GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post - Advice sought: Autumn Tomatos in polytunnel

[email protected] · 15-04-2007, 11:34 AM posted to rec.gardens

In article ,
says...
Someone here must have similar disgusting vile weather
as we have in NZ.

Yes, right here in Wellington. Disgusting, vile, nasty. Causing
me to feel very grumpy.

But yesterday was nice, and I got a bunch of weeding done.

I have 3 reasonable tomato plants (summertaste) growing in pots, they are at
various levels of fruiting. We have just had our first day this autumn of
wet and cool winds, it is going down to around 7 degrees celcius tonight.

Yes, about the past three days have been really cold in the
morning.

I have just moved the tomatos into my polytunnel (unheated) to
protect them.

What kind of structure do you have? Constructed from stuff at
Mitre10? Or a kit of U-shaped supports and overhead plastic?

Honestly, if I were still growing in containers (I used 20-litre
buckets for a few years) I might just bring them inside
overnight. It would be important to have them staked and tied up
well, for easy moving. My in-ground ones are schlumped over in a
very sloppy manner, right now.

At some point I will bubble wrap it, not yet. We are some weeks
off frosts yet.

Any ideas from people as to anything more I need do to nurture my tomatos
along a little further?

Maybe just bring them inside? Or try one of those "trouble
lights" used for car repair. They have a little cage with the
bulb inside - incandescent, not florescent. They provide some
heat. But I say do NOT leave it on all night, due to overheating
(even fire?) hazard.

BTW, do you have any ripe tomatoes, yet? I got my first one last
weekend. And just yesterday had enough to contribute to dinner.

This season's score is: Tomatoes: Still lots of green, and still
hopeful. Beans: Mostly thrashed by wind, with very modest yield.
Cucumbers: Same as beans. Capsicums: Thrashed, and still small,
but hoping for some decent ones. Courgettes: OK, considering
that only three plants survived the spring winds. Had a few to
give to a friend.

But the leeks and lettuce are looking nice. And, um, the grass
areas are about half OK, and half weak.

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