[DD.]

Mid February for me - just enough for those destined to a heated greenhouse in April. Unless you have somewhere to put them it a waste of time sowing now.

I will sow in March for those destined for an unheated greenhouse BUT they will spend some time as small plants in the heated greenhouse until the weather is good enough to move them.

[barley]

you could always try planting a couple now and a couple in feb and a couple in march
sort of a trial to see how they get on 

[GreyScales]

Surely unless you have the space to pot them on, they'd become very root bound by the time they can go out? I remember starting mine in March and having to keep them in into May because of the poor weather. The tumbling toms suffered in particular as I had to limit their pot size for the baskets. Looking at them at the end of the season, they never really took full advantage of their hanging basket. There was a dense root ball in the shape of their old pot still sat within the centre...

[Yorkie]

Last frost date for me is end May / early June.  I don't have a greenhouse so it's all done on windowsills.

If I start any earlier than late March / early April, I have leggy weak plants by the time they are planted out (and have run out of windowsill space!).

[Ema]

I'm only going to have toms in the ground this year so won't bother sowing my toms til later, I hope springs not so cold this year!

[Trillium]

Unless you have a heated greenhouse, I can't see the need for starting tomatoes so early.

I start mine mid-March which is fine for me. Last year I let several self sown seeds in the garden grow as I was curious to see how they did compared to my started ones. For a while it seemed that the indoor starts were way ahead. But no, the self seeders very quickly caught up and both were ripening at almost the same time.

I will continue to start them indoors as I know what varieties I want and how many of each, but will never start them too early.

[peedee555]

not going to do earlies this year tried last year and they grew like little trees long spindly things with tiny leaves on top the ones i did in march were nice stocky things and produce enough toms than i knew what to do with

[BussinSpain]

I sowed 5 varieties of toms a few weeks ago and put them on the draining board in the kitchen.  Yesterday I potted on 45 little seedlings into toilet-roll inners.  They are now basking in my greenhouse.  Here's hoping for a better tomato year than last year

[AndyRVTR]

I set mine off in January last year and treated them very badly for a change.
I grew them in 2" pots, kept them barely moist and I kept snipping the roots off when they were coming out the bottom of the pots. When the weather started to get warmer, I planted them straight into my b&q buckets and they went beserk! I had a great crop from them, I was absolutely sowed under with Sungold toms and they tasted fabulous. I don't know if I was just lucky or if the way I treated them that had any significance, but I'll be doing the same again this year.

[DD.]

Sorry, I cannot see the point in sowing early and then going to all the trouble of stopping them growing.

May just as well wait and save some bother.

[azubah]

I sow a few In January, and have them in 12" tubs before they spend their first night in the greenhouse.
It's OK if you have the time and patience to put them in the greenhouse on warm days, and space indoors to look after them like babies.
It does mean ripe tomatoes in June or July.

[mumofstig]

It's OK if you have the time and patience to put them in the greenhouse on warm days, and space indoors to look after them like babies.
It does mean ripe tomatoes in June or July.

Exactly! That's why I chance just a couple - certainly couldn't cope with more than that!

[tangojulie]

I always sow one or two, just to get side shoots for rooting later. I do get some early tomatoes from the original plants but the main point is to get a head start on the next ones.

[merky587]

I never start my Tomatoes until March. Unless you have space and a grow light you dont really see much difference in the time they produce in my opinion.

[Robster]

I have always previously sown toms and chillies in January.  Mostly this is so I can do something, just like a lot of you other folk  But they have always been very big before I could get them out to the greenhouse sometimes potted on twice.  This year I have avoided the trap especially as I intend to finally plant most of them outside and will not do that before end of May.  What discipline eh.