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Growing Tomatoes

tomato volunteers a MONTH before plant-out time?

14 years ago

Hi - I have a sheltered space where I had 4 cherry tomatoes last year (black cherry, Ildi, and yellow pear (sorry, my kids like it and I do too).

I'm in 5b (SE Indiana, near Cinci) and the space faces SE and is bordered on the NE and NW by foundation walls (heated).

I was surprised to see the volunteers, we had a frost last night. They have not gotten their first set of real leaves yet.

My appropriate plant-out date is Mother's Day.

Last year I planted transplants in this place on April 20 and they did well. I'm wondering how far I can push the envelope -- I have plenty of extra seedlings (3-4" tall). As a test, should I try putting something like Sub-Arctic Plenty in one of these spots, with a cloche or surrounded by water bottles? My forecast doesn't dip below 40 for 15 days...

Sincerely,

Itchy in Indiana. :) (Kate)

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Comments (4)

tracydr
14 years ago
I've had planted tomatoes this october to go through the winter here in AZ. winter. I covered them when it froze and gave them Christmas lights for extra warmth. Plant something you're not too attached to and see what happens. Can't hurt. Might given you something early.
Mine made it through the winter and are giving me some early little tomatoes. They are Early Girls. They do, however have some kind of disease (early blight?) from all the rain we had last month. Thank goodness they are far away from the other tomato patch but I'm worried about my year old eggplants and peppers.
All of my new seedlings were out in 40 degree weather because of a housefire this winter. They only got covered if we had a freeze warning. They were on a concrete pad and it didn't seem to hurt them one bit.
kterlep
Original Author
14 years ago
You had a fire? That's awful. I hope you are all ok and that you didn't lose things that are irreplacable.

Yeah, I might stick a Sub-Arctic Plenty out there, it's determinate, they aren't YUMMY, and by the time it's done, someone else will want to sprawl there. :)
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cyrus_gardner
14 years ago
I would let those voluntieers to be be where they are. Weed and cultivate around them.
If temperatures are going down to 35F or lower, invert a bucket(or similar)
over thev overnight.
If it is supposed to get down to 30F and lower, pour lots of loose oak leaves(or hay) over them, then the bucket.
You never know, by Mothers Day, they might b established and ready to take off.

P.S. You can always transplant them. But I would do that after mid May or so.
kterlep
Original Author
14 years ago
I'm more interested in stealing the warm space for a bigger plant than raising seedlings there, LoL. :) I think I have a nice warm microclimate there... I should (if I had time, I'm a grad student) take some temp measurements of the air/ground there and in my regular tomato beds...

:)

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