Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Growing in Greenhouses & Polytunnels => Topic started by: adri123 on March 31, 2014, 21:49
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Had to move some of my early sown peppers, chillis, tomatoes and aubergine plants from the window sill to the PT yesterday. Max/min thermometer said it got down to 8 deg C last night. They are on staging above my 6 x220 litre heat store barrels.
If it goes no lower than 8C would you think they'll survive?
Thx
Adri
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You may just be OK with that, however, we're forecast for lower temperatures a bit further into April. But you know how reliable these forecasts are!
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Mine do. Often getting down to low figures. I try to cover them of course and get some heat to them but generally find that down to 5 deg doesn't harm them although it might set them back a bit but then they gain from having longer daylight hours being 'outside'
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my peppers have been in U H tunnel a week now also tomatoes . seem ok at the moment
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No frosts this week - dunno what will happen next eek though :unsure:
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If the average temp drops below 10 for a while, you will notice the leaves on the toms go blue and will be set back. I'm sure the other plants will sulk too.
Without meaning to sound patronising, and not solely aimed at you Adri, but these plants require warmth from the get go, so if no heated facility is available it's far far easier and much less hassle to sow a little later. The chillies and aubergines tend to grow slowly even inside so they can always be started early, so long as they can stay inside. The tomatoes grow quick, so timings need to be made to coincide as best as you can, with warmer weather, regardless of how early it says to sow on the packet.
Totty
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Thx Totty.
No patronage taken... :)
I'm in the first year of our PT and it's very hard to decide when to start things off. My learning so far is that yes I have started of Toms too early as they are now pretty big and their growth rate far outstrips that of the Peppers etc so next season they at least will be sown a couple of weeks later if not a month.
With the Peppers the only chance we have up here in the Peak District is to sow early and keep indoors. Luckily I've made a grow box with lights etc which has meant they are still doing well but now the number of plants is getting too much for the grow box so some have to go to the unheated PT. We do have a good heat sink in there though and that should fend off the worst of any cold snaps. It is amazingly warm in there even when outside is cold.
Live and learn. I intend to.
TIA
Adri
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The trouble being we never know how the Spring weather is going to develop.
For fear of cold April/May nights, I would be left with almost no option every year but to buy garden centre reared plants.
Without heat, down here, my twin-wall polycarbonate cold greenhouse keeps toms and peppers about 10 degrees when outside temps are above five degrees. The odd night when temperatures are lower, almost to zero, I add a secondary dome over the plants, and/or fleeced at night. It just about works most years for toms sown in late February. I wouldn't try this with cucumbers and wait until mid April to sow them.
It's impossible to please all of the plants all of the time. :)
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The problem with a Polytunnel is the variation in temperature, not just the cold at night but also the heat in the day if its sunny. My PT can vary between 5 and 45 at this time of year, I usually make multiple sowings of tomatoes to try and catch the best weather.