Soil/air temps have a LOT to do with growth, both above and below soil. Cool soil and cool(er) days/nights will keep things at a slower pace than what a (warmer) greenhouse will accomplish, all other things being equal of course. Your plants should be fine now that things are warming up. Putting stuff outdoors too soon can lead to less-than-expected growth, but if no freeze happens, it'll all work out for ya (save other disasters, of course). HTH and good luck!

Laura
I have had the same problem, maybe there will be some more input on this problem, hope so.

Charlie

With good light and potting soil with some fertilizer, those tomato plants should have been pretty big after 6 weeks grown indoors at room temperature. You don't need a greenhouse, but it would speed things up.

There are probably one or two things you could change to make them grow faster next year. Don't give up, though.

Laura,

First, congratulations on successfully raising your own seedlings. I hope you are proud you did so well your very first year. Many people have zero success the first time they try to raise tomatoes from seed and you had success--you did it--so give yourself credit for that!

Seedling size can be highly variable. I started my first batch of tomato seeds on 2-9-10 and then started a second batch maybe 10 or 12 days later. Some of my seedlings are 18" tall, some are 3" tall. Their height does not necessarily correlate to the day they were started. Some varieties germinate more quickly than others, some grow more quickly than others, some are just slow to germinate and slow to grow. They can be as individual as people....and not all people grow at the same rate.

There are a lot of variables that determine how quickly your seedlings grow, so next year we can work with you on those variables and help you fine-tune them.

If your plants grew very slowly, their air temp. could have been too high or too low, although too high usually makes them grow too fast. Your plants may have stayed too wet, which slows down growth. Your lights could have been weak or you could have left them on too much (plants need a dark nighttime period to rest) or too little. If you started them in a sterile seed-starting mix or used peat pellets and kept them in the seed-starting mix or pellet too long, and you didn't feed the plants anything, then they most likely were nutritionally deprived. I pot up my seedlings from the starter flat to individual pots as soon as they have two true leaves, and I feed them at that time. I also try to get them outside for sunlight from about mid-March on, even if it means I have to carry them outside in the morning and inside (because of cold temps) at night.

I wouldn't fret over their size too much. Once our soil temps and air temps are in the 'just right' range, tomato plants grow about an inch a day, so even plants that seem smallish for their age will catch up with the others quickly. By June, you won't remember which ones were 'too little' to begin with.

I have deliberately not planted tomatoes until today because I was waiting for the cool nights to warm up enough to please me. Today I started transplanting tomato plants into the ground. Some are big, some are little, but when I look at then 4 to 6 weeks from now, I won't be able to remember which were big or little when I set them out. Trust me. Once they're in the ground and growing, their size at transplant time is irrelevant.

Dawn

Laura, Don't fret, yours will probably catch up as the weather gets warmer. That does sound a little small for that age plant though.

Remember, Lisa's have to look good so they will sell, your's just have to produce tomatoes. If hers were in a greenhouse, they were probably raised at warmer temps than yours with good light all day long. LOL

I am not a pro, but this is what I have learned works for me. I plant into a small soil block (but small pot or flat works fine). The block is very damp when I put in the seed then I cover with a plastic dome and keep them in a warm location until I see the first seedling emerge. I remove the cover and get them under lights as quickly as possible. I use shop lights placed very near the tops of the plants. Once germination has occurred, they don't need to be kept very warm, and in fact, I believe they do better if the room is cool. A small fan that keeps some air moving will help to make the stems stronger. After a few days, I move that soil block to a small pot and sometimes bury it a little deeper if it looks the least bit leggy, but mine usually don't. If you planted in a pot then they will be OK for awhile.

I plant in either Jiffy Mix or ProMix and continue to use that for the first potting up. Some people think that seedlings don't need fertilizer, but I have found that mine benefit from a mild fish emulsion watering when they are a couple of inches tall.

I planted my first flat of tomatoes on Feb 20th this year, then another flat probably 10 days later. There is very little difference in the size at this point on 'most' varieties. The largest ones from both plantings are the ones that have already been in the ground for awhile. Once I planted them into the ground or large containers the growth was very good. In fact, I'm not real happy with the way my seedlings look right now, but the ones in the garden provide ample evidence that they are OK.

Mine grew in a cup that was too small for too long and they have a little yellowing of lower leaves which I don't like, but the ones in the garden look beautiful with the exception of on currant tomato and I don't know what gives with that one.

If your plants have good color and look healthy otherwise, then I wouldn't worry about the size. If they don't look healthy, then you might consider a foliar feeding.

What did you put in the hole before you planted?

Kaitsmama - I've experienced the very same thing!!! Never have I been able to start my own seedlings until this year...but I DID IT!!! Now, I've got about 4 flats of maters & peppers that I started myself...but they really don't look as good as they should if I compare them to others.

I planted my maters last week. I can honestly tell you that they have caught up with the few I purchased other places!!!! I did put a large can around them for shelter, but they have grown almost 4 inches since I planted them. I laid crushed egg-shells in the bottom of their planting hole first before they went in. I'm anxious watching my babies....I've never gotten this far on my own before!

Now I'm just wondering if the 3 flats left of peppers & maters that I have to share at the swap will compare...but if they don't, that's okay too. I DID IT!!!! Don't you feel the same way?

Looks like great minds not only work alike.....they work at the same time. I guess we posted together Dawn.

Thanks everyone for the thoughts and advice!

I hope that they will catch up and make it, but if not we will go buy some more plants and try again for our fall crop. I am determined to get this right! I have rarely ever tried something that I did not do well at, and I enjoy gardening so much... I really want to do this well!

If they were not going to make it, I doubt they would still look healthy at this point. So, I am going to accept Dawn's congratulations and offer of help to get it better next year ;). However, soonergrandmom, I think you are right... It is pretty small for this age of plant. :/

p-mac- it is a very nice sense of accomplishment. I wish I had placed something in the bottom of the planting hole. Alas, I did not, and that might have something to do with my stunted plants. Then again, it could be the weekend away from home when they all got a little dry and the grow lights were not regulated (thank you hubby for buying me a timer, in case that happens next year).

Laura

My seedlings are all looking pretty lousy at the moment, too, and I'm pretty good at seed starting & seedling raising. Once they get in the ground and settle in, they bounce back. So, Paula, we can set our plants together at the swap so we make each other look better. ;-)

Diane

Paula,

I believe everyone will be just as happy to take home smaller plants as larger ones at the Spring Fling at your house this weekend because we all know that once they are in their natural environment with the soil and air temps they like, they'll grow like mad. I try not to get caught up in the NCAA Basketball tournament March Madness, but I love May Madness when the garden plants go nuts and grow like mad.

Laura, The wonderful thing about small plants is that they grow into large plants.

There's a certain learning curve involved in raising plants from seed indoors under lights. Trust me, you had a great first-time experience and it will be even better next year.

Diane, Everyone has a bad year now and then, and I've said it before and will say it again...after Steve's accident, you had so many more things to worry about that starting seeds. I'm amazed you had the time and energy to start seeds.

Honestly, y'all, I just don't think people are going to stand and compare seedlings, nope, they're not....because everyone will be so happy to be together, to meet face to face, to enjoy seeing the kids play.....and then, of course, everyone will be on the hunt for something they don't already have. No one is going to stand there and say "This plant is seven inches tall, but that one's only four inches tall". We're just gonna have fun!

Dawn

Diane and Paula, Those plants will have to move over because I'm afraid mine need to be on the same table. Mine look puny today and are way too yellow.