Frost and planting

[Leif]

I’m in southern England, and although it is gorgeous outside, about 20C now, with warm nights, the weather forecast predicts a steep drop in nighttime temperatures over the next week, with 2C expected. Fortunately I have not planted my tomatoes, chillis, winter squash, beans and courgettes. So I will bring them in at night. My question is this. What minimum overnight external temperature is safe for tender plants in a greenhouse?

And when do UK growers usually plant your tender plants in your greenhouse?

 

[Walapini-Kid]

My tomatoes and peppers survive in the greenhouse quite well @ pretty much any temps @ and above 2 degrees C.

They like it warmer of course to sprout as seedlings, but once they are a week or so old they do ok down to 2 at night (as long as it warms up right away with the morning sun.}

They wouldn't do very well for long periods of time at 2 c like several days. Just for a quick overnight low with sun the next day to warm them up again...
Hope that helps

 

[DiggersJo]

No frost forecast I would have them out in the greenhouse. Ideally I would have some sort of heating backup, failing that I would look to bring them in overnight if it suddenly changed to cold <5c. Anything below 10-15c for more than 3-4 nights will stall the plants in my experience. They use to always still produce, just took longer and were not quite so good. Many years ago now my old greenhouse had a few paving stones as a central path, I reckon these helped keeping temps up during the night after absorbing heat during the day.