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Tomatoes too early?

tomhumftomhumf Posts: 65
in Fruit & veg
I was a bit keen with sowing tomatoes I think, sowing at the end of January. I've since read most people sow mid March. 

I've potted them on and they seem fairly healthy so far. What is the problem with growing early, will they run out of steam before fruiting? 

They will be going out in our poly tunnel. I'm not sure exactly when to put them in the ground. Should it be after last frost or could I get them in earlier ( mid april ) and fleece over if a frost comes? 

I've just sowed another lot in case these ones don't work. 


Posts

  • clarke.bruntclarke.brunt Posts: 215
    Those look great! Thought, reading the title, that is was going to be yet more very leggy 'sown too early' tomatoes. I see you've buried some of the stem when potting-on (since I can't see the seed-leaves) and the first visible leaf is a 'proper' one.

    The problem (for many other people) is that they can't provide enough light, or haven't got enough heated space once they need potting on.

    So long as you can continue as you are doing until they go out, then they should be good. I wouldn't dare say when. You don't usually gain two months by January sowing versus March, as progress under artificial heat/light isn't usually as fast as they grow under natural conditions later on, but they've still got to be earlier fruiting by some amount.

    I'll be thinking of sowing in about a week, as usual (so towards the end of March) for putting outside (grow-bags) from mid-May. You should have an interesting comparison with the ones you've just sown.
  • purplerallimpurplerallim Posts: 5,287
    They look to be doing fine @tomhumf
    The reason we start later is room to keep them usually.  Yours may need a little support when they get taller, but other than that will do fine.
    With a polly tunnel you should be able to get them out mid April ( like I do in my cold greenhouse) This may check their growth for a short time due to colder night temperatures,  but should mean 🤞 that we pick earlier than outside plants, cherry ones late June and standard size end July.😁
  • clarke.bruntclarke.brunt Posts: 215
    edited March 2021
    purplerallim said:
    ...get them out mid April ( like I do in my cold greenhouse) This may check their growth for a short time due to colder night temperatures,  but should mean 🤞 that we pick earlier than outside plants, cherry ones late June and standard size end July.😁

    I (rather nerdily) wrote down last year that my first outdoor tomato was ripe on 18th July 2020 (that's sown 28th March, near Cambridge) - it was a 'cherry' variety.
  • purplerallimpurplerallim Posts: 5,287
    That's not nerdy @clarke.brunt that's stockmanship 😁
    The hubby insists if we haven't picked by the third weekend of July, they are late.😁
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