Seedlings - Now what

[Jane0o0]

I know I started these Moneymaker Tomatoes far to soon. I was just eager to start and being my first time I'm very inexperienced. Should I now throw them away and start again in March?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/09...pshuwgoyxz.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/09...psyqgeelig.jpg

[Dynamo]

They look okay to me. I'd let them grow a wee bit more, until the second or maybe even the third set of leaves start to grow and then pot them on.

[Guest]

They look fine to me too. Even if toms get a bit leggy they are fine to be buried deeper when potting on. The only thing I would say is do you really want that many? (although you fit in just fine round here with that amount) and I would suggest getting another variety. There are 1000's of toms out there and it is worth just trying a few

[Tripmeup]

Yep as NG says they look fine but that is a lot of the one variety..
Try some red and black cherry types (Black Cherry I recommend)

[Bren In Pots]

Like the others have said just pot them on deeper, its something most of us have done as beginners. I ended up using 500 gram yoghurt pots because I didn't have deep enough pots.

[nickdub]

Tomato seedlings need plenty of root space because they will grow in to big plants. As others have said use deep containers to pot on in to - better to have 5 or 6 really good strong plants than 30 straggly ones which don't have enough space to really develop.

[4Shoes]

I know I started these Moneymaker Tomatoes far to soon. I was just eager to start and being my first time I'm very inexperienced. Should I now throw them away and start again in March?

It is always a challenge to start with - how many seeds to sow. You buy a packet and think " I'll sow these" and you do

So now you have a tray of wee plants....

You could thin them out now, but I'd do it over a week or so, just in case some fail.

Start by taking out the smallest and weakest now.
Then over time remove the weaker in each module until you have just 1 plant per module.

You still have time to sow other varieties. Best Luck

[Snoop Puss]

^Seconded.

And agree also with others about potting on a bit deeper (they grow extra roots, making them sturdier and healthier) and about trying other varieties. If you're keen for an early harvest, try a cherry tom as they tend to ripen faster. Loads of different shapes and colours...

Will you be growing them outdoors or in a greenhouse? I'm sure someone here could come up with a suitable recommendation.

[Jane0o0]

I've repotted them all up in their own pots so I can give most away. I gave them a water and have noticed some have drooped over and are very floppy. Whats causing this does anyone know. Its only happened since repotting.

[nickdub]

Could be "damping off", or maybe you didn't plant some of them in quite deep enough ?

[veggiechicken]

Probably transplant shock - its natural and the plants should recover.

[Jane0o0]

Thank you very much. Sites like this are invaluable for help and advice when starting out.

[4Shoes]

I've repotted them all up in their own pots so I can give most away. I gave them a water and have noticed some have drooped over and are very floppy. Whats causing this does anyone know. Its only happened since repotting.

Often better to wait until seedlings have true leaves before potting on. Then you can list them using the baby leaf and cause no or little damage to the seedling.

[nickdub]

Yes always worth repeating, small seedlings should be either lifted by their leaves or by getting something like a knife right underneath, and picking them up with that.

[Snoop Puss]

The first pair of 'leaves' that emerge are called 'seed leaves' or cotyledons. It's asking a lot of a plant to transplant at that stage. Like 4shoes says, it's better to transplant when seedlings have two or three pairs of real leaves. In the case of tomato plants, the seed leaves have straight edges, whereas the true leaves have indented edges.

If these don't do well or you are left without sufficient plants to meet your needs, you've still got plenty of time to start again. I haven't even begun to think about sowing mine yet, though other people will have quite well-developed plants by this stage.