Too soon to plant out french beans and tomatoes?

[cazp]

My french beans are starting to take over on the kitchen windowsil as are my sweet millions tomatoes - is it too soon to plant them out? - they will be in beds which will be covered with enviromesh covers until end of May.

[Two_Sheds]

when is your last frost?

[Thelma Sanders]

and just as important -how warm is your soil? They'll just wither if the soil is too cold

pot raised plants should not be planted out until the soil temperature is well over 10C and preferably 15C

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q...GcpBgujDv9Lrtw

[roitelet]

YES too early. To be safe after the 21st May. (See my post on the thread 'Why are my runner beans dying?') You could put them outside when the weather is reasonable and bring them in at night. They wouldn't need to be on the kitchen window sill just some where frost free. You could also pot them on if they are outgrowing their pots.

[BarleySugar]

I found last year that although the temperature was supposedly safe beans, squash and corn suffered with the extreme wind across our plot. This year I'm trying to provide a bit of a wind break, but as I've only just planted beans and squash, hopefully the weather will be better when they are ready to go out. I decide not to get in too much of a hurry as I've got loads in my greenhouse that are waiting to brave the big outside.

[taff]

I'm not sowing mine until next week at the earliest.

[alex-adam]

Just in case you missed it, (and I did first time around) there is an informative page from our very own GYO forum - on my browser it appears immediatley below TwoShed's reply to your initial post.

a-a

[cazp]

Lesson learned, sow later next year - and maybe direct sow in the case of french beans to save kitchen windowsill space! That will go in my journal.

The bean plants are now about 30-40cm tall and I dont think I will be able to keep them indoors for another fortnight. Just deciding whether to bin them or chance it outside under the mesh.

The sweet millions tomatoes are a simlar height - I'll pot those on and support with canes until the weather is better to plant out.

[taff]

I'm not sowing mine until next week at the earliest.

I lied. I sowed some today

[singleseeder]

The sweet millions tomatoes are a simlar height - I'll pot those on and support with canes until the weather is better to plant out.

You could always try Pots' trick of chopping off the top of the tomato plant, just above compost level, and putting it in a bottle of water. Roots will appear from the stem and you will be able to repot in a few weeks. This effectively holds them back a few weeks, but you'll still be weeks ahead of newly sown plants.

I am sure he will be around soon to show you the pictures he has.

[Florence Fennel]

I haven't sown any frenchies yet, I'm waiting for dryer and warmer weather, if it ever arrives. As far as yours are concerned, I think I'd risk putting them out and cover with fleece or something and sow some more seed just in case. I'm doing the plant/bottle thing with one tomato just to see what happens.

[Two_Sheds]

Lesson learned, sow later next year - and maybe direct sow in the case of french beans

You'll need to beware of slugs: they love emerging French beans

Just deciding whether to bin them or chance it outside under the mesh.

Well, they definitely won't grow in the bin - but might make it under mesh/fleece

My first ones are now 5" tall and growing fast ~ they've gone out this morning to begin hardening off

[cazp]

You'll need to beware of slugs: they love emerging French beans

Well, they definitely won't grow in the bin - but might make it under mesh/fleece

My first ones are now 5" tall and growing fast ~ they've gone out this morning to begin hardening off

Thanks Twosheds. Decided overnight to give the beans a go, see how they fair. Will be sowing a second batch soon anway. Will report back onthe progress!

[Chef_uk]

My toms are 2ft tall and flowering and went in to the greenhouse on Monday but still in pots albeit very deep ones. They will be brought in at night over the weekend as a sharp frost is on the cards for this area Saturday night.

French beans were only sown 10 days ago so no worries there

[CimaDirapa]

It's all about the strategy, I always get good early French dwarf beans, here is the strategy:

I need twenty plants so in mid April I pre-germinate ten seeds wrapped in some wet kitchen towel inside mushrooms tray stuffed in a Tesco carrier bug the box goes above the radiator or the cupboard where the boiler is.

When germination starts in few days I plant the seeds 4 cm deep in 500g yogurt pots.

The plants stay in the house till the last frost gone (watch this weekend).

On the day of planting sometime in mid May I also put the other ten seeds in the ground in the same patch as the home germinated ones.

Each hole get filled with cheap multipurpose compost, water and that's about it, always worked.