@Fairygirl I was pointing out that we have to sow many seeds indoors before we can plant the seedlings out into the polytunnel and/or outdoors. Sometimes this can be as late as the end of May for outdoors and even in the polytunnel continued growth can be very slow. And we are in the SW. I agree that none of us can change what we have and we have to work with what we have.
Oh absolutely @bertrand-mabel - that's exactly the problem we have here. The ground is consistently a couple of degrees colder than the air temp, and it just doesn't warm up early in the year, so it adds several weeks onto timings. It's why everyone needs to experiment and work with conditions in their own locale - and that's not always easy, especially when it's a fruiting plant. It can be frustrating, and even more so if it's a plant you haven't grown before as you have nothing to compare it with. Big swings in temps can be very problematic, and that's something we've been having here over the last few months, so if that pattern follows on, it could be tricky. I think we have to accept that changes in the weather patterns will make it difficult for lots of plants we grow, regardless of where we live, and we'll just have to do our best to adapt
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Now I'm worried as I planted my Tumbling Tom seeds last week 🫤 Pack said Jan-April so I went ahead. They're on a south facing windowsill above a radiator and have germinated really quickly. I'm not anticipating putting them outside until March and even then only in the cold frame. Hopefully they'll be OK, it's my first year growing veg so it's a bit of a learning curve.
I wouldn't put tomatoes out in a cold frame as early as March here, even if they would fit. From a late Jan/early Feb sowing they might be too tall anyway. I don't sow mine until April (or the very end of March if I'm feeling optimistic). Any earlier than that wouldn't work here unless there's a heated greenhouse or a conservatory for them to go into (or luck with the weather). They go out into a mini-polytunnel affair (about 2 feet headroom) maybe early to mid May and then into their final pots against the South-facing garage wall late May or early June.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
even with a frost date may 16 I planted tomatoes outside feb 16 and used special techniques such as soil heating cables and stacked wall o waters to get my first tomato by july 4. also the special techniques kept tomato safe outside even when temperatures went down 15F/-9.4C. as for plants on windowsills they may get to cold and not provide enough light for seedlings
As @JennyJ says - a cold frame is rarely big enough, even with planting deeper, and even if it's mild, you need decent overnight temps for toms to thrive. Good double figures.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I knew I was going to get it wrong 😭 If they're too big for the cold frame I can put them in OH's mum's greenhouse although that's unheated. To be truthful, I'm not entirely sure where they'll be positioned until they get put in the cold frame/greenhouse. Space indoors for seed trays is a bit of an issue as I'm going to be growing a lot of annuals. Fortunately I've already decided to sow the other veg direct rather than start indoors. I'm just going to have to wing it and hope for the best.
The best thing is to jot down some notes as to when you've sown seed, and where you kept it etc, and then you can refer to it next year. It just give you an idea of the best time for your site and conditions. You could always use some fleece for extra protection if you use the greenhouse, or the cold frame, but you'd have to keep a close eye on them - temps can be surprisingly high on a sunny day, and then drop dramatically overnight at that time of year.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Posts
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
It's why everyone needs to experiment and work with conditions in their own locale - and that's not always easy, especially when it's a fruiting plant. It can be frustrating, and even more so if it's a plant you haven't grown before as you have nothing to compare it with.
Big swings in temps can be very problematic, and that's something we've been having here over the last few months, so if that pattern follows on, it could be tricky.
I think we have to accept that changes in the weather patterns will make it difficult for lots of plants we grow, regardless of where we live, and we'll just have to do our best to adapt
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I planted tomatoes outside feb 16 and used special techniques
such as soil heating cables and stacked wall o waters to get my
first tomato by july 4. also the special techniques kept
tomato safe outside even when temperatures went down
15F/-9.4C. as for plants on windowsills they may get to cold and
not provide enough light for seedlings
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
You could always use some fleece for extra protection if you use the greenhouse, or the cold frame, but you'd have to keep a close eye on them - temps can be surprisingly high on a sunny day, and then drop dramatically overnight at that time of year.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...