Tomatoes - what next

Hi all,

Have grown some tomato plants indoors, these are eventually to end up outdoors, and are now quite big. Question is, what do I do next to get them outside? Have an unheated greenhouse, but its getting quite full

 

Hi Mike. If it were me, I'd pot them up and TRY to find some space in the greenhouse. It's still a month before they can be safely planted outside. If nothing else, I guess you could keep them outside during the day, bringing them in at night. Bear in mind, they need plenty of light and a minimum of around 10c.
Hope this helps
ATB...freddy.

 

Some of mine are going outside in a week or so with some canes and fleece handy for chilly nights and the rest kept in for a bit longer. Last year i got caught out by frosts in may, but that rarely happens here in Sussex. It depends on where you live and how many plants you can afford to lose.

 

You should be potting these on through biger and bigger pot sizes as they grow, but dont go too big too soon. Use a size pot slightly bigger than the modules you have them in now. Doing this stops the chance of overwatering by having too much extra wet compost around the roots.

My plants are now in three inch pots and will be potted on this week into four inch, they are smaller than yours by the look of things, but I'll bet the root system on mine are three times the size of yours. I've also planted mine upto the seed leaves. Mine are permanantly in the cold greenhouse now.

Steve...

 

Unfortunately we have no clue where you are situated. Charly96 is correct for Sussex, I am in East Anglia and we are unlikely to get frost after mid-May. Further north would be later and would be risky before June.

An 8x6 greenhouse insulated with bubblewrap and a small paraffin lamp (a small hurricane lamp) will give reasonable protection in most places.

 

I'm in south yorkshire.

Going to move them up to slightly larger pots in the next few days. And then start hardening off in the greenhouse.

 

Decided to do the move today, moved them into 2 inch pots which is about double the cells, and then supported them with a little cane.

The leaves almost seemed to shrival up whilst I was doing the move outside, have brought them back inside now, not sure whether they will survive or not, hope they will, they were only outside for an hour in the garage.

 

Hi again Mike.
I should have said, it's important to NOT subject them to rapid changes in temperature. They've been kept in relative comfort on your windowsill, and it's been pretty cold out there today. You're doing the right thing, bringing them back inside. The forecast is for better weather over the next few days, so try putting them in the greenhouse during the day and bringing them back inside at night. Then, after a week or so, leave them outside during the day, bringing them in at night. Then, if temperatures permit, outside during the day, then greenhouse at night. Finally, around the first week of June, they should be fine for their final planting. As Steve said, pot them on as and when they're ready.
It's all about gradually hardening them of, and keeping up the light levels.

Cheers...freddy.

 

Blimey!!

I wish I'd read this a few weeks ago!! :-)

We just took the seedling plug thingies from the windowsill, potted them into three inch pots and left them to it in the polytunnel.

They are going great guns now.

I've always thought of tomatoes as quite robust. Our next batch of seedlings (still on windowsill) will get better treatment!!

Thanks

Susanna