Polytunnel, tomatoes and frost!!

[Catherine]

I am growing tomatoes in my pt this year, the first time I have done them for several years as I have never had any success. Has anyone any tips on how to make them a success please..

On the weather forecast this week there was a mention of ground frost last night and this weekend. So I covered my toms with fleece draped over a wire. On looking at the weather this morning I think I could have left it as the sky is black as pitch and it looks like we might have some more hail and snow flurries

Is it necessary to protect them from frost in the pt. (I also have cucumbers and peppers covered in there as well)

[Primrose]

I don't think any of these young plants like low temperatures and even if they don't get "frosted" the low temperatures will hold them back. I've got some climbing beans planted outside which are protected with fleece and I'm not planning on removing the fleece any time soon, even if it warms up over the Bank Holiday. I think keeping your plants protected with fleece for a few more days, even in the protection of a poly tunnel probably won't do them any harm.

[retropants]

I can't believe I'm saying this, but do you have a paraffin heater?

[Catherine]

I have covered again tonight it was 4 degrees last night in our garden. But to windy and hail and heavy rain again today.

No I dont have a parafin heater but I am covering everything in fleece again. I have put my courgettes out last week when I came back from holiday and they are covered with cloches, but last night and tonight I have also covered them all with green wind break material to try and protect them further.

I have even covered my newly planted out lettuce with the small plastic covers used over trays in the polytunnel and pinned them down.

We were given a 6 x 4 aluminium green house before we went on holiday and had it sitting in the corner of our plot (very sloping site and prone to high wind problems) and it has been blown over, luckily there was no glass in it as we had not sited it just placed it in the corner till we had time to sort it properly.

I wish this weather would pick up.

[Monika]

Catherine, our greenhouse temperature has gone down to 3C recently and the tomatoes, peppers etc have survived ok. I could put on our electric heater which would keep it slightly higher but I don't really want to mollycoddle the other plants which are all due to go outside soon (runner, French, climbing beans, cutting flowers, hanging baskets, herbs etc).

Covering with fleece, as you are doing, should do the trick because the ground will have soaked up some daytime warmth.

[Catherine]

Hi Monika, Hope you are well, I have not been on the website regularly for ages as I have been too busy. But glad to be back. I have alot of sun flowers in the PT which need to go out to harden off and about 100 single pricked out marigold spanish brocade which have been outside for a week but are now back in the PT in case of frost.

Looking forward to planting out the new green house we have been given I have four tomatoes waiting to go in there.

[FelixLeiter]

I am growing tomatoes in my pt this year, the first time I have done them for several years as I have never had any success. Has anyone any tips on how to make them a success please.

Without knowing what went wrong with your tomatoes before, it's difficult to know what to advise.

Regarding temperatures and the risk of frost, do you have a max / min thermometer in your tunnel? If you record the temperatures through the year, you can get a good idea of when to expect the last frost. Mean local temperatures are also a good guide, but a frost outside does not necessarily translate to a frost in your tunnel. I would confidently expect the last frost in your tunnel to have now passed. With days as long as they are now, the heat gained by the air within, and especially the soil, takes some time to dissipate. I recommend closing up your tunnel of an evening, to retain a bit of the day's heat. You will be surprised for how long it stays warm.