tom's and pepp's too darn tall!

[ruggr10]

Well,
I didn't start my Tomatoes and Peppers any earlier this year but they are now growing up so tall they are smushed around my shop lights.

Since I can't make my shelves taller, I'm thinking I start hardening them off even though they won't get into the ground for about a month.

Question: Can they handle mid to high 40s in the morning getting up into the 60s if I bring them in at night?

Thanks!

[PunkRotten]

They won't die at those temps but they won't grow much.

[RickRS]

Having babied two tomatoes plants planted just outside my door thru a very mild North Florida winter, I know they will take temperatures in the 40's without harm.

I didn't cover those plants until nights were forecasted to drop to freezing. I did use some incandescent shop lights to provide heat under the cover. This happened maybe 6-8 times over the winter. Always pulled the tarps off the next day when temperatures rose again, so it was a pain covering and uncovering.

And if it was only getting to 40 overnight, I didn't bother going thru all that trouble. Been enjoying very early tomatoes for several weeks now, as a result.

[RickRS]

Also, I remember recommendations to harden tomatoes when night temperatures were in the low 50's. It supposedly produced stocky plants with thick stems and set the plant to blossom with more flowers than plants than were not exposed to cooler temperatures.

[mattie g]

This year, mine were hardened back in ealry April when temps swung from 70s-80s for daytime highs, to some days when the highs were in the 50s. I brought them in every night, as the temps got down into the 30s-40s pretty much the entire hardening-off period. I would even put them out before I left for work when the temps were still in the 30s.

I'm not expert for sure, but based on that, it sounds to me like your temps would be fine.

[2cents]

I had too many to bring in at night and they survived nights as low as 36 degrees

[applestar]

I explained the temperature conditions when I harden off/plant my tomatoes and peppers in this thread:
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=256104#256104