Sorry @Kitty52 - I've only just seen your reply, so I'm just as bad! I grow mine undercover because the weather in the west isn't great for outdoor toms. The last couple of summers has been very different, and horribly hot, so I've had a couple outside but I'm not about to make the assumption that it'll be that way every year, any time soon I usually do mine around mid to end of March, which gives them time to get to a reasonable size before putting them in the little growhouse around mid May. 2 months from sowing is about right for my conditions. The other thing to remember is that they need light early on, and although we get more daylight hours in summer than the south gets, it's the opposite way round through winter, so sowing too early isn't ideal because of that shortage of light. They need that more than warmth early on. I didn't realise that until some years ago when a very experienced tom grower on the forum gave that info.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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I grow mine undercover because the weather in the west isn't great for outdoor toms. The last couple of summers has been very different, and horribly hot, so I've had a couple outside but I'm not about to make the assumption that it'll be that way every year, any time soon
I usually do mine around mid to end of March, which gives them time to get to a reasonable size before putting them in the little growhouse around mid May. 2 months from sowing is about right for my conditions.
The other thing to remember is that they need light early on, and although we get more daylight hours in summer than the south gets, it's the opposite way round through winter, so sowing too early isn't ideal because of that shortage of light. They need that more than warmth early on. I didn't realise that until some years ago when a very experienced tom grower on the forum gave that info.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...