Topic: Sowing - toms etc

[tim]

Last year's thread on sowing is 7 pages long, so I thought that I should ask this on a new one.

TOMATOES. I propagate in cold lean-to, in propagator. Grow on on heated bench. Plant out in grow bags in unheated 'house.

The BOOK says that it is a real waste of time to allow a temp of less than 55F after planting out. Bully for them!! We get nights down to 40F till the end of May, & not up to 60F till mid June.

SO? When would YOU sow??

And how different are PEPPERS & AUBERGINES? = Tim

[Mrs Ava]

I sow toms, peppers and aubs mid January in my heated conservatory in regular seed compost.  Pot them on, still keeping in my heated conservatory until early March when I harden them up and they move into my 'lightly' heated greenhouse - in otherwords, kept frost free but that is about all.  A complete mish mash of planting then takes place depending on available cash, time and space.  Some end up in halved grow bags upended, some end up in the biggest pots I own and by mid May, the rest (well those that mum and sis haven't nabbed) end up on the allotment.  I have no idea on the temperature of my greenhouse...it is hot in the summer and cold in the winter  :-\

I sow Toms in January because that is what the majority of packets say.  Peppers and chillis I also do in January because they seem to be slow starters and altho I manage a splendid crop, it isn't until very late in the summer, the same with aubergines.

[Wicker]

Our toms sown last week in propagators and some already a wee bit leggy.  Paraffin heaters will be lit tomorrow or Friday in g'house and seedlings moved down at the weekend.

No longer grow aubs as we had masses of whitefly every time we grew them in our tiny g'house so don't bother any more.  Would grow peppers (so attractive too) but don't really ahve much room and don't use very many anyway...

[Jesse]

Mine got sown this week in heated conservatory. As you'll know from my other thread I plan to try something different this year with some of the seedlings. Usually they get potted on and kept in the conservatory until last frosts have past, usually April some time. Then they get hardened off and planted against a sunny wall in the garden (no greenhouse anymore). But last year they struggled to ripen before autumn arrived. Hopefully this summer we'll get a little more sunshine and heat compared to last.

PS never tried growing Aubs but treat my peppers the same as tomatos.

[ina]

Last year: Tomatoes and peppers sown 21 February (inside on hotpad), planted out in greenhouse 1 May, harvested the first ripe tomatoes 18 July.

Seeing these dates in a row now, it seems so long before the first tomatoes were ripe. Did anybody who grew them in the same manner take notes of the dates last year?

[tim]

I suppose this should all be under 'Glass'? Certainly not here!! Sorry.

Here are a few dates which may help. As for temperatures, 1999 was the sort of year that we have to cope with - temp in cold house: 6/6 40F  22/6 45F  20/7 46F  16/8 48F  4/10 40F!!! = Tim

[tim]

That's why I started the one on toms etc below!!

Maybe it was a bad title. = Tim

[aquilegia]

Tim - those dates are interesting. There seems to be little correspondence between when they were sowed and planted out and when they cropped. I suppose it must be down to the weather?

[tim]

Like if they get that fatal chill - & all the leaves curl up??
MUST remenber to use fleece after planting out. = Tim

[ina]

That's great Tim, all those dates, (not so happy with having to convert your temps, what was it? F - 32 x 5/9 = C, so I'll subract 32 and take a little more than half) Those are very cool temps you wrote!

I think I'll sow them later this year.

[tim]

Sorry, Ina , & all you mods - yes - 40F = 4.4C. 45F = 7.2C - I think!! = Tim

[ina]

............I was going to say something but thought the better of it, I know you can take it Tim but some may not and I don't want to insult anybody hehehe. At least you all don't turn the dates around like the Americans do.