Hardening Off Tomato Plants

[Glen]

Hi all,

Having some problems with my tomato plants - Ailsa Craig and Tumbling Tom, Red and yellow.

My plants are now approx 10wks old and are very healthy. I decided that with the weather starting to warm up I would start to harden the plants outside as that is where they are going to be situated. I only put the plants out on mild days and with very little wind as they have been reared indoors.

I had them out today (not too bad a day) and they were fine in the morning. I went out and when I returned they had flopped over and alot of the leaves have all wilted and flopped over. I have brought them in again but they are looking rather sad.  :'(

Any ideas what may have happened? Is it just still too cold to be trying  :'(to harden them off?  Any ideas on what I can do to perk them up?

This is the first year I have tried growing tomato's so any advice would be really appreciated.

Glen

[Glen]

[manicscousers]

I think, for outdoor ones, it may be a wee bit early, hope they perk up again, I've only just started putting mine in the cold polytunnel and that's with a bell jar over them  :)

[no-lottie]

I'd start them off with a few hours of early morning sun then put them somewhere shady, but still out doors for another couple of hours. Too much sun when young will topple them, no matter how hot it is.

[Bugloss2009]

they might have been scorched by the sun, if the leaves have shrivelled up.  Hardening off isn't just getting them used to cold and wind, but also direct sunlight

i've been putting out my overwintered chilis every day now, but in a sheltered spot with no full sun

[Squash64]

I've got a confession to make:-
I don't do the traditional 'hardening off'! :o

I start most seeds in a heated propagator,
followed by time in a heated greenhouse,
then an un-heated greenhouse
then straight outside at the beginning of June.

It works fine for me and there's none of the in-out-in-out business to bother with.

[SueK]

I would have said it was a bit early (up here in Yorkshire, that is), but then it gets tempting when the sun comes out, doesn't it?  Do you know roughly when your last frost will be?  

I've not tried it myself but Joy Larkcom recommends an alternative way of hardening plants off by stroking them with a piece of cardboard (definitely not a joke) which might be another option when your plants have regained their composure a bit.

[Ian Pearson]

Plants only need to be hardened-off for a couple of weeks, so wait 'till two weeks before you are planning to plant out. It's still too cool for them.
The priority now is to expose them to high light levels to make strong, stocky plants, but also keeping them warm. My regime at the moment is putting them out to the greenhouse every morning as soon as it has warmed up, and bringing them in every night, and keeping an eye on the max-min thermometer (last night the greenhouse minimum temperature was, surprisingly 2c!).
This would not kill them, but it would check their growth.

Yesterday was pretty cold where I am, and even in the greenhouse the max was only 14c. Definitely not weather to put toms outside, but  a bit of cold does not cause wilting - maybe combined with high moisture-loss rate (it was quite windy). That's all I can think of. Hope they are recovering.

[Glen]

Hi all,

Thanks for all the great advice. I think I may wait a few more weeks to let it really warm up. They were looking a little better this morning though.

SueK - what a small world, I live in Pudsey too! Do you know what our last frost date is?

Thanks again all.

G

[growmore]

I would say that it is at least a good 4 to 6 weeks early to even consider putting toms outside.
In a normal year May is plenty soon enough and this year is far from normal.

[SueK]

SueK - what a small world, I live in Pudsey too! Do you know what our last frost date is?

One of the other A4A members has a website - I think it's TeeGee - which has suggested frost dates on.  When I checked Leeds out a few years ago, it came up with 15th May.  Up here(!), perhaps the end of May is more realistic, but as my tomatoes will be in containers then I'll have the option of bringing them in at night.

Have you also seen the gardening and frost stuff on metcheck?  Gardening is under Hobbies, the frost forecast is on the sidebar when you bring up the weather forecast.  If you are planning on planting your tomatoes out rather than keeping them in containers then the soil temperature info (under Gardening) is useful.

Best regards,
Sue

[Mortality]

SueK - what a small world, I live in Pudsey too! Do you know what our last frost date is?

One of the other A4A members has a website - I think it's TeeGee - which has suggested frost dates on.  When I checked Leeds out a few years ago, it came up with 15th May.  Up here(!), perhaps the end of May is more realistic, but as my tomatoes will be in containers then I'll have the option of bringing them in at night.

Have you also seen the gardening and frost stuff on metcheck?  Gardening is under Hobbies, the frost forecast is on the sidebar when you bring up the weather forecast.  If you are planning on planting your tomatoes out rather than keeping them in containers then the soil temperature info (under Gardening) is useful.

Best regards,
Sue

Found it http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Frost%20Zones/Frost%20Zones.htm

ty, I needed that too. ;)

[cleo]

 I live in Pudsey too

Where the pigeons fly backwards to keep muck out of their eyes??.

Sorry-one of my best mates from University days and still a friend lived in Farsley nothing to do with gardening I admit

[Mrs Gumboot]

Nothing to do with tommies, but I didn't realise there were so many of us in Leeds! Down in Wortley, so if you all stick your heads out the window and wave I can probably see you from the attic!

End of May should see you completely clear up here. Have been caught out before . . . . !

[Glen]

Thanks for all the advice everyone. Going to keep the plants on the window sill, much to the dismay of the OH!  ;D