Stupid question involving BBQ's and Tomatoes

[thecarnage]

Hi,

I'm having a BBQ as I type (wonderful world of wireless internet in the garden!) and I was wondering if the smoke from firing up the BBQ would harm the toms which are nearby.

The smoke sometimes blows across the outdoor toms and even into the greenhouse.

It's only for about 10-15 mins.

Will my toms be harmed?

[Flummery]

Shouldn't do them any harm at all. Just don't let them singe! Cheers!

[thecarnage]

Shouldn't do them any harm at all. Just don't let them singe! Cheers!

Cheers. Sorry for the stupid question but I've read that they hate tobacco smoke so thought I'd check it out.

Cheers Flummery. Forum legend

[Flummery]

The tobacco thing is due to tobacco mosaic virus. It's not smoke as such, it's the virus that could be on the hands of the smoker. Allegedly!

[SarzWix]

It shouldn't do them any harm, might even see off a few bugs at the same time

[snohare]

All the nasties they spray the tobacco crop with before harvest, to kill bugs, then don't wash off before processing, might not do you any good if your tomatoes are exposed to it Not to mention - tobacco = nicotine = nicotinoids = nerve poison, especially burned in a cigarette with benzene, phenols etc. (Stick a bare hand in a bucket of neat nicotinamide, you will die in twenty minutes. Yet in a slightly different form, it is a vitamin.)
The rule with Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) - stinky chemicals - is that if you can smell them, you shouldn't be there, although it won't kill you. Plants absorb much more slowly than us, don't have huge lung surface areas actively soaking up all that is in the air, so the only thing you have to worry about is if you are using really big doses of barbeque starter liquid and the fumes get to the flowers, that could conceivably cause genetic damage. But I wouldn't worry, and I am paranoid !
Now the aphids, they need to worry ! The spiders will find them by the smokers cough...

[OllieMartin]

Yay for 'stupid' questions, they open up a world of knowledge.

P.S. It's only a stupid question to someone who knows the answer, and as snohare has shown, there's always someone out there who knows more about it than you, especially on this forum!

[Alice]

The BBQ smoke won't bother your toms at all.

Not aimed at you thecarnage, but can everyone check their BBQ smoke won't annoy their neighbours - blow in their windows, acrosss their washing, into their babies prams etc.

[thecarnage]

The BBQ smoke won't bother your toms at all.

Not aimed at you thecarnage, but can everyone check their BBQ smoke won't annoy their neighbours - blow in their windows, acrosss their washing, into their babies prams etc.

Yes am always conscious of this! Wish my neighbours were the same though.

[teakdesk]

...can everyone check their BBQ smoke won't annoy their neighbours - blow in their windows, acrosss their washing, into their babies prams etc.

Last February I wanted to have a small fire, so went thru this check list....

1/ date = 7th Feb

2/ outdoor temperature = 2 degrees

3/ forecast temperature = minus 2 degrees

4/ time = 20 minutes before darkness

5/ fire located well away from any houses


I figured few people would be in their gardens in the dark and all windows would be shut to keep heat in - so I lit it up.


10 minutes later there was a neighbour round to complain - my smoke was coming in thru her open windows!!!!!!!!!!!!!


(she had been decorating and was trying to get rid of the smell of paint !!!! )

[Incy]

Yes am always conscious of this! Wish my neighbours were the same though.

I second that, last night we were sat in the garden which was the only place cool enough to be comfortable and at around 7pm neighbour at the back starts up chainsaw.....half an hour later clouds of smoke come billowing across into the garden. So much we thought it was a house fire to start with then realised it was the same place the noise had been coming from. 15 mins later the chainsaw starts again....Talk about inconsiderate!