Why on earth throw them out? They will still make good tomatoes even if you won't know what they are. Once they have fruit it makes little difference.

Your experience is a good example of why those new to growing from seed need to start out slowly. ;)

Dave

I wouldn't stop indoor sowing because I feel the rewards are there. I have some beautiful flowers I started from seed that are now in the GH waiting for the weather to clear. This year I started with seeds in January and even though I was kept busy with these plants they would cost $3-4 dollars at the garden center. My only change next year is I will place them in the GH sooner so I can plant more seeds.

Ha, wait until you plant your babies outside and the DEER EAT THEM ALL...then you will be a true gardener....

Some things aren't worth it from seeds (like maybe your onions), but others are because they are otherwise more expensive or hard to find.

If you ever dare try this again, you will eventually get the hang of it, and learn that it doesn't always have to take that much care. (I know some people will gasp, but I fill the water-holding bottom container under my flats with water once a week, and ignore them after that. I haven't had any problems, not even damping off, as long as I used an unopened (fresh) bag of seed starting medium, over a small amount of miracle grow potting soil. I also don't transplant, I leave them in the little holes in the flat. Roots coming out everywhere, but they're fine). So, it is possible for low maintenance seed starting. It does help to have a greenhouse with filtered sunlight (you could buy one (coldframe), or make one out of some 2 x 4s and frosted glass from home depot if you wanted). With the greenhouse, the light is always perfect and no adjustment needed.

One year, I really went "over the top" with planting seedlings. I had four sets of lights, 3 racks on each, and they were all stuffed with flats of seedlings. Every day, as soon as I got home from work, I raced to the basement to see if anything had "popped" in the last 24 hours. It was so exciting! I finally had them all potted up and out on my 3 season porch. Needless to say, there was barely room to walk around out there. I was slowly getting them planted, when an emergency came up and my husband and I had to be away for a week. My neighbor promised to check on my "babies" daily, and water as needed, which was important because it was hot and dry. I had it all set up for her so all she had to do was turn on the hose and hose them down. (They were sitting on the deck so any excess water would just run off - no problem). Honestly, it wouldn't have taken her 5 minutes, and she didn't even have to be "delicate" about it. So I left with a deck stuffed with green, growing plants. When I returned a week later, about 2:00 AM, I turned on the lights and walked out on the deck. I was horrified to find that all of my beautiful plants were dead and dry to the core. Even the ones in 8 inch diameter pots were dry to their very core. Obviously she had never watered them. I was so furious I phoned her immediately and got her out of bed. She said she had "forgot" to water my plants, but thought they'd be all right. When I told her they were all dead, her answer was: "Well, they were just plants." No apology, no nothing. Needless to say, that was the end of that friendship. I really mourned those plants I'd spent so much time raising. BUT it hasn't stopped me from raising more plants from seeds! I still love it, still adore watching a new plant pop it's head up for the first time, or unfold it's first set of leaves. I guess what I'm saying is that if you truly love growing from seed, you'll do it no matter what. And if you don't, then maybe you'd be better off buying them a little later on, after someone else has started them. And there's no judgement in that. To each his/her own. Whatever floats your boat! Just do the kind of gardening YOU enjoy. MacThayer

This is my first year doing the indoor seed thing. Last year was the first year with the garden. I live in Minnesota and this time of year is a bummer. Not enough safe ice to fish on and TV is not that great. Last year it seemed everytime we bought something for the garden we would spend at least 30 dollars and it was all adding up. Starting the seeds for me has been both a challenge and a hobby. It is cool watching something from seed take. Did marigolds, tomatoes, impatients, geraniums, oinions and bell peppers. Could not get the peppers to go, impatients and geranums only about 10 percent but my tomatoes and onions look fantastic. Beans and cukes will go in probably in about two weeks then into the garden in about a month.

Don't throw the tomatoes out! You'll know what they are when they set fruit.

I ended up keeping all of the tomato plants. I just couldn't bear to throw them away!!! I'll find room for them somewhere and, worst case scenario, I'll buy some cheap planters and put them in containers.

ccaggiano, I can relate to how you feel! I started growing from seed this year. My brother in-law gave me a very nice (read expensive) grow lamp. I thought this was awesome--at first. After about a month and a half the bulb in the grow lamp burnt out, and I could not find a replacement at the local garden center. Oh, my poor seedlings...sitting in the dark for over a day! I had to purchase 4 shop lights from the hardware store to cover the same area that the big grow lamp covered--and I had to reconfigure the whole setup in the process. Then, to top it off, about a week later the outlet that I had my shop lights plugged into blew a fuse and I could not get it to start working again! (We live in a house built in 1826...the outlet needed to be replaced). I had to move all of my plants and re-hang all of the lights AGAIN. Fun times!

MacThayer, I can't believe the story about your neighbor!! How horrible.