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Moving tomato plants outdoors

PottyforpotsPottyforpots Posts: 26
in Fruit & veg
I have grown some tomato plants from seed and they have now grown fairly large (sown January, now 45cm tall). I have 6 of them and whilst they're growing well indoors, im fast running out of sunny windows! When can I put them outside? Currently the average daytime temp is 10-11°c, I have a South facing garden and a small unheated greenhouse with a fleece cover if needs be. Also, would growbags or pots be best for these? They're gardeners delight tomatoes. Thank you!
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  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited March 2021
    Mine don’t go outside full time until June ... but for about a month before that I put them outside in a little grow house during the day and bring them indoors at night ... they go on a plastic sheet on the dining table after we’ve had supper. 

    If they go out too soon when the temperatures are too low they will stop growing. 

    They really need temps at 15C and above. 

    This may help 

    https://www.tomatogrowing.co.uk/tomato-growing-temperatures

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • MarygoldMarygold Posts: 332
    Those plants look really good. Mine always go lanky indoors! 

    I don't start putting mine outside to harden off until at least late April. You could put them in your greenhouse but I would bring them back in if any very cold nights are forecast.

    I have a small greenhouse that's just big enough to fit a growbag. I put 3 cordon plants in but use grow rings and top up the compost through the season which means the plants grow extra feeding roots from the stem. The greenhouse is only about 4 to 5 feet tall so the plants are cut off at top. My outdoor plants are grown in tubs about 1 foot square but I have grown plants in smaller pots but don't let them get too big; maybe just settle for 1 or 2 trusses of fruit.
  • clarke.bruntclarke.brunt Posts: 215
    Indeed they look great, but I can't offer much advice on what to do with them in the time between now and when it's suitable for them to go outside. I'll be sowing mine shortly, and by around mid-May they'll hopefully look like yours, and it will be getting time to go outside. There can be a period of putting them in greenhouse during the day, and back inside at night, but then they'll start wanting larger pots or to go in grow-bags or whatever, and not easy to move. Your timing maybe suits going into a heated greenhouse about now...

    There's no 'better' in pots versus grow-bags. They both work fine. I use bags (each in a tray, and with a bottom-less pot on top for each plant) for simplicity rather than several large pots (would be 10 or 12 inch maybe).

    Gardener's Delight is normally grown as a single stem, removing sideshoots - looks like you're well on the way doing that,
  • PottyforpotsPottyforpots Posts: 26
    Thanks for all your comments. I think I'll play it safe until temps outside are at least 15 degrees. They'll need repotting though as the roots are coming through the bottom of the pots, so I'll get that done today then find more places around my house for them to live in the meantime. 
    I've never grown tomatoes from seed before, but the seed packet suggested growing from January. I think next year I'll wait until March! 
  • clarke.bruntclarke.brunt Posts: 215
    Glad you think you've got space to continue! By all means repot, but I've had said they're OK for a while yet. Roots will quickly come out the bottom no matter what size pot you put them in, but it doesn't necessarily mean they've full explored all the rest of the soil - and you don't want to soil ball to fall apart when you lift them out.

    I don't know how you've managed the heat/light to have them looking so good with the early start. Clearly people do - I sometimes walk past someone's greenhouse and see their early tomatoes. Perhaps I should try just one early one, for the heated greenhouse, but it's full of (mainly) cacti, so the tomatoes go outside.
  • wigeonwigeon Posts: 36
    hello pottyforpots.wow they are some size and look great.i have just sown my seeds on 18/3/21.shirleyf1.with fingers crossed on germination what name are your tomatoes .best regards peter.
  • purplerallimpurplerallim Posts: 5,287
    If you re-pot @Pottyforpots then try to bury as much stem as you can up to the first leaves, this will help keep the plants strong, so if they are not root full this will be easier. You are doing a good job up till now keep it up, try not to keep them too warm now above 10° ( which is why it's too cold to go out yet) but plenty of light. By the time they go out you will probably have the first set of flowers.😁
  • PottyforpotsPottyforpots Posts: 26
    Thanks for the tip! Some big pots needed :)
  • purplerallimpurplerallim Posts: 5,287
    👍😁 If anything else crops up just come back and ask.
  • PottyforpotsPottyforpots Posts: 26
    All repotted in 9" pots, staying indoors for now on a sunny windowsill supported by canes  :)
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