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Cornucopia - Australia

Sun or Heat

20 years ago

Could you tell me which is the most important when growing tomatoes............Is sunshine necessary or does heat and light work just as well?

I could grow them out in full sun or in a spot on the deck.

Our deck gets quite hot since a certain 'man' decided he wanted to sit outside in the winter and roofed it with laserlite and put bistro blinds up. The blinds are removed during the summer but the covering makes it like an oven some days. Even tho its very bright there would the heat be detrimental to their development.

I sit in the shade of a tree and keep cool that way :)

Cathy

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Comments (6)

Raymondo
20 years ago
Can't get away from plenty of light. Having said that, heat tends to accentuate the flavours. Mmmm...dilemma. As long as they get enough light, and the temps aren't horrific, give the deck a go. I'd insulate the pots somehow so as not to cook the roots. I've used a cardboard box around the pot and the gap stuffed with straw to good effect once or twice.
Hedge your bets and plant some elsewhere too.
Patrina_Pepperina
20 years ago
Cathy, we had laserlight over our verandah for 10 years, and it was soooo hot under there. I think fruitset would be reduced if the temps get over 30. I think 18-28 is the optimum temp.

Patrina
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cranethie2
Original Author
20 years ago
Thanks for those thoughts Ray and Patrina, I was curious to know if it would make a difference.

As Ray suggested I'll try a pot on the deck and put the others in the open. The big green shed had some labeled for toms last week which were reasonably priced so maybe its time to keep their shareholders happy (again). Does the pot go in the box right from the beginning as it would be too heavy to lift later? I have loads of sugar cane mulch and also packing peanuts....would they work as the 'filling'or is straw better?

Patrina I'll bear in mind what you said about fruit set if the temps are too high. In for a penny as they say :))

Cathy
lomatia
20 years ago
Tommies are indeterminate when it comes to light. Daylength is of no consequence to flowering. Warmth is all they need hence they can be grown as a glasshouse crop. Patrina is quite correct - excessive heat hinders pollination/fruitset.
adamus
20 years ago
As has already been said, Hot days and cool nights seem to be perfect for fruit set.
Good luck.
ozmantis
20 years ago
Got a cooler than normal spring happening here, and the fruit set is way above normal in my greenhouse, but the outside ones look like setting fruit any day now.
Today was only 21 deg, but standing in the greenhouse which is covered with laserlite, the heat was burning.
Tommorow I will be pulling the shadecloth over it.
So, in my opinion, heat they love, direct, burning, sunlight they do not. In short, I have trouble keeping the sun away from my toms. Last year I put a shade sail over my outside patch and had my best harvest ever. We have burning hot days here that wilt the gum trees.
And as Ray said, if you are planting in pots, protect them with some sort of covering in summer. I use my beer boxes which I wrap around the pots.
I have more pots this year , more beer, luv beer.

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