Starting tomatoes indoors from seed

[MorpheusPA]

Sounds like cold damage, which means the plants weren't fully hardened off...either that or they're bone dry.

Not dry. I'll bet he was still carrying them in at night.

Is there anything I can do? Sun, water, and a slower acclimation to nighttime temps?

I'd start the whole hardening process from the beginning with those if you can. The ones that look like wet spinach may or may not recover, but cut off those leaves and hope they have enough to continue on (or resprout from the stems, which look quite strong).

If yours didn't go over, you didn't get a frost. However, non-acclimatized plants can still get very droopy and cold shock.

[Michael Wise]

They are in the ground.

http://i424.photobucket.com/albums/pp32 ... 606435.jpg

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[MorpheusPA]

Wow, for something that looked so big in the pots, they look very small in the ground, don't they?

Were they getting root bound?

[Michael Wise]

Yeah, I buried 'em up gud.

No, not bound up yet. They still had a ways to go. They weren't even as bad as they were in the cups, but had a good mass of roots wrapping around the outside.

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[MorpheusPA]

It always amazes me that I buy these plants that barely fit their little cells (and am growing them downstairs). They're huge and look great. I then plant them and...er, where did they go? You can't possibly tell me that there are 700 plants in this garden. I do not think so (which I should think so as I was the one planting them!)

Don't put your chin underneath those tomatoes; they may punch you by accident on the way past.

[GaryCinChicago]

They are in the ground.

http://i424.photobucket.com/albums/pp32 ... 606435.jpg

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GREAT !!!

Hey, that's some fence you put up to keep the varmints out. How tall is that?

[Michael Wise]

'Bout 6 foot.

It was free from the father in law.

I'm afraid i'll have to go back and put chicken wire around the bottom for rabbits. They don't care how tall it is when it has those huge holes to walk through.

At least it might make the deer think twice. I hope so anyway.

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[GaryCinChicago]

'Bout 6 foot.

Wow, so I *AM* getting old. Blind in one eye and I can't see out the other one, LOL!!!

I would have sworn those were 12 feet or better from the depth of field in that picture, and judging them against your red mater stakes. I thought you were trying to keep kangaroos or something out of your garden with that tall of a fence - really,

OK, so they're in the dirt now. After they take root, you're going to see a few buds come in at the first branch, above the soil. Pinch those off, which will cause the plant to extend itself upwards and produce new suckers everywhere. What buds and flowers above the second branch, is yours.

Then you're going to have to get those stakes higher. Up to 6' like that fence.

[Michael Wise]

Thanks, Gary!

Those stakes are stackable, so I just have to add to whats there. They come in three foot sections and I have enough to go to 9 feet if I need to.

[Bavaria]

Any ground hogs in the background? They will dig under the fence.

[Michael Wise]

I have moles when the drought of the summer moves in.

I didn't have the oomph to worry about them. That is what my traps and Jack Russell, Turbo, are for.

Just kidding! Next year, if I have a problem this year, I may install something to impede their progress. Time prevented me from more work, though.

Depending in success, the garden my grow next season anyway, so any structure there may change.

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[Bavaria]

I understand, I have been there done that. Even landscaping bricks on the inside of the fence will help, as well as your terrior. Above all if you enjoy doing it like myself don't get discouraged. Growing from seed is the way to go.

[Michael Wise]

Gary, no buds on the low branch, but just the few days they've been in the ground, they've really started budding up top.

Should I continue pinching those off since I JUST got them in the ground? Or let 'em go?

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[GaryCinChicago]

Gary, no buds on the low branch, but just the few days they've been in the ground, they've really started budding up top.

Should I continue pinching those off since I JUST got them in the ground? Or let 'em go?

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Well ...... personally here in Chicago, I would pinch to encourage growth of the whole plant.
Will your maters continue growing through the heat of summer into fall like me here, then do the same.

However, if mater season is over by August, like it is in Florida because of the brutal summer heat, then allow it to flower because your single growing seasons are shorter - but you will have two growing seasons annually, like they have in Florida.

Even in Chicago, when it gets hot in August, maters will not set fruit on the flowers. Just too hot.

I hope this makes sense with just a little but of help, Mike. I just can't guess on your Ark. summer heat.
Maybe pinching back now and allowing the plant to grow and spread for the foliage will shade the soil, along with deep mulching is enough to maintain materplants all season long in Arkansas, giving you fruit once again in fall.

I would imagine TW had two seasons in Texas and he would be better able to advise you on Arkansas.

[Michael Wise]

Thanks for the help, Gary. It does get pretty durn hot.

I'll ping TW after Easter lunch.

Since I first asked, I DID let the buds stay. They flowered, dropped flowers, and one has a tee-niny mater on it.

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[Michael Wise]

Pinch or not, here's my first mater.

http://i424.photobucket.com/albums/pp32 ... e7dddd.jpg

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[GaryCinChicago]

Update time, Mike !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Michael Wise]

I'll have to try and get some pics up this evening.

I've got a bunch of little maters on the way.

A handful of them are golf ball size.

I had some small trees nearby that I didn't think would be a problem that turned out to be a problem. 4 plants took off, and the other 4 were a little slow in the shade. Got those out of the way, and things look better. I can see better growth since Saturday when I cut the trees. Still may have to take out a bigger tree, though.

Hopefully I'll be eating something soon. Instead of pics, I'll get video of me eating a fresh sliced tomato.

[cactus]

Still may have to take out a bigger tree, though.

Now that's a dedicated mater-grower right there.

[Michael Wise]

Here are the biggest big boys. In the second pic, the mater on the right is the one linked to above as my first tomato.

http://i424.photobucket.com/albums/pp32 ... 7d84e9.jpg
http://i424.photobucket.com/albums/pp32 ... 95e72a.jpg

Here is a little bundle of ss100's.

http://i424.photobucket.com/albums/pp32 ... beac7b.jpg

In this pic, you can see the size difference between the previously shaded plants, and the not previously shaded plants. And we're only talking a few hours. I had no idea that a few hours would make such a difference.

http://i424.photobucket.com/albums/pp32 ... 98d85c.jpg

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