Posted: Friday 18 May 2012
by Kate Bradbury
For weeks now, my tomatoes, peppers and aubergines have been sitting indoors waiting to be planted out...
I’m starting to get anxious. For weeks now, my tomatoes, peppers and aubergines have been sitting indoors waiting to be planted out, as temperatures have been positively Arctic. I’ve potted the plants into larger containers, kept them well watered and given them a bit of a seaweed feed. But they’re starting to wane (thanks to poor light levels in my flat and a large crop of aphids) and I don’t know what to do.
These are the plants I’m growing for our allotment’s solanum bed. We haven’t got off to a good start. Usually, at this time of year in central London, the threat of frost is gone and forgotten, and average temperatures are quite pleasant. But we've hardly had perfect weather for tender seedlings this spring.
Four weeks ago I stupidly planted out a few tomato plants to see how they would get on. I made them a little cold frame using old sheets of glass. The plants shrivelled and died, either due to frost or sun scorch – who knows, the weather has been so mixed.
Then last week, after the three-week deluge and the temperatures had risen slightly, I planted out some chillies in the same, protective cold frame. These seem to be doing ok, but they’re not thriving. They don’t look like chillies should growing under glass in London in mid-May (this time last year, my outdoor-grown chillies were in flower).
I’m sure the same is happening all over the country, as windowsills and greenhouses become crammed with plants that should have been planted out, if only the weather had been better. Congested plants are more likely to be affected by aphids, vine weevil and red spider mite, and the spread of disease is easier, therefore more prevalent. Those in small pots will quickly use up the nutrients in the compost, so could start looking a bit spindly. But it’s better to have spindly plants than dead ones, so I’m keeping mine under cover for a bit longer.
The trick to keeping plants healthy is to pot them on into fresh compost, rather than just leave them to become pot-bound, and keep them well watered. Try to keep them as well ventilated as possible – if you can, pop them outside during the day and bring them in at night. Add a bit of seaweed solution with each watering, which will help plants cope with stress, and only feed them if necessary (feeding encourages new leafy growth, which will only attract more slugs, snails and aphids).
I don’t think it will be long before temperatures get back to an even keel and we can start planting out. It already feels warmer here today. But in the meantime I’m hoping some ladybirds will fly in and eat those aphids. The aubergines don't look like they're going to make it.
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