tomatoes outside under cloche?

Is it still too early to plant out tomato seedlings even under cloche? Have had my seedlings in my coldframe for a couple of weeks and they seem to have done ok?

 

I agree with John Sarah,although the day time temperatures have risen over the last few days the nights still can't be trusted for a while yet.There's nothing worse than a sulking Tomatoe plant

 

Looking at the weekend forecast frost is predicted for the midlands, so I wouldn't bother yet

 

Hi Sarah,

Soil is too cold and hasnt warmed up enough, keep them cosy and warm until ready to plant out as in the above posts.

 

As all the posts above.

Except that I've got 3 plants outdoors under a cloche without having being properly hardened off. (Very naughty)

Some varieties are more cold tolerant than others. Those from a continental climate (central USA, Eastern Europe) are often better cold adapted. It also depends on hardening off.

I had most of my tomatoes outside under a cloche last year from late March, and they did very well. That's not to say that a frost won't kill them, or cold days set them back really badly this year.

 

Which varieties are hardier ?

 

(Note that the plant surviving the cold and the plant setting fruit at low temps are two different things). The ones I've got outside at the moment are Sub-Arctic Plenty and Super Sioux (I don't know that second one is cold tolerant, but I'm guessing cos it's an early one). Sub-Arctic Plenty was bred for US forces stationed in Greenland!
Also try polar baby, Siberian, Alaskan fancy, aviro, Scotland yellow, Carmello, Stupice and anything with an East European name!

Edit: my friend reckons stupice doesn't taste nice.
Last year my mum put her tomatoes out before a late cold period and it set them back really badly. I'd had mine out for ages before then and double wrapped them in fleece then plastic when a cold night for forecast and they were ahead of my mum's.

 

Interesting JWK. I'd like to try New Girl then. I had an Early Girl last year bought as a young plant, but the poor thing had to be moved twice. It still fruited quickly despite all that disturbance.

I was very impressed with my Bloody Butcher last year. Again purchased as a young plant but late in the season. It fruited quickly and had juicy dark red (hence the name) fruit. Some complain that there are lots of seeds. Anyway, it's supposed to be 55 days from transplanting to maturity. Sub-Arctic Plenty is 50 days and 45 days is about is fast as it gets (cherry varieties curiously aren't much faster than salad sized.)

Early girl and bloody butcher (and presumably new girl?) are potato leaved BTW, which is associated with blight resistant....but then early maturity basically means they escape blight anyway.

I made a point to grow some earlies this year as I had a glut late on last year. The trouble for me is that I bought some dodgy compost and lost a lot of my early sowings to fungus, including most of my earlies.

 

This was what the temperature went down to at my plot last night, I wouldn't consider outdoor toms going in until the beginning of June as a bit of fleece or polythene wont keep them warm enough. Once I tried bubble wrapping a few tomatoes but it just wasn't worth the effort.

 

I agree with the others Sarah, it's still too cold.
When I pot on my tomatoes I put them into bigger pots & plant them deep into the soil, I find this helps them to grow thicker stems & inturn you get a stronger plant. (Mine in the past have got a bit leggy because I sow far to early! )

 

Where do you live? + 2 is the lowest we have had for the last 3 weeks.

 

I wouldn't plant toms out until we get night temps of 7c absolute minimum.
Rising to 15c during the day.