Do I take them into the house or leave them in the polytunnel?

[gardening_gal]

I'm confused. The more I read the more confused I become. There is so much conflicting info out there about plants and temps and frost.

So can someone please just tell me, is there a polytunnel 'frost chart' anywhere that simply states 2 degrees - take in *insert whichever plant type here* / 8 degrees - plants may be ok, 12 degrees - plants will be fine/ etc etc.

(Further complicated by the fact there is no soil and all plants are in containers, many off the ground and are sat on top of polystyrene boxes which will of course help stop the cold from the ground.)

I have no clue whether I should be leaving them out in the tunnel or turning my kitchen into Kew Gardens!

I have beans that have been in the tunnel on a raised shelf and have just finally germinated, I have courgette and cucumbers that germinated a few days ago and are already at least an inch and a half tall. I also have new tomato plants (still in their pots) that I've just bought as my seeds failed to germinate. Again all on shelves off the ground. Do I chuck fleece over them all or bring them in?

My car was registering the temp as being 22 degrees here a couple of hours ago, yet I still need to concern myself about impending frost.

Australia seems so much less problematic!

[Kristen]

Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Peppers minimum 10C (perhaps 12C for Peppers / Chillies). Tomatoes will stall below that temperature (prolonged periods, not 10 minutes or so, and maybe not for an hour)

Beans I think I would go for 10C too, but they will survive below that temperature.

If you think the temperature in the tunnel will fall below that then I would recommend brining them in. A Max/Min thermometer would help - i.e. to know how quickly the temperature inside the tunnel falls relative to outside. If outside falls to 5C by 6am, and then starts to warm up (at this time of the year) then you might find that inside the tunnel was 2C or3C higher at that point, which gives you some leeway. I have a temperature sensor in the greenhouse that records the temperature, so I can see a graph of how the temperature falls inside / outside and now make decisions based on that knolwedge.

[Spunky]

I'd bring them all in that's what I'll be doing

[Bigmallly]

If you're unsure,play safe & cover them with fleece. I wouldn't be humping pots in & out at this time of year.

[Spunky]

https://www.fedcoseeds.com/seeds/veggie_chart.htm this might be useful veggie gal

[Two_Sheds]

I have no clue whether I should be leaving them out in the tunnel

To make it simplest: get your head round hardy and half-hardy (aka tender).
Hardy plants can tolerate cold.
Half hardy cannot

I have beans

broad, runner, French, soya, what?

I have courgette and cucumbers

these are half-hardy, tender.
So they don't like cold at all (as Kristen says, "cold" is less than 10c. Day or night)

My car was registering the temp as being 22 degrees

could you put your location (county would do), as 22c doesn't sound like the UK in April ...?

[gardening_gal]

To make it simplest: get your head round hardy and half-hardy (aka tender).
Hardy plants can tolerate cold.
Half hardy cannot


broad, runner, French, soya, what?



these are half-hardy, tender.
So they don't like cold at all (as Kristen says, "cold" is less than 10c. Day or night)

could you put your location (county would do), as 22c doesn't sound like the UK in April ...?

The daft bit of me wants to write 'magic' but the reality is they are runner beans and dwarf *something* beans.

We're in Perthshire in Central Scotland. Our back 'garden' was unbelievably hot today. We're in a bit of a valley that seems to attract more than our fair share of rain but it also is a sun trap on good days. Couple that with a reasonably sheltered garden and when it's sunny, it's hot. I wasn't quick enough at opening the tunnel today and several of my plants had wilted. They seem fine now though.

I think I need to buy a thermometer as suggested just so I can get a more accurate idea about temps in the tunnel.

Thanks everyone for your help and thanks for the link spunky.

[WendyC]

Whilst there are sophisticated (and pricey)thermometers about I have one which has a sensor on a cable which I have poked through a gap in the potting shed to outside plus an inside thermometer. It also records max and minimum temperatures and humidity. It gives me quite a good idea of the temperature differences between the inside and out. Can't remember the make but could be Gardman.

[Bal]

Left it late to order fleece. It is on its way but might not be here by weekend. Can I use some old flannelette sheets instead. Have no green house and too many annuals to carry in and out again every day.

[Kristen]

Can I use some old flannelette sheets instead.

Should be fine, but they (or fleece) will only keep a light frost off - protection of a couple of degrees only. So if your plants need 10C, and the forecast is less than 8C, then fleece / etc. may not be enough.

[Nicos]

Try leaving some old bottles filled with water in the Polytunnel during the day. They will heat up to your daytime temperature in there and slowly release the heat during the night like little hot water bottles.
Place them near the more tender seedlings.
Fleece,newspapers,old sheets will do for covering them but make sure they are not squashing the little plants by placing something a little bit taller between them.
'Every little helps' as they say!

Oh...and can you please put your location in your profile?!

[Two_Sheds]

We're in Perthshire

if you put that in your profile, we won't keep asking you


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[gardening_gal]

Lol, I beat you to it by about a minute. I did it after I saw Nicos asking.

[Bal]

Hi thanks guys I'm in Lincoln