Alright, so I guess I started my tomatoes too early.

By too early, I mean the first week of February or so.

(Winter was bumming me out and I got anxious!!)

I now have thirteen plants that seem fairly healthy, each about two feet tall, in six-inch peat pots set under fluorescent lights. I bring them outdoors during the day.

I've been mildly concerned about them becoming root bound, but I figured burying the stems when I plant them out would prevent them from suffering any permanent damage.

A few of them recently started to bloom, and, I know, you're supposed to remove flowers from young plants. But I really thought nothing of it, because they're older, and have already undergone a lot of (perhaps too much,) vegetative growth indoors. And encouraging more root development would just further the root-bound issue, right?

So, I let the blossoms go. Now I have fruit. A few of them, actually. Now, here's why I'm concerned: (and I apologize if this issue has been resolved somewhere in the GW archives, but I personally haven't been able to find an answer anywhere...)

I read that tomato fruit set will not occur if nighttime temperatures aren't over 65 degrees, which is a bit of a way off outdoors here in Philadelphia. I was thinking of planting out in the next few weeks or so.

So, if my plants experience nighttime temps below the ideal fruit-setting range, after they're already in tomato-making mode, will it shock their systems into possibly not producing in the future?

And if so, will removing those cute little tomatoes help them out?

Thanks for your help!