Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Pony Girl on April 01, 2014, 20:09

Title: Too late to sow greenhouse tomatoes?
Post by: Pony Girl on April 01, 2014, 20:09: Am I too late to start tomatoes this year for the greenhouse? Time has run away with me but would prefer to grow my own from seed.
Title: Re: Too late to sow greenhouse tomatoes?
Post by: mjpalin on April 01, 2014, 20:15: I haven't sown mine yet. It's a job on the list for the next few days.
According to the planner, April is ok : http://www.allotment-garden.org/garden-month-help/garden-april.php (http://www.allotment-garden.org/garden-month-help/garden-april.php)
Title: Re: Too late to sow greenhouse tomatoes?
Post by: Sparkyrog on April 01, 2014, 22:38: You should be fine sowing now indoors for a cold house ;)
Title: Re: Too late to sow greenhouse tomatoes?
Post by: Pony Girl on April 02, 2014, 06:00: Great, thanks guys!
Title: Re: Too late to sow greenhouse tomatoes?
Post by: spuriousmonkey on April 02, 2014, 11:16: i would go for an early variety though.

I already have to because I live in Finland, but I can imagine that with a not so good afterseason the standard tomato might not do so well in the UK as well.
Title: Re: Too late to sow greenhouse tomatoes?
Post by: sunshineband on April 02, 2014, 11:27: I sowed mine that are destined last weekend, and I expect they will be ready to plant out as decent sized plants in 5 to 6 weeks' time.

Your will be going into an unheated greenhouse and should be just fine :D :D
Title: Re: Too late to sow greenhouse tomatoes?
Post by: Pony Girl on April 02, 2014, 13:48: Just dashed home to sow some in my lunch break! Am trying San Marzano this year. I've already got a couple of Moneymakers on the go as was using up the old seed from last year though everyone says they're a bit bland. The Moneymakers are about an inch high on the window sill.

Hopefully The San Marzano will catch them up soon.

35 degrees in the greenhouse today!
Title: Re: Too late to sow greenhouse tomatoes?
Post by: wbmkk on April 02, 2014, 16:26: I sowed most of my tomato seeds a couple of weeks ago and potted them on, at the weekend.

Normally it's wise to sow about 8 weeks before the last frost. Up until then the plants will be in 3 1/2 inch square pots and easy to look after. In June, they'll go out into the unheated greenhouse.

Frost or even cool nights doesn't always kill the plants, but they turn blue (don't we all) and never recover fully.

I actually ordered some Indigo Rose 'purple' tomato seeds last Friday, which are still to arrive. Once they do, they'll be sown.
Title: Re: Too late to sow greenhouse tomatoes?
Post by: Willow_Warren on April 02, 2014, 17:02: Well I only sowed most of mine yesterday so I'm hoping it's ok! (a few got started off a couple of weeks ago so they are a bit more advanced)

I checked my dates for last year and I sowed most of my tomatoes on the 20th of March, so I'm roughly 2 weeks later! Fingers crossed we're in for a good spring and they will grow quickly :)

Hannah
Title: Re: Too late to sow greenhouse tomatoes?
Post by: Pony Girl on April 03, 2014, 08:00: Hopefully! I think we've earned it after all that rain! :D
Title: Re: Too late to sow greenhouse tomatoes?
Post by: 8doubles on April 03, 2014, 08:14: Quote from: Pony Girl on April 02, 2014, 13:48
Just dashed home to sow some in my lunch break! Am trying San Marzano this year. I've already got a couple of Moneymakers on the go as was using up the old seed from last year though everyone says they're a bit bland. The Moneymakers are about an inch high on the window sill.

Hopefully The San Marzano will catch them up soon.

35 degrees in the greenhouse today!

The trouble is that on clear days that heat the g/house to 35° the temp drops rapidly at night due to lack of cloud cover to hold the heat.
Toms do not like this so bubble wrap insulation is a worthwhile invesrment. :)
Title: Re: Too late to sow greenhouse tomatoes?
Post by: Pony Girl on April 03, 2014, 11:43: They're not in GH yet - am molly coddling them on window sill! Got bubblewrap and fleece to hand though for my other plantlets just in case though has only got down to 5 degrees this week.