Transplanting Tomato Seedlings

Tomato Seedlings Day 19

Drat!  I left town for two days and the babies did not got enough light while I was gone.  They have gone and stretched beyond where I like them to be for their first transplant.  This is not really a big deal with tomato seedlings.  If you have the time, mine seem to do better with a transplant to a bigger container before their final move into the garden.

When I transplant tomato seedlings I try to transplant them as deep as I can get them, preferably right up to the bottom of their lowest leaves.  This allows them to develop lots of new roots along the buried stem and makes for a stronger plant.  Some of these seedlings were unfortunately so tall that even with bending the stem a little, they were still much higher than I like.  Oh well I'll get them deep when they go into the garden.

The first transplant is also when I do the first and only thinning.  I go down to one plant of each variety except for Chocolate stripes.  I need to save seed from that one this year so I am keeping two to be on the safe side.  Throwing out tomato seedlings makes me a little sad, but they grow so much faster without roommates in their pots, its worth it.

I've lost one seedling this spring.  Striped Roman only had one seed sprout and it croaked.  That variety is notoriously wimpy when small and my seedling.  I'm not going to replant.  I have enough tomatoes.  I did replant a few other things where germination has been poor.  Some peppers and leeks today.

The last chore of the day was the first fertilization of the new transplants.  I use Organic Neptunes Gold Fish and Seaweed fertilizer to get the trace nutrients.  It STINKS but just for a little bit.  Its a very gentle fertilizer (2-3-1) but the plants seem to do well with it at this stage.  Here is a picture of some of the kids all potted up.  The plants on the right are as deep as I like to go.  The ones on the left are showing too much stem!