WHy not just seperate them?

That's what I did, just separated them. I don't know if I did it "right" but they are still alive and putting on new growth. I soaked mine in a dish of water and carefully loosened the roots. I feel like I got bonus plants!
kim

I could, but I have very limited space in my raised beds, so I hate to plant two tomatoes of the same variety. Why is it so hard to kill something you've nurtured?!?!

I wouldn't transplant your cole crops, next stop....garden. Next time you try transplanting something like your tomatoes, try it with dry soil...its lots easier, and less messier. The plants won't mind...I promise. The soil falls away from the roots much easier too :)

I would keep the strongest looking plant in each pot. Pull (when smaller) or cut the rest. After a while you get used to tossing extra plants. I agree with Mitch about the dry soil...much easier on the roots.

I separate unless I absolutely have to thin. Usually a neighbor, friend, relative, or possibly even folks near you here on GW will take them off your hands when garden space is at a premium.

When I plant my own seed I may have too many seedlings and I don't separate them. I just clip the weaker ones with the scissors and transplant the whole rootball as one plant. I've never been keen on separating when unnecessary. With tomatoes a second clipping may be necessary in a few days.

I used to have the same problems years ago and could never bring myself to ditch any of the seedlings. One year I ended up with about 70 tomato plants and had only needed about 5. Lesson learned!

Now, I only put one seed per pot or cell. Though, I still end up with too many plants and simply give them away to friends. But when I pot them up into bigger pots before transplanting them into the garden, I try to have the soil not too try and not too wet. It's a fine line but when it's perfect, the soil holds together while moving the plant and the roots are not disturbed at all.

Thanks for the thread.

It looks like I may need to separate mine too before they get too big and inter-mingled to the point where it becomes hard to separate them.

Ugh, I also just realized that beet seeds produce multiple viable seedlings from an individual seed, so I have some beet dividing to do also! I need to get some additional little pots tonight and give it a shot.

Wow, I have never heard that beets produce multiple seedlings. I just looked it up and apparently beet seeds are actually capsules with multiple seeds inside. Fascinating!

Thanks for sharing, lucilleclifton!