I have grown tomatoes before, but never in the Arctic. No matter what a tomato plant can notbe planted in the ground here, it just doesn't get warm enough for the roots. I don't have a big greenhouse, and the little ones i have are,,,well to little. So i have them planted in 20 litre pots, or old salt fish buckets really. The days are nice and sunny, warm, but at night its starting to get cool. My toms have gotten their flowers, but not open yet, and i'm afraid of moving them each night indoors is going to make them lose their flowers or if they develop the fruits, lose or get knocked off also. Heres the question. The days here don't get very far over 15 C, or 60 F, and at night it goes down to 10C or 50F, but each night its getting more and more chillier, tonight will be lower than 10 C, or 50F, we will be in the 40's now from now on at night. Our days are getting colder also. Will my toms make it or do i bring them in for good. I just want them to get pollinated is all. Maybe go back to just opening windows? Any input would be so helpful in what to do with a climate that is too cold to begin with to start.
Well Biita first off tomatoes self pollinate so ya don't need the critters to do the work. I just give the plant a lil shake every day or 2 just to be sure of pollination.
Shake the plants every day and they should pollinate. I did that at the beginning of the summer and I have tons , more then normal on most of my plants.
Question! How do you shake the plants without knocking off the flowers? I've tried that and lost some blooms. Gardengater
Don't shake it too hard...I just gently shook the plant by holding the center stalk. If the flowers that fall off are starting to dry up, the mos tlikely have tiny toms there already.
Thanks all. I'm just going to keep the plants in the house, its just too cold out now. besides i think maybe the wind has shook them up pretty good. I'll continue each day.
At those temps that you mentioned, Biita, I do not believe that you will have a good success outside. A gentle tap or two on the stems in the morning before 10 should be sufficient for them to pollinate your tom plants is all that's needed in most tom types. Good luck with those.
Good luck Bitta.I couldn't answer as I have only covered mine if it was to frost in the early spring.I worry about to much heat here.
Thanks again all. On my way to make coffee this morning, i shook them as i walked by. lol. Made coffee, and shook them again as i walked pasted them again. I also have been shaking my pepper plants too.
Are the pepper plants in pots or the ground? To help them you could make a simple wooden frame and put plastic over it as a simple green house. They really like it hot.
My peppers are in pots. In the window of the south and western sun. It gets really hot there. Thats the where the tomatoes are too, well on the floor not the window sill. The peppers are loaded with those droopy looking shoots, so hopefully it won't be too much longer. Romano, long sweet red peppers, and cayenne.
Have you given them a solution made with epsom salt? I have been giving mine epson salt water solution since last month and my peppers are doing better then ever!
I give mine sea water, deluted. The toms too. sea water has high concentrates of magnesum sulfate, so its the same as epsom salts, just more convient for me,,,lol. Its in my front yard, the sea. Also each pot has the same compost that i use in the fields with lots of worms. I constantly feed my worms with bits and pieces of veggies and fruits. The leaves from the plants themselves when i thin them out. So the pots are constantly making new compost along with the sea water. I also use nettle water for feeding also, and the leaves of the valerian plant. (i just found out its called valerian,,lol) There doing really great, and growing very well. I know i'll have lots of peppers and toms, i was just really worried about the temps. I also didn't know that toms self pollinated. I always had them outside before we lived in the Arctic. I just assumed the bees and bugs did it all. Learn something new each day!
