[muckyboots]

Hi all ,can anyone tell me the best time to sow tamatoes,I have been told that there father sowed his boxing day,but I may be a bit otherwise engaged that day. I have a heated propagator if that helps,any help gratefully recieved.A MERRY Christmas TO ALL.muckyboots.

[Ropster]

you need to be able to keep them frost free, so if you plant them on boxing day you will need a heated greenhouse or big conservatory or something

[Salmo]

It depends how you are going to grow them. As with all plants you want them to grow steadily with no check.

If you have a heated greenhouse and want a very early crop then Boxing Day might be right, although it does seem a bit soon to me.

If you have an unheated greenhouse you must sow them later as even in a greenhouse they may get frosted or checked with cold conditions. Mid March sowings should see them planted out by early May.

For ouside crops sow Mid April for planting out after frosts.

[Aidy]

unless you are planning to transplant the toms into a heated greenhouse to grow through I would not bother sowing until Feb, then they will be ready for transplanting as the light levels increase along with the heat.

[muckyboots]

Iv got an unheated greenhouse,so Ill wait till feb as want I dont want to lose them.Thanks all
muckyboots

[gillie]

Tomatoes need light as well as warmth, or they grow too straggly.  Early March is soon enough for me!

Cheers,

Gillie

[Babstreefern]

I always start mine off in late Feb/early March in my conservatory.  I put them on the window sill so they get full optimum light, and its also warm (not really hot). I water them every day, and then transplant to the greenhouse when risk of frost has gone, and I always have the first tomatoes on the allotment.  Never yet failed.  This year, I was eating tomatoes from early June right through to late October - by then I was getting a bit sick of them.

[zazen999]

I run an early tomato growing thread [on another forum] and a load of us sow a few [and only a few] during the time between Christmas and NY - and grow them indoors for early toms. My earliest was 2nd June for red toms this way but I know others who have had them earlier.

[Kristen]

Light and Heat both important.

If light levels are low they grow straggly, more "Length" between trusses, fewer trusses before they hit the roof ...

If they get cold they stall, and it takes them quite a bit to get going again. Cold to me means not letting the temperature fall below 10C (including at night - although you can bring them into the house, they don't need Light at Night of course!)

[stompy]

I start half my plants off in mid feb and the other half off at the end of march, all indoors in an unheated propagator"A plant pot with a plastic bag on top" on one of the radiator covers.
I then pot on and place them on the upstairs south west facing windowsil.
That way i am cropping from the beggining of june right through until mid november, and thats in an unheated greenhouse

[madcat]

It's champion onions grown from seed that you are supposed to sow on Boxing Day. 

I think it is a ploy to get to the shed/allotment/greenhouse and out of the way of the relatives.....  (thinks ....   could be a good idea!   )

[Kristen]

"I start half my plants off in mid feb and the other half off at the end of march,"

I tried taking cuttings from the first side-shoots that formed this year. A bit subjective, but I reckon the cuttings had fewer leaf pairs to first truss, and were more "stocky", and that that might get an extra Truss before they hit the roof (gave them away, so don't have side-by-side comparison I'm afraid)

[DavidT]

I`ll be sowing tomatoes next month in a frostfree greenhouse, but covering the trays with propagator lids. Growing any veg plants without heat produces stronger, sturdier plants.

[Kristen]

I reckon you will struggle with Tomatoes if the temperature falls below 10C - and I reckon you need 18C to 21C for germination

[Trillium]

I don't have a greenhouse and we have snow on the ground until end of March, so I start my seeds indoors at beginning of march and keep them indoors. I don't grow dozens and dozens so its not a problem. What I do is start them off in damp paper towels and when they sprout, they go into extra deep planting units much like root trainers and this sits close to my sunniest window. By planting time they're a decent size and ready for hardening off outside.