Advice sought: Autumn Tomatos in polytunnel

Someone here must have similar disgusting vile weather as we have in NZ.

I have 3 reasonable tomato plants (summertaste) growing in pots, they are at various levels of fruiting. We have just had our first day this autumn of wet and cool winds, it is going down to around 7 degrees celcius tonight.

I have just moved the tomatos into my polytunnel (unheated) to protect them. At some point I will bubble wrap it, not yet. We are some weeks off frosts yet.

Any ideas from people as to anything more I need do to nurture my tomatos along a little further?

Reply to
George.com
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I have had heaps. Got some in february and early march, went overseas for a month, came back to trusses and trusses of them. The ones outside are still wanting to set fruit with tomatos in stages of green to red. I am just going to let the plants go, its the pot ones that I started later I am concerned for. I want some late autumn tomatos if I can.

rob

Reply to
George.com

Yes, right here in Wellington. Disgusting, vile, nasty. Causing me to feel very grumpy.

But yesterday was nice, and I got a bunch of weeding done.

Yes, about the past three days have been really cold in the morning.

What kind of structure do you have? Constructed from stuff at Mitre10? Or a kit of U-shaped supports and overhead plastic?

Honestly, if I were still growing in containers (I used 20-litre buckets for a few years) I might just bring them inside overnight. It would be important to have them staked and tied up well, for easy moving. My in-ground ones are schlumped over in a very sloppy manner, right now.

Maybe just bring them inside? Or try one of those "trouble lights" used for car repair. They have a little cage with the bulb inside - incandescent, not florescent. They provide some heat. But I say do NOT leave it on all night, due to overheating (even fire?) hazard.

BTW, do you have any ripe tomatoes, yet? I got my first one last weekend. And just yesterday had enough to contribute to dinner.

This season's score is: Tomatoes: Still lots of green, and still hopeful. Beans: Mostly thrashed by wind, with very modest yield. Cucumbers: Same as beans. Capsicums: Thrashed, and still small, but hoping for some decent ones. Courgettes: OK, considering that only three plants survived the spring winds. Had a few to give to a friend.

But the leeks and lettuce are looking nice. And, um, the grass areas are about half OK, and half weak.

Reply to
Usenet2007

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