Hey everyone! I'm gardening in zone 6b and I'm facing a bit of a dilemma. We have a night coming up where the low is expected to drop to 49°F, and I'm wondering if it's a good idea to start putting my tomatoes outside. I have a lot of them and they're getting pretty big, so I don't want to wait too long if I can help it. Any advice?
4 Answers
I had my temps hit just above 50°F this morning and decided to put my tomatoes outside to harden. They were still in their little yogurt containers, and they did just fine!
You can definitely start putting them outside! If you’re worried about them getting too cold, try placing them against a wall; you can get about 3°F more warmth that way. Another option is a cloche which can help retain heat and makes it easier to start planting heat-loving plants a bit earlier too.
Exactly! To add to that, even just a light frost doesn’t tend to kill off tomatoes; they’re stronger than you might expect!
I’m up in Minnesota and I usually don’t worry about anything above 40°F. My tomatoes have been fine after a few nights in the 40s. In fact, a couple of years ago, I had a night that hit 37°F with light frost in mid-June, and while they looked a bit sad afterward, they bounced back pretty quickly. Just a heads up though, my cucumbers didn’t handle it as well!
That makes me feel better! I’ve got a cherry tomato plant that’s already 3 feet tall, so I think I'm going to set it out this weekend. I’m just keeping my peppers inside for now because they’re smaller!