too early to plant out toms?

[piers]

Just to add to the neverending tomato thread, is it too early to put my toms outside. My allotment is in the London area....?

[piers]

[Svea]

on our allotment site in walworth two long term allotmenteers put their tomatoes out 3 resp. 2 weeks ago, and all seems fine. they were properly hardened off though

i am not in a hurry - my toms are all on the balcony hardening off/enjoying the sunshine/growing like mad so maybe they could be outside full time. truth is they are still a little on the small side for that and i havent prepared the tomato bed yet  :-[

PS: night time temparatures in the last few (cold) days has been 6 degrees in our street

[Plottie]

Have put 6 toms out but they are under cover....just did it in desperation due to lack of space indoors.
They seem  fine but of course indoor ones are now MUCH bigger than them

Seem to remember Monty planting out his toms last year on GW and they were huge  - so maybe the longer they can be kept in the better?

Plottie :)

[ruud]

Mine are also out at the allotment,but that is here.Just watch the weatherforcast at your area.

[lewolf]

Mine are also out at the allotment,but that is here.Just watch the weatherforcast at your area.

For much of the UK - there was a ground frost forcast tonight (according to the BBC weather this morning)! -get those Toms fleeced if you can!

Helen

[Mrs Ava]

I have had about 20 plants out on the deck hardening in the garden for about 2 weeks now, and they are still growing like the clappers in this part of Essex.  Some have scorched/chilled looking leaves, but other than that, they all look fine and dandy, and they will be going to the plot tomorrow, with some more pumpkins (first lot went in under cloches last week), and maybe, just maybe, the sweetcorn. :o

[ellkebe]

Once they *are* outside, will I need to cover them to protect them from whatever? Fruit net - that sort of thing?

Thanks Ellkebe

[cleo]

humm-I am convinced I have missed a month-it`s like April here,wet,sometimes warm,cold nights-watch this space for Aubies ready for bonfire night ;D.

Stephan

[tim]

Join the club!!

[weedin project]

Once they *are* outside, will I need to cover them to protect them from whatever? Fruit net - that sort of thing?

Thanks Ellkebe

We've got 18 planted into a greenhouse bed and they are charging away a treat.  Like many others I'm tempted to put the others outside, but I think I'll hang on until at least this coming weekend.  Even then they'll be under fleece cloches. 

Maybe a staggered planting-out might be an idea (I've calculated that we can get 42 plants into the bed I've prepared) with a few spares kept warm in the greenhouse just in case.

Yes, I know that adds up to 60 tomato plants, but we like our pasta sauce, and boil most of them down to about a third of their original volume then freeze it in takeaway cartons.

[clairenpaul]

I supppose it all depends on where you live - its been really cold here (Lincolnshire) the last few nights, had to scape a bit of frost off the car for an early shift the other morning so I think we'll be holding off for a couple of weeks.

[kitty]

o-clairenpaul-lincolnshire?
where exactly are you(if you dont mind me asking!)there are a few yellowbellies on here! ;D

[westsussexlottie]

My hanging basket toms are outside but have had to be brought inside the last 2 nights as it has been so cold. They are doing well though.
Have three santa toms in the allotment but inside wallowaters.

[Roy Bham UK]

:-[ How big a tomato plant are we talking B4 we can put e'm out ??? these are my biggest and are in 3½" diam. pots (9cm) ??? :)

[aquilegia]

I've put a few of mine out as an experimental hardening off (I'm in greater London/Essex).

I put one Roma with a bottle cloche in my mini greenhouse (which is open day and night) about two weeks ago - it's doing fine. And another nine in a cardboard box, which gets covered in bubble wrap overnight, in the garden. They all seem to be doing ok.

But I wouldn't dare to plant them out unprotected just yet. (maybe I'm a bit too soft on them!)

Although we haven't had a frost for a month and the temperature hasn't gone below zero out there in weeks and weeks.

I've also got peas, french beans and courgettes out in pots under fleece and they are all happy!

[kenkew]

Quite cold here (Belgium, same latitude as south London) last night but I'm planning on hardening off mine in a mini house this week.

[tim]

How often do I have to say it?? This was last night.

And Roy - it's not how big the plant - rather whether the roots have filled the pot.

[Roy Bham UK]

Roy - it's not how big the plant - rather whether the roots have filled the pot.

;D Thanks Tim, so presumably you occasionally knock the pot off one to inspect the roots? 8)

[aquilegia]

Tim - one of the few advantages of living in London - no more frost (I hope!) Seriously - I'm keeping a very close eye on the forecast...

[philcooper]

You city slickers have all the luck.

A quick check on http://www.metcheck.com shows the lowest temps in NW Hampshire a full 3 degrees below yours Aqui.

That gives me 0 at 3am on Wednesday  :(

Phil