[WhippetMaster]

Hello experts out there.

I have an unheated greenhouse with pepper, tomato and aubergine plants in. The air temperature at night drops as low as 6C.

The tomato plants are 6-8 inches, aubergines 4-6 inches and peppers 2 inches tall.

They seem healthy and ok but the pepper plants appear to be growing very slowly.

I have had no problems with frost but what effect will the cool temperatures have on the plants?

Should I invest in a heater this late on in the season, move them indoors or leave them be?

[DD.]

The cool temperatures will slow them down, but it is forecast to get warmer next week. (I'll believe it when it happens!).

Personally I'd keep my fingers crossed, after all it will soon be May and it has to get warmer sometime, (please).

[gobs]

They are gonna grow very slowly if at all, as you stated yourself.

You can keep them alive, but that's more or less about it, you can't expect them enjoying the ride.

[nobby]

mine are in a unheated green house aswell
its no real problem things are just a little bit slower
but they soon catch up

[WhippetMaster]

Have bought them indoors and apologised. They have found a new home on a warm window sill much to the disapproval of my other half!!! :x

[Martin]

According to this article, peppers (and presumably aubergines) need a minimum temperature of 12°C to grow successfully.

I've also got mine in an unheated greenhouse.

[gobs]

According to this article, peppers (and presumably aubergines) need a minimum temperature of 12°C to grow successfully.

I've also got mine in an unheated greenhouse.

I'd rather make that around twenty personally, 12 is where your brassica grows, really, jolly cold.

[WhippetMaster]

Have ordered a greenhouse heater to put them in the comfort zone. Should speed up their growth.

[BigPaddy]

Argh! Cool in Devon, summer in Yorkshire! 6 degree at night - we would be out on the patio in shorts and swimming in the drain.

[vegmandan]

Peppers are notoriously slow to grow initially.

Then when they get to about 6-8 leaves and it warms up a bit they just seem to take off.

I grew some Aubergines once,but I couldn't believe how spiny the plant was. :shock:

[cooperman]

started mine off in a heated propagator - good germination - as the greenhouse is unheated and averaging 5/6C I decided to bring indoors, namely the kitchen windowsill, they didnt like it there and much prefered the brightly lit but cooler bedroom windowsill. So I guess the name of the game is warm but not too warm once up and growing!!

[Stripey_cat]

Most of mine are in an unheated, plastic covered greenhouse - at night the air drops to about 12, but the soil and the paving stay a good bit hotter from the sun on them all day - it was 25 in the shade outside the house this morning!  They're growing along fairly steadily, but nothing like the few I have room for in the house, which are cooler in the day (25 is the maximum I'll put up with indoors), but don't drop below about 18 at night, and have been christened the Triffids by my boyfriend.

They seem happy with plenty of light and warm roots - I left the door open one night, and the air temp. was down below ten the next morning, but the pots seemed to have kept themselves that little bit warm enough that nothing was sulking.