and grow them on in a cloche and then double cloche them at night – they always seemed to survive and give a good crop later in the summer. As with everything time will tell and at worst I've got tomato holes ready to plant in a few weeks.

[Shadylane]

Our Galinas are just about flowering. I was a bit shocked but checked me notes and was about the same time last year. Not even in their final pots yet (obviously what with it being April and all). Still too chilly to leave them out too. I got a box with wheels on, it helps with the twice daily commute

[Two_Sheds]

Mine went into the greenhouse today - it's 10c at night in there now so they should be OK, but I'm still nervous

[binley100]

looking back at last year mine went in the gh at about this sort of time ........haven't any room at the moment tho'

[fiskies]

Three of my early plants have been in their final pots a week now and are doing fine and growing well, moneymaker, sweet million and gardeners delight.

[JamesM]

i'll probably be sowing a few pots next week when i'm off next week and night time temperatures have been consistently above 10C

[Minamoo]

I moved about 8 of my mystery tomato plants into one of my plastic greenhouses last night. I have so many that I really don't mind if a few die. And these ones are about 2 feet tall so I thought it was about time for them to be pushed out into the world! I had left them in our unheated, north facing back bedroom for 4 days or so with the window open to harden them off. Figured it would be as cold as leaving them outside just without the hassle! And it's warmer out in the garden than it is in the house at the minute anyway! I'm thinking of potting up the larger of the smaller tom plants and taking them out too. They're about 6 inches or so tall now.

[Sylvan]

Oh dear

30 of my January and early February sown toms have just made the acquaintance of Grumpy's size 13s.

The trouble is they flew so far I can't be sure we got them back into the correct pots, so I think I've thrown away one San Marzano and one Principe Borghese, which were far too broken to survive, but tried to salvage the Moneymaker by repotting it with the broken bit of stem below compost level... but who knows!

Presumably we'll be able to identify them once they start producing.

Thank goodness he missed the tray containing the Sungold, PWFB, Black Cherry, Green Sausage etc (though he almost got it on his second pass )

[Sylvan]

Oops
For the last few days we've been bringing the tomatoes in just before sunset, since the temperature was still around 14°C.
Grumpy went out to get them for me just now and he says the temperature is 8°.

I'm so ashamed. Poor little toms.

[Two_Sheds]

Mine are out in the cold gh, min temp is 9c

[Kristen]

They'll be fine Leaving them out all night, with the temperature likely to fall way below the 8C at 8PM, ... now that would be cruel ...