Topic: another tomato question

[gardening giraffe]

Is it ok to put tomato plants in the unheated greenhouse now for hardening off  ???  ??? they're about an 2 inches tall and seem to be doing ok but they are drying out too quick in the house. Yesterday's weather was very mild but today is torrential rain  ::)

[growmore]

I think it would be a bit early in a unheated greenhouse just yet ..They are tipping another cold snap next week.. What do others think??..Cheers Jim...

[glow777]

They will possibly dry off quicker in the greenhouse if it catches some sun (like the 1/2 day we had over the weekend). You are more likely to notice them in the house

[Doris_Pinks]

Mine are staying in the house for a good few weeks yet, I just do not trust Jack Frost not to pay us an unexpected visit, and would be devastated to loose all my tommies!
GG do they need potting on into something bigger, therefore giving them more soil to stretch their roots out into and not suck up the water quite so quickly from a small pot, if you see what I mean!? DP

[Jimmy]

What do you have them potted into now?

[gardening giraffe]

they're in 3 inch pots as had outgrown their seed trays, they seem to be doing well, most have 2 pairs of leaves on each now

[gardening giraffe]

Just checked my little  pvc seedling house and the temperature is only 50 degrees celcius in there, I have a small paraffin heater one of those round ones but am very wary of using it after having a fire inside my bigger paraffin heater last year in my bigger pvc greenhouse, although its weighted down so would it be ok???

[cleo]

How long is a piece of string?-you could risk it but I would not in an unheated greenhose-and `heat` can be just enough to keep the frost out,especially if you gently put newspaper over the plants at night.

[Jimmy]

Agree that it is not worth the risk, how securely anchored is it the pvc house as well?

Have read before that someone used those little dinky tea light candles - not a great deal of heat but enough to take the edge of and frost and if it blew over, it would probably go out.

PVC and hot candle-wax??? - off to The Watershed I think  ::)

[Mrs Ava]

Mine will be staying in the conservatory until mid April.  By then I am fed up with telling the kids to mind the plants, and the lot go out to the greenhouse regardless!  ::)

[grawrc]

Here in Scotland they'll be indoors until My, then in the heated greenhouse.

[flowerlady]

At the moment mine are in the cold frame just outside the french doors, but we are so much further south than most of you.

Have to admit I do watch the Metcheck pretty closely!

[derbex]

I move mine in and out at the mo -the window sill was full. I put them out in the day and bring them in if it looks like the temp is going much below 10. Someone dumped a large plastic crate outside the mother-in-laws and they all go in that.

[littlegem]

mine have all gone in GH, but seeing as though they went into shed about 3 weeks ago and suffered (thought i was going to lose the lot) they recovered when i brought them back into garden room (not sunny) and for the next 5 days the temp (as predicted by bbc) shouldn't go below 3c, i think they'll be ok, tough little uns i reckon (fingers crossed!)

[theothermarg]

mine are in the g/h which is on frost control so dosn't fallbelow freezing                                            looking at them today
I think I may have made a bad mistake they look abit sick thinking of bringing them back inside (were they were germinated) hope it's not too late to save them

[littlegem]

theo - blah blah  ;D
As i said, mine went into shed too early and looked very very bleak! we brought them back into house but into garden room which was colder than dining room where they originally were, we bought a £10 heater from wilkos and kept them about 10c where they then blossomed. now they are in unheated GH, where i think that cos of first cold snap they have S.A.S.'d themselves and are fit for anything. although i wouldn't let them go below 0c. we have an extension cable and said heater on standby for that scenario!