Tomatos under a cloche

[cabbagepatchkid]

My tomatos are going bonkers and completely overtaking the windowsills to the point of crowding each other out from the sunlight. Not to mention lack of space for anything else!

Our temps are supposed to be 12-15 degrees C for the next couple of weeks. What are their chances of surviving outside, in pots, under a grow house type cover? I would take them back into the house at night.

I've put 2 surplus tomato pots into the polytunnel as a tester yesterday, I haven't got a thermometer but it's always hot under there in the day, no idea at night but presumably at least a couple degrees extra compared to outside. Would that be the better option? Night outdoor temps are predicted down to 6 degrees C at the lowest over next couple of weeks.

[nickdub]

Should be fine outside now provided :-

a) they have at least some cover in the day (don't forget they can cook if we get strong sun again)
b) you bring them in at night if the temp is projected to be below about 6 C

Mine have been out in my unheated polytunnel for over a week - I'll be covering them with fleece, but leaving them there if a frost is forecast.

[Penellype]

I would suggest the polytunnel is better than a cloche. In general the larger the space the longer it takes to cool down at night. I find putting a cloche over plants in the greenhouse helps as its another layer of insulation. Small cloches also heat up faster than larger areas and can get very hot indeed really quite quickly.

Tomatoes grow best at 10C or more, but will survive at lower temperatures although they will grow much more slowly and may start to look unhappy. Just 1 hour at 0C will kill them.

[Tripmeup]

Another vote for the polytunnel..

[cabbagepatchkid]

Outstanding, thank you very much everyone! Polytunnel it is, and I can put the cloche thing over them as well if it gets chilly, and bring them back home if a frost threatens.

Lat year I got everything started quite late, this year I'm more on time but have not reckoned with limited windowsill space, or with how many more veg we're growing this year compared to last!

[nickdub]

no worries - enjoy your gardening

PS don't wait too long to get your toms into larger pots when they start growing - they dislike being pot bound and its impossible to overcome this set-back to get really good plants later.