cold frame or not??

[Collector]

I am debating if we should move our tomatoes out to the cold frame or not. Sunday is the only night it is supposed to get to32degrees. We have most of the other plants out there already and seem to be doing OK. I am not home during the week to take care of them, DW is but she is busy doing her schedule. Maybe I will drape a tarp over it that she can just roll up in the morning and down at night, she knows to prop the lid open if it gets to hot and all that. There is no heat source in the cold frame so they would be on their own . What would you all do, go for it, or play it safe and keep them indoors?

PS they have outgrown the plant starting stand, the lights are raised all the way up and some of the maters are touching it already, and the others are not far behind!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'd be nervous moving them out if I were not there to take care of them myself. Not that I doubt your wife's abilities but as you said, she has her schedule. There have just been too many times here the forecast low is 32 but the real low is closer to 26. With sensitive things like tomatoes that could be bad.

I'll upset Steve and maybe some others saying this, but when I get into that position where the tomatoes are too tall, if they are indeterminate, I prune them back a bit. I would not do that with determinates. They normally sucker out a lot anyway, so I just prune them to make a couple of leaders to train to my cage once they are set out. I did add about 12" to the legs of my stand this year to avoid that problem. Now my stand is too tall, which works perfectly.

 

[thistlebloom]

I say go for it Collector. I think a tarp or blanket (or tarp over blanket) is a good idea for night time. I think I would hold a few in reserve in the house just in case though.

 

[digitS']

. . . I'll upset Steve . . .

How insensitive to prune those intermediates!

RidgeRunner, RidgeRunner, RidgeRunner . . . Getting anything to ripe fruit is a serious challenge for me. I'm skeerd of trying anything new.

@thistlebloom has the kind of 2 steps forward, 1 step sideways, dodge some of the risk, I'd take! Some out, some in.

The weather service has some good news for us this week. It looks like we just have to get past today and tomorrow!

Steve

 

[thistlebloom]

It will be nice to start hardening them off in earnest. I've played with it off and on, and they all ended up being squatters in every available windowsill again, with a chosen few huddled under the shop light.

 

[NwMtGardener]

Yeaaaaaaah, on a different thread earlier today I threatened my tomatoes with banishment to the greenhouse for good starting Tuesday. The highs are supposed to be SO NICE during the day, mid 60s and 70s...but on closer inspection the nights are still possibly freezing, 32 and 34!! So...guess i'll check again when it gets closer but i'm pretty cautious...they'll be in the house overnight if it says 36 or lower.

 

[Collector]

Well DW talked me into waiting until i get home friday to put them out in the cold frame. probably a good idea, with my luck it would freeze everyday until they were all dead lol. So far it has rained ,snowed, and hailed at our house today so not feeling good about risking it anyways. they will definitely be monsters by friday at the rate they are growing inside sheesh!