Just to add to the neverending tomato thread, is it too early to put my toms outside. My allotment is in the London area....?
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
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 :)
Mine are also out at the allotment,but that is here.Just watch the weatherforcast at your area.
Quote from: ruud on May 09, 2005, 17:43:58
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
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
Once they *are* outside, will I need to cover them to protect them from whatever? Fruit net - that sort of thing?
Thanks Ellkebe
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
Join the club!!
Quote from: ellkebe on May 09, 2005, 19:22:18
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.Â
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.
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.
o-clairenpaul-lincolnshire?
where exactly are you(if you dont mind me asking!)there are a few yellowbellies on here! ;D
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.
:-[ 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) ??? :)
(http://img160.echo.cx/img160/9404/tomsize15ye.jpg) (http://www.imageshack.us)
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!
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.
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.
Quote from: tim on May 10, 2005, 09:51:54
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)
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...
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
:'( :'( :'( :'( 3 nights at 0c for me it says.
Roy - yes but, before that, you'll see them coming out of the bottom??
For instance, this is nowhere near ready to go out.
What size pot is that tim?
A couple of my toms (all in 3in pots) have a few inches of root out the bottom (I didn't notice until last night). Are they ready to go in the final pot or should I pot them on to a middle-sized one first?
Ron was up on the plot today knocking in posts - I asked what he was up to and he told me he is preparing to get his toms in at the weekend. Apparently we are waiting for the north wind to drop, then all will be well in our part of Essex. How do we know that the north wind will have dropped by the weekend....ah well, tis the Essex way dontchano! ;D My toms will be making their grand arrival next week I think.
Aqui - 3 1/2" - I normally use bigger, but forgot this year.
Potting on? No - they'll go straight out from the 3" pots - when ready!
oh that's good! yippee!
We had groundfrost and an airfrost last night and same expected tonight. I was on the lotty after 9.00 pm putting protection over my spuds. In the pouring rain too. Should have listened to the earlier news methinks :)
roy-rather than keep taking a tom out the pot to check rootage,look underneath-for potting onwards i feel there should be a goodly amount of roots popping out the bottom... ;D
i dont think anyone should be in a hurry to plant out-its not even mid may yet...everything will whizz along later.. ;)
Took the chance in the end - but went down this morning and they were NOT looking happy! Drooping and windblown. (Luckily they're only 7 out of a potential 60). Anyway, I fleeced them up and may have to enact some kind of candlelit vigil tonight in the hope that they'll pull through!
kitty - to modify that thought slightly, you can have water searching roots showing at the bottom long before you get a good 'root-ball'??
piers - that's why they burn candles in the orchards in Evesham!
Apparently frost free here for another week. Now if that north wind would head south, I could get my toms in!
tim-aha!light dawning on kitty!
i see...i didnt realise the little tinkers were searching for water-i thought they were outgrowing their pot-i shall observe more closely in future! ::)
ej-a helluva northerly yesterday here-and a real sharp ground frost this morning-brrr!
Hi Kitty,
we are in Scunthorpe - but of all jokes, but we like it!! Are you in Lincs too?
it cant cope with that middle bit in s********e!!!!!
it cant cope with the animals i paint either unless i call them cats..
anyway-yes-i am-north east of lincoln near saxilby-we used to live in manton near your town!
hello!redclanger and petemason are yellowbwllies too!
kitty ;D
oh drat. I spoke to soon. I thought we'd seen the last of the frosts. But wednesday night my thermometer went down to 1C and now the toms are looking a bit frazzeled, despite the bubblewrap duvet. Spuds (uncovered) are fine. Courgettes (under fleece) are fine. We've got a slight chance of frost next week, so I think I might have to bring the toms in overnight....
(come to think of it - I reckon my roots out the bottom of the pot are the plant searching for water. Goodness knows why - they get enough of it.) Grow little planties, grow...
i think i'll bring out a new name of tomato-'The Okey Cokey Tom'!!!!! ;D
but of course in the growing instructions i shall omitt'shake it all about'..... ;D
Quote from: clairenpaul on May 13, 2005, 16:06:46
Hi Kitty,
we are in Sthingyhorpe - but of all jokes, but we like it!! Are you in Lincs too?
Better avoid the subject of football then ;)
isnt the end of May a good guideline to put toms out?
i think around the end of may chrispea-surely the frosts will be over by then-it was a snorter a couple of mornings ago!
clanger!
you off to the match then i take it!?
and-got yer red carnation?i shall be there bright and early-10 o'clock..
Better avoid the subject of football then ;)
Quote
up the iron - haven't we done well!! we're not great football fans to be honest but we're enjoying our moment of glory - moment probably being the right word as its unlikely to last :) :).
anyway on a more serious note, its still cold here - tomates in mini-greenhouse seem to have stopped growing. Just was well really cos i've done my back a mischief and can't get to the lottie at the minute. Hopefully will be back in action later in the week and if nothing else i'll be able to supervise Paul ;D. If the rest of you yellowbellies hear shouting you'll know he's not too keen on all my well meaning advice...
My toms seem fine, but my runner have been a little scorched. More wind damage me thinks. Only the bottom leaves, and they are already branching and romping away up the poles so I am happy!