Tomatoes can be grown outdoors as well as on the balcony or in the greenhouse. There are not only subtle differences in care, but also in the planting time. Depending on the location, the tomato plants are exposed to different conditions, which are directly related to the planting time.
Planting time outdoors
In the open field, tomato plants are always exposed to the weather, which could damage the sensitive young plants in particular. Temperatures that are too low and night frosts in particular pose a danger to the plants. In order to keep the risk as low as possible, outdoor tomatoes are only planted after the Ice Saints. The earliest date is May 20th, because at this point the probability of late frost is significantly lower. However, this is only a guideline, because the optimal time for planting outdoor tomatoes depends on other factors:
- Temperature permanently above 13 degrees
- Soil temperature between 13-15 degrees
- If necessary, protect the tomato plants from frost
- for example with a garden fleece
Tip:
If the weather is unstable or late frost is expected, planting should be delayed to be on the safe side!
Planting time on the balcony
A balcony can certainly offer protection from wind and rain, but balcony tomatoes are usually exposed to the same weather as outdoors. Accordingly, the same requirements should be met for planting on the balcony as in the vegetable patch:
- Planting only after the Ice Saints
- Protect tomatoes from frost
- Provide pots with thermal insulation, for example
- or bring it indoors if necessary
Planting time in the greenhouse
A greenhouse not only offers tomato plants protection from the weather, but also a controlled environment. This makes it possible to plant the tomatoes much earlier than in the open field. There is no need to wait for the ice saints, as planting in the greenhouse is possible from mid/late April. It is important that the tomatoes have previously been sown and grown in a warm indoor area. In order for the young plants to feel comfortable in the greenhouse, the following conditions should prevail:
- Daytime temperatures between 18-20 degrees
- Night temperature about 16 degrees
- If it is significantly colder at night, you need to heat it
- alternatively, grave lights can be set up
- Soil temperature between 13-15 degrees
Tip:
When planting tomato plants, it is worth incorporating a manure heater. This ensures that the young plants are provided with sufficient heat.
Identifying the optimal planting time for tomatoes
As a rule, tomatoes are sown on the windowsill and transplanted and hardened from the end of April to the end of May. The young plants are then placed in the vegetable patch or in the greenhouse. Since moving the plants is quite stressful for them, they should be as robust as possible by this point. Ideally, the young plants have the following characteristics at the planting date:
- 2-3 flowers formed
- first visible flower cluster
- Greenhouse: Plant is about 20-40 cm high
- Young plant is not or barely yellowed
Is planting possible in July?
For many hobby gardeners, July is already the time to harvest tomatoes, as a large number of tomato varieties bear fruit in July. However, tomatoes can not only be harvested in July, but can even be planted late. In a controllable environment, such as a greenhouse, planting tomatoes is usually possible without any problems, even in July. Outdoors, however, certain factors should be taken into account so that the tomatoes have enough time to ripen by the end of summer:
Maturation period
The ripening period of tomatoes can last from 40 to 85 days. If the tomatoes are not planted until July, you should choose tomato varieties with the shortest possible ripening period. This ensures that the fruits can ripen sufficiently by the end of summer. The following tomato varieties are characterized by a comparatively short ripening period:
- small tomato varieties ripen faster than large varieties
- very early tomato varieties ripen in about 40-54 days
- for example Previa F1, Cookie F1 and Pepe F1
- Early tomato varieties ripen in around 55-69 days
- for example: Agro F1, Aurora and Grappelina F1
Buy young plants
Many specialist retailers offer relatively robust and distinctive tomato plants in July, which are ideal for late planting. This means that the plants usually no longer need to be hardened off so that they can be planted directly in the vegetable patch. However, it should be noted that July is usually much warmer than the usual planting time. It is therefore advisable to also pay attention to the following when planting in July:
- do not use in the midday sun
- Protect plants from the sun if necessary
- for example with a parasol
- water enough, soil must not dry out
