Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Growing in Greenhouses & Polytunnels => Topic started by: Headgardener22 on May 04, 2014, 08:44

Title: When should I plant my tomatoes in an unheated greenhouse?
Post by: Headgardener22 on May 04, 2014, 08:44
My tomatoes are sturdy little plants and are doing well in their pots in the greenhouse covered at night to keep them warmer.

The question is when should I plant them to their final place. In the past I have waited until the first flowers are showing, and sometimes until the first fruit has set, but I noticed in some threads that people appear from the photos to have planted them already.

What's the general opinion?
Title: Re: When should I plant my tomatoes in an unheated greenhouse?
Post by: fatcat1955 on May 04, 2014, 08:51
I do not plant anything tender until June.
Title: Re: When should I plant my tomatoes in an unheated greenhouse?
Post by: JayG on May 04, 2014, 09:05
Can be a difficult balancing act, especially as for most people the 'final place' is somewhere where they can't be moved if an unusually cold spell threatens.

For what it's worth, I don't start them very early, so they are still in relatively small pots and will only be about 12-18" high in a week or so, and that's when I'll cross everything and transplant them into my home-made planters in the GH.

I suspect you will find many variations on the theme, and they probably all 'work,' although UK location will obviously have a bearing on timing.
Title: Re: When should I plant my tomatoes in an unheated greenhouse?
Post by: m1ckz on May 04, 2014, 12:20
mine have been in 2 weeks now an there doin fine..im in sunny essex lol
Title: Re: When should I plant my tomatoes in an unheated greenhouse?
Post by: adri123 on May 04, 2014, 17:34
I'm in the Peak District and the first Toms are now 2 feet tall and have open flowers.  I think I had luck with the weather this year though and installing the heat sink barrels helped.

Next year I'll be starting them a couple of weeks later.

Adri
Title: Re: When should I plant my tomatoes in an unheated greenhouse?
Post by: cadalot on May 04, 2014, 19:19
Depending on the size some of mine are now in vending machine cups and larger ones are in plastic milk bottles and the larger ones are in 90x90 square pots, I like to move them up gradually potting deeper with each move so I get a nice root system 
Title: Re: When should I plant my tomatoes in an unheated greenhouse?
Post by: barley on May 04, 2014, 21:48
planted mine in today - weather looks ok for week ahead which will take us into mid may - going to keep fingers crossed that we won't get any more frosts after that  :nowink:
Title: Re: When should I plant my tomatoes in an unheated greenhouse?
Post by: Headgardener22 on May 04, 2014, 22:36
So, the answer seems to be that we all do it differently and each way works!
Title: Re: When should I plant my tomatoes in an unheated greenhouse?
Post by: Totty on May 07, 2014, 19:35
The answer is, when it's warm enough wherever you live!

Totty