Not criticizing the setup - but why do you start tomato plants so early? Don't the plants get very tall and leggy by the time you can set them out?

I won't be starting tomato seed under lights until late this month.

Hi Eric,
Please go to the Growing Tomatoes GardenWeb forum and look towards the bottom of the " It is now time if you haven't yet to get your tomatoes started" thread posted by Barry_DeMars. I explained it all there with photos. Bottom line - the right time to plant tomato seeds in the time that is right for the gardner! Also - we are growing the tomatoes in a GH - to cold here to grow tomatoes in the garden.

Looking good!

Congrats Hudson, this is the most complicated component in the growth of veggies indoors. Most leafy vegetables can be grown with an average quality light for their leaves; but for the fruits and flowers, they require better. Some of the growers easily grow tomatoes of pretty good quality under a simple fluorescent grow light.

Many congratulation Hudson because you were successful in growing tomatoes under grow light. I have seen that many people are faced lots of problem with their plants under growing in Indoor Garden because of lack of knowledge.

Your seedlings look great! Can you tell me when is it time to back off the lights a little bit. My first year seed starting. My tomatoes have also been potted up into 6" containers, are about 4-6" tall, with the fourth pair of true leaves just popping out. I have started taking them outside for a couple hours a day, but then have been putting them back close under the shop lights I am using. I know they still need lots of hours of light per day, but am wondering if I can put them lower under the light- maybe 6-8" instead of 2-3" at this point without leading to leggy plants. I have about 3 more weeks or so before I can plant them outside with WOWs. I have two shelves with lights, one closer to the lights, but would like to move some other plants in there if the light can get farther away from the tomato seedlings, and I have other taller plants on that shelf, so I can't adjust the lights down.

Balloonflowet, couldn't you raise the lights and then prop up your tomatoes on something so they're close to the light?

The lights on that shelf are as far as I can get them. I did move the other taller plants off, to get the tomatoes closer, but now they're outgrowing the space too. Next year I'll know to leave more room on the shelves, but for this year I think I'm stuck. They don't seem to be getting too leggy--they're leafing out quite nicely, but close to a foot tall at this point. Hopefully our weather decides to quit snowing so that they can live outside during the day soon.