Tomato Seedling Size

Take a look at this tomato seedling. I just planted it in the garden yesterday and am very pleased with the shape it’s in.

I’m not posting this to brag. But, in my humble opinion, this is absolutely the perfect size tomato seedling for transplanting. You might recall that I mentioned a few weeks ago when I plant my tomato seeds indoors.

I don’t start them until April 1st. That is 6 weeks before I can plant them in my zone 5 garden.

I’ve seen folks start their tomato seeds way too early, like in January and February. I completely understand their excitement for getting the garden season under way. Unfortunately, that is too early for the cooler zones. Our garden is in zone 5b and I’ve learned the hard way about timing, believe me.

What happens to the early seedlings is that they become pot-bound and leggy. That translates into them getting off to a pretty crummy start in life. Maybe you want to have the first ripe tomato on the block. But you’re doing yourself and your plants a disservice by starting them too early.

So no matter where you live, try to hang in there until 6 weeks before you can plant your tomatoes outdoors and you’ll have much healthier plants!