I know you are supposed to wait until night temps are in the 50s F before
planting tomatoes. My question is this: what happens if you don't? I mean,
if night time temps are in the 40s when you plant, does that mean you're
doomed, or does it just take longer to mature, or what?


--
hillary israeli vmd http://www.hillary.net
"uber vaccae in quattuor partes divisum est."
not-so-newly minted veterinarian-at-large

In article ,
(Hillary Israeli) wrote:

I know you are supposed to wait until night temps are in the 50s F before
planting tomatoes. My question is this: what happens if you don't? I mean,
if night time temps are in the 40s when you plant, does that mean you're
doomed, or does it just take longer to mature, or what?

Personally, I never worry about night temps unless there is a
possibility of a freeze. ;-)

It's been unusually cold here in Texas this spring, but I've got plenty
of sets already and my plants are anywhere from 12" to 24" tall.

K.

--
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(Hillary Israeli) wrote in message ...
I know you are supposed to wait until night temps are in the 50s F before
planting tomatoes. My question is this: what happens if you don't? I mean,
if night time temps are in the 40s when you plant, does that mean you're
doomed, or does it just take longer to mature, or what?

they will slow down, and produce later than if you had followed proper
procedure. it also depends on the tomatoes. cherry are more cold
tolerant than others. now, if you were to set out eggplant, okra or
basil at those temperatures the first two would stall for months, and
the basil would die.

In ,
simy1 wrote:

(Hillary Israeli) wrote in message ...
* I know you are supposed to wait until night temps are in the 50s F before
* planting tomatoes. My question is this: what happens if you don't? I mean,
* if night time temps are in the 40s when you plant, does that mean you're
* doomed, or does it just take longer to mature, or what?
*
*they will slow down, and produce later than if you had followed proper
*procedure. it also depends on the tomatoes. cherry are more cold
*tolerant than others. now, if you were to set out eggplant, okra or
*basil at those temperatures the first two would stall for months, and
*the basil would die.

The basil would NOT die. I do this every year with basil. I always plant
it early, I am a sucker. Yes, if it FREEZES, the basil dies for sure. But
40 F? Well, it's been 40ish plenty of times since I planted the basil and
it is alive, and it has lived in past years when I did the same thing.

So, back to the tomatoes - I still don't quite get it.

Say I have some tomato plants and I divide them into two groups. These are
all the same type of plant and all sprouted at the same time. One group I
put outside after the last frost, but when evening temps are still dipping
into the low 40s or even high 30s. Another group I keep inside for another
month or six weeks, until the evening temps are always in the 50s. Are you
saying that the group one tomatoes will produce their crop later than the
group two tomatoes? Or when you say they "slow down," do you mean that
they will just not do much until it is warmer outside?

--
hillary israeli vmd http://www.hillary.net
"uber vaccae in quattuor partes divisum est."
not-so-newly minted veterinarian-at-large

Hi there,

I have a very similar scenario as you have described.

I grew my tomatoes from seed indoors and then put them outdoors once they had germinated. ( only two leafs though)

Temperatures outside were still cold so I bought only half of them indoors again due to space not being available.

Indoor temperature in my room has been a constant 18 - 22 degrees most of the time. The tomatoes indoors are now two inches high.

However the tomatoes outdoors, where the temperature has been varying from lows of 8 degrees to highs of 21 degress odd (mostly staying low though) are still the about the same height as they were when I put them out a few weeks back.

They are not however dead, they have just slowed down I think. I recently put a plastic box over them and they have now started to grow again. The true leaves are begining to emerge now as the glass must have raised the temperatures.

writes:


So, back to the tomatoes - I still don't quite get it.

Say I have some tomato plants and I divide them into two groups. These
are
all the same type of plant and all sprouted at the same time. One group I
put outside after the last frost, but when evening temps are still
dipping
into the low 40s or even high 30s. Another group I keep inside for
another
month or six weeks, until the evening temps are always in the 50s. Are
you
saying that the group one tomatoes will produce their crop later than the
group two tomatoes? Or when you say they "slow down," do you mean that
they will just not do much until it is warmer outside?

Hillary,

I plant both early and late. Whether the tomato plants set out earlier
bear significantly better (two or more weeks) is totally dependent on the
weather as well as soil conditions, water and sunshine. There is a
guideline I heard several years ago - by June 1st, you cannot tell which
plants were set out in March, April or May. Though mine go into the
garden in various sizes and at various times, that guideline seems to
pretty much bear out.

Tomatoes are warm weather plants, in that they bear better in warmer
weather. I've helped mine along with the grass mulch (put on right out of
the mower bag) which keeps the soil warm as it decomposes. The difference
I see in the plants is the mulch, not the air temperature, as the mulch
keeps the ground warmer which helps root growth hence soil nutrient uptake
and water uptake. The soil temperature seems more important in my own
garden than air temperature though both certainly matter. Year after year,
the plants that do not get mulch, or as much mulch, do significantly less
well than those that do though all do well.

Your mileage may vary.

Because of not being able to get the several loads of horse manure this
year, I'm doing things differently regarding how I plant so time will
tell. (The grass mulch will be the only non-variable from past years.)
I'll report back about it in mid-summer.

You should not see earlier plants bear later than later plants; the worst
that should happen is they all bear at the same time. This assumes the
plants are healthy and cared for.

Glenna

In fc.003d094101c479d23b9aca00e4116b80.1c47a10@pmug. org,
Glenna Rose wrote:

*I plant both early and late. Whether the tomato plants set out earlier
*bear significantly better (two or more weeks) is totally dependent on the
*weather as well as soil conditions, water and sunshine. There is a

Well that makes sense

*guideline I heard several years ago - by June 1st, you cannot tell which
*plants were set out in March, April or May. Though mine go into the
*garden in various sizes and at various times, that guideline seems to
*pretty much bear out.

THAT is the kind of answer I was hoping for!
I'm one of those people who just can't help herself with the early
planting. I know it's not what I'm "supposed" to do, but I keep doing it.
I was just wondering if I were truly crippling my plants or if it would
all come out in the wash. I've never actually planted "on time," always
early!

* *Tomatoes are warm weather plants, in that they bear better in warmer
*weather. I've helped mine along with the grass mulch (put on right out of

Right. Well, we do certainly have PLENTY of warm summer weather here in
the Philadelphia area (I'm in a slightly north/west suburb, but literally
within walking distance of the edge of the city), just not yet

*the mower bag) which keeps the soil warm as it decomposes. The difference
*I see in the plants is the mulch, not the air temperature, as the mulch
*keeps the ground warmer which helps root growth hence soil nutrient uptake
*and water uptake. The soil temperature seems more important in my own
*garden than air temperature though both certainly matter. Year after year,

Well, I do do all of my veggie planting in raised beds, which I'm sure
makes some difference as well. Anyway thank you for the reply!

-h.

--
hillary israeli vmd http://www.hillary.net
"uber vaccae in quattuor partes divisum est."
not-so-newly minted veterinarian-at-large

Hillary Israeli said:

Say I have some tomato plants and I divide them into two groups. These are
all the same type of plant and all sprouted at the same time. One group I
put outside after the last frost, but when evening temps are still dipping
into the low 40s or even high 30s. Another group I keep inside for another
month or six weeks, until the evening temps are always in the 50s. Are you
saying that the group one tomatoes will produce their crop later than the
group two tomatoes? Or when you say they "slow down," do you mean that
they will just not do much until it is warmer outside?

Assuming that the early group doesn't actually get damaged by frosts
(which have occured in my garden in the last half of May) they will not
bear any earlier than later planted tomatoes.

Personally, rushing them out has no gain with the potential for loss or
having to do a lot of extra fiddly work protecting them from frost. So
what's the advantage? I start my plants late enough indoors so I'm
not forced to rush them out, and set them out when it's warm enough
not to check their growth.
--
Pat in Plymouth MI ('someplace.net' is comcast)

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)

In article ,
says...
Well, I do do all of my veggie planting in raised beds, which I'm sure
makes some difference as well. Anyway thank you for the reply!

Normally, raised beds will warm up (and cool down) quicker. So
you get warm daytime soil temps earlier, but warm nighttime soil
temps later.

--
Where ARE those Iraqi WMDs?

In article fc.003d094101c479d23b9aca00e4116b80.1c47a10@pmug. org,
(Glenna Rose) wrote:
I plant both early and late. Whether the tomato plants set out earlier
bear significantly better (two or more weeks) is totally dependent on the
weather as well as soil conditions, water and sunshine. There is a
guideline I heard several years ago - by June 1st, you cannot tell which
plants were set out in March, April or May. Though mine go into the
garden in various sizes and at various times, that guideline seems to
pretty much bear out.

I have two here in pots, different varieties, which we got at a garden
show about 6 weeks back. They've been sitting outside in partial shade
(hot desert sun will cook potted plants otherwise) with no care other
than water every couple days, in temps varying from 40F to 100F.
They were originally the same size (likely all the seeds were planted
at the same time, as this was a bulk giveaway thing). One grew faster
for a bit and bloomed first. The other was smaller at first, but all
of a sudden it is the bigger, bushier plant, and it is starting to
bloom and dangle roots out the bottom of the pot, while the one that
*was* bigger is now a little behind.

I think the diff may be that one is a hot weather variety, and the
other would prefer cooler weather, as it did better then, and now that
we're hitting 100F, the 2nd one is happier.

(One is "Champion" and I can't remember what the other is, or for that
matter which one was which.)

~REZ~

In article , (Hillary Israeli) wrote:
I'm one of those people who just can't help herself with the early
planting. I know it's not what I'm "supposed" to do, but I keep doing it.
I was just wondering if I were truly crippling my plants or if it would
all come out in the wash. I've never actually planted "on time," always
early!

My grandmother planted stuff any which time. By midsummer the only
thing you could point at and say "you planted that too late" (if she
had) was corn. "Too early" never seemed to bother stuff so long as it
didn't hard-freeze.

Some plants can go dormant for a while if they take a chill, and I
imagine that affects some varieties of veggies as well as anything
else. And those might take a while to get moving again.

Which reminds me, if I want to get a proper case of zucchini poisoning
this year, I'd best plant a few

Well, I do do all of my veggie planting in raised beds, which I'm sure
makes some difference as well. Anyway thank you for the reply!

Gives you better control over the drainage and soil, eh?

~REZ~

(Hillary Israeli) wrote in message ...
I know you are supposed to wait until night temps are in the 50s F before
planting tomatoes. My question is this: what happens if you don't? I mean,
if night time temps are in the 40s when you plant, does that mean you're
doomed, or does it just take longer to mature, or what?

I always wondered about this, so I did an experiment.


I put out plants in one week intervals, the first batch one month
before the last frost, the last batch at the end of the frost date.

I have a big tarp that I just cover the plants at night in case of
frost warnings (about 5 times in a month).


This is what I found:
1) the plants that went out first seem to stopped growing, while the
inside plants kept growing at a steady pace.
2) Actually the first plants set out didn't really stop growing, but
were becoming thicker at the stems, when I put out the new plants, I
noticed that the new plants were taller, but thiner.
3) At about 2 weeks after the last frost date, the plants that went
out first were the biggest, with thicker stems and growing like crazy,
the other plants that went out later could never catch up (even
throughout the season.)
4) The first batch of plants had the earliest fruit, but not too many,
their major production of fruit occurred at about the same time as the
other plants (in August).
5) The first batch of plants produced many more tomatoes then the
others, mainly because they were about 3 feet taller and wider.

I suspect the first batch of plants were developing a big root system
underneath in the warm soil (since they had the room), when warm
nights arrived they could really take off.


Now I always plant one month before last frost date and use the tarp
at nights, why, I don't know, guess I want the biggest plants on the
block and I get working in the garden a month earlier, I could just
plant more tomatoe plants later and get the same amount of production,
but I don't!

Of course, each spring is different, warm springs means the first
batch out is going to be really bigger then the others, cold springs
means the first batch out will only be slightly bigger then the
others.


steve

In ,
Pat Kiewicz wrote:

*Assuming that the early group doesn't actually get damaged by frosts
*(which have occured in my garden in the last half of May) they will not
*bear any earlier than later planted tomatoes.

Well, I wasn't hoping for earlier bearing. I was just WONDERING if they'd
be permanently stunted or anything, or if they'd just grow normally (again
assuming no actual frost) or what.

*Personally, rushing them out has no gain with the potential for loss or
*having to do a lot of extra fiddly work protecting them from frost. So
*what's the advantage? I start my plants late enough indoors so I'm

Yes, it actually has a lot of advantage for me. We don't all have the
ability to grow inside. Frankly, between the 3.5 year old and 1.5 year old
humans and the two cats, I'm lucky if anything manages to survive
germination inside. It is MUCH MUCH safer for plants outside at my house.
Trust me.

--
hillary israeli vmd http://www.hillary.net
"uber vaccae in quattuor partes divisum est."
not-so-newly minted veterinarian-at-large

In ,
steve wrote:

*I always wondered about this, so I did an experiment.

snip
Thanks for the interesting report!

--
hillary israeli vmd http://www.hillary.net
"uber vaccae in quattuor partes divisum est."
not-so-newly minted veterinarian-at-large