[UrbanG]

I am a bit worried about my Tom's
They seem really sad and I'm not sure what to do next?

Background:
Gardeners Delight, sown on the 1st March from seed, repotted into 6" diameter pots, spent all of their life in south facing window sills.

I have attached a picture of a small batch in my kitchen window, they are on average 13 - 16" tall.

So the question is, what is my next move?
Keep them as they are? (am I worrying to much)
Re-pot into bigger pots?
Is it time to set into the cold house?
Straight into the garden?

Previous years I have cheated and bought plants already fruiting from garden centres but this year I have gone all out and grown loads of my own from seed so I am really wanting these to go well as I have so many I want to give some plants to family and friends as well.

Any guidance / advice would be great

[noshed]

They're getting a bit leggy because of the lack of light so if you have a cold greenhouse for them, now would be the time. My plot neighbour has put his toms outside already but I think it's a bit early, even in the soft south.
Give them a spray with some liquid seaweed stuff to perk them up a bit if you're worried.
They're about twice the size of mine by the way!

[wyandotty]

Noshed, what is this liquid seaweed you are advising to use.  Is it a general seaweed fertilizer and how do you use it, do you dilute it?

[purplebean]

If you pot up any sides shoots that you pull off they will root quickly, that way if the first plants are too leggy and not worth keeping you will have the new plants from the side shoots

I sowed my first toms yesterday as any earlier and they always end up leggy, can't wait to get a greenhouse

[noshed]

I just use Wilkos seaweed fertilizer diluted and sprayed on the leaves. There's instructions on the bottle about how much to use. It seems to give plants a bit of a boost when they've been under stress - transplanted etc. No idea whether it really works but ut makes me feel as if I'm doing something.
I had some real sad old tomato plants last year which I planted out even though they looked terrible. I sprayed them a bit, they perked up and I got a crop off them.

[wyandotty]

Thanks I will get some when I go to Wilko's next time.

[Aunt Sally]

Lack of light and too much heat.  Cool greenhouse without risk of frost is best.  That makes the strong and robust. 

Just harden off before planting outside when they have their first truss of flowers opening and all risk of frost is gone..

They are probably over potted too.  Start small and slowly work up in diameter.

If you put any plant into a larger pot than it needs all the roots head for the edge and then go round in circles leaving a great part of the soil unused.  The soil at the edge of the pot gets dry quickest so the plant suffers with drought when you think it is well watered.  It also gets depleated in nutrients.  Potting on slowly makes good roots all the way through the soil.

[UrbanG]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

Right then, since I have quite a few plants I am going to start hardening some of them off outside during the day when I can when I am home in view to put my main stock in the cold house in a few days or so?

Is a 6" dia pot large enough for a 16" tall plant at the moment?

[Aunt Sally]

If the soil is crowded with roots and can be knocked out of the pot without soil falling off it needs repotting otherwise leave it.

[whippersnapper]

They seem alright to me.

Like you say, perhaps start hardening them off about now.

[Kristen]

I would "harden them off" in the cold greenhouse, rather than outside, and just bring them in if you forecast that the greenhouse will fall below 10C at night.  A Max/Min thermometer would help - or get up at 4AM  and take the temperature outside, and in the greenhouse, and see what the difference is - probably a couple of degrees so you could risk leaving them in the greenhouse if the forecast is, say, 7C min.