Hardening off Toms and Peppers and is to late to plant new Tomatoes?

[ItsEssexRob]

So we have finally got a prolonged period of nice weather here in Essex with temps set to be in the mid/late 20s untill sunday with night temps of 12-17. I have started placing my tomato plants on my new wooden shelves outside. I did bring them in for the first night, but then thought since its so warm, do I really need to? So I left them out. Should you move them in and out even if it is warm? Also is it warm enough to move sweet pepper plants out for a little outdoor time? I havent yet but would like some opinion.

My Toms vary a lot in size. the two that I had upstairs have grown over 7 inches tall with plenty of good leaves ( planted in mid april). but the oens I had downstairs and in my car are only about 3-4 inches tall some with only their first or second set of true leaves. Is such a variation normal?

I am considering planting some tom varieties I actually would like to try rather than just any old thing. Is it too late to plant them now? Or can I still get results?

Thanks

Rob

[Leeds_lad]

You only need to bring them in on a night if the temperate is going to be below 10, this week there has been no need =)
Also yeah you can take your sweet peppers out, they need similar growing conditions to tomatoes. Heck, my tomatoes and peppers are already out and planted, only hardened them off for a couple of days but since the weather has been so good they are doing great now!

It's a bit too late for planting tomato seeds now sadly, you wouldn't be able to get a decent crop from them when the first frost hits, unless you plan on growing them indoors somewhere

[ItsEssexRob]

Ok thanks will take them out tonight then since its going to 15 ish here overnight. I have to keep all my plants in pots as my garden isnt suitable for planting anything straight to soil.

Peppers are in 10-12 inch pots about the same deep and tomatoes still in smallish pots atm but have a couple of grow bags.

Are peppers best in grow bags or 10 inch pots?

[tamsin]

You could buy plugs if you wanted to try a few other varieties

[binley100]

............. but the oens I had downstairs and in my car are only about 3-4 inches tall ...............
Thanks

Rob

Mobile gh ......????????

[Poolcue]

I have left mine out since Tuesday as the temp is above 10 degrees.If it drops below that they will come in again.

[binley100]

I've got some planted out at the lottie ......but I have backup just in case

[Bren In Pots]

I planted my spares out this morning the rest are in the greenhouse.

[Leeds_lad]

Ok thanks will take them out tonight then since its going to 15 ish here overnight. I have to keep all my plants in pots as my garden isnt suitable for planting anything straight to soil.

Peppers are in 10-12 inch pots about the same deep and tomatoes still in smallish pots atm but have a couple of grow bags.

Are peppers best in grow bags or 10 inch pots?

Either really. You can fit 3 in a grow bag for the similar price of the compost to fill one pot though, just keep them in a warm sunny place what ever you decide to put them in though =)

[Potstubsdustbins]

Either really. You can fit 3 in a grow bag for the similar price of the compost to fill one pot though, just keep them in a warm sunny place what ever you decide to put them in though =)

Don't know where you buy your compost or what size pots you use. But I use MFBuckets and can fill 6 from a £4 bag of compost or 3 from a £1-99p grow bag.

I personally prefer buckets as the watering regime is easier.

Colin

[Florence Fennel]

I've got some tomatoes that are quite "dwarf", but it's down to the rubbish compost from Wickes in my case. I've potted some on and will be doing the rest this evening and hoping that they catch up with the others.

[kathyd]

I planted some toms and peppers back in Feb in a propogator as recommended, and some more in late March. The ones in Feb have hardly moved since I put them into their little pots - seed leaves and sometimes a couple of small true leaves, but nothing more. The March ones are looking 1000% better, although still quite small for the time of year - but at least big enough to plant out in the tunnel! I can't understand the difference to be honest. It's not as if the early ones have died (well apart from a couple), they're just not growing. They did better when I was in Leeds last year than they have since I moved to France! Lol

[Leeds_lad]

I planted some toms and peppers back in Feb in a propogator as recommended, and some more in late March. The ones in Feb have hardly moved since I put them into their little pots - seed leaves and sometimes a couple of small true leaves, but nothing more. The March ones are looking 1000% better, although still quite small for the time of year - but at least big enough to plant out in the tunnel! I can't understand the difference to be honest. It's not as if the early ones have died (well apart from a couple), they're just not growing. They did better when I was in Leeds last year than they have since I moved to France! Lol

Haha, it's because Leeds has a special magic =p
My plants are going nuts since this heat hit us. They have put on double their size in the last few days i reckon

[Leeds_lad]

Don't know where you buy your compost or what size pots you use. But I use MFBuckets and can fill 6 from a £4 bag of compost or 3 from a £1-99p grow bag.

I personally prefer buckets as the watering regime is easier.

Colin

Exactly. One plant to a pot i'm guessing? That's 6 planted for £4. £4 worth of grow bags, with 3 plants in each, that's 12 plants.

[mrbadexample]

A question I was also pondering - to harden off or not?

The way I see it, 6 days ago the peak daytime temperature inside my greenhouse was 15°C. During the night I'd put a big candle in the greenhouse to raise the temperature a degree or two, so I didn't have to bring them all back inside the house. Last night it didn't drop below 15°C at any point.

So, my plants have gone from huddling round a candle in the greenhouse to glorious sunshine and warm nighttime temperatures. If there is a shock to their systems, it's probably going from cold to hot, rather than the other way round.

I hadn't even been able to pot the tomatoes on from the 3" pots I sowed them in, as I needed to carry them back and forth to the greenhouse whilst it was so cold. Despite this, many of them are flowering.

I've taken a bit of a chance I suppose, but I'm getting everything out as fast as I possibly can. The tomatoes have gone straight into flower buckets and outside into their final position. The French beans are out and my courgette is out. Everything else will be following as fast as I can manage. The forecast here is for nothing less than 9°C at any point during the next week, so hopefully everything will be acclimatised by then.