The soil is pretty darn cold, they might really get set back going into the soil now. Can you drag them in and out, pot and all? It's a pain, but it helps harden them off without shocking them too much. Of coures they'd need to be in a sheltered spot out there, even during the daytime.

I wouldn't put them out for another month at least. And even then, you'll have to watch out for a late frost.

Wow, I only started my seeds last week. I have experimented with those Wall-o-Waters, after three years of playing with them I decided that they're not worth the trouble.

They will protect against frost. I had a couple of test plants out a couple years back when we had that bit of snow in early May and they survived that too. But as digginthedirt says, the plants stop growing, and sulk if you put them out this early.

If you put them out just a couple of weeks early with the WOWs (Memorial Day Weekend has always been the planting time for tomatoes around here, putting them out is extremely early) then you may get some impressive foliage grow, but by the time early July rolls around you can't tell the difference. You definitely are not eating tomatoes much sooner than you would otherwise.

It sounds like you started your seeds too early. I've always regretted it whenever I've started them any sooner than the 4th week of March. It's hard to wait, especially if we get some nice days before that. It took me a few years of leggy plants before I could resist.

Have you considered a coldframe? I have one with one of those automatic lid lifters. While I don't grow tomatoes from seed, I do buy the plants as soon as they show up on the nursery shelves, which in these parts is generally a foolish thing to do given the weather. They are not out, yet, but if they were, I'd buy some right now. I leave them in their pots, and the plants do great in the coldframe. By the time they outgrow it, it's time to plant them.

If you set the coldframe up a couple of days ahead, then it will warm the ground, lessening the risk of setting back your plants.

If you don't want to invest in a store-bought one untested, you could make one out of some cinderblocks or bricks and an old window. Just be sure to regulate the opening, or you most definitely will cook whatever is inside.

narcnh

Bah! I am new to gardening this year and very new to starting with seeds. I started my toms the third week of March. Oh well, perhaps I will just resort to buying the nursery toms again.

BTW, should I even bother with the seedlings I have now? Will they be too leggy and stressed to bear fruit??

The third week of March isn't really that early. We just planted out seeds, but that is as much because we are running behind as anything else.

If they are growing in windowsills, they are probably not getting enough light. A shop light setup would help, or taking them outside during the day.

Yup, 3rd week of March isn't too early. One year I had a temporary bout of insanity and started them in late February. I blamed that on a Victory Garden Re-run where Roger Swain was bragging about getting fruit from a container plant by Memorial Day. Needless to say I wasn't eating tomatoes anywhere near Mem Day, or even the 4th of July.

It sounds like they're just getting leggy. More light, less heat for the next month will help get that under control.

If you don't have a coldframe, you can bring the trays outside during the day; you have to do this gradually, or they'll cook. First day, a couple of hours in the shade, out of the wind, then in filtered sun for a few days ... work up to the point where they can take a breeze and sunshine - making sure they don't dry out, of course. If this sounds like a lot of work, well, it is.

One trick I like for leggy seedlings is to use a fan. Not that you want to beat them up, just to get the air circulating and ... toughen them up a bit. Again, doing it gradually is important.
DtD

You could make a cold frame out of hay bales and cover it with plastic. But it's still really early. We can have frosts at the end of May even. Maybe you could start some seeds now and compare how they grow when the weather gets warmer. I'm just starting my seeds this week. I'm in springfield area.

Glad

I agree with everyone that you should be hardening your indoor tomato plants by introducing them to outdoor conditions gradually. A few days of hardening will toughen your plants. If you have excess seedlings you may want to plant some of the hardened off plants in a warm microclimate and see if they do alright. My attitude is nothing ventured, nothing gained. If you have garden areas that have southern exposure and shelter from the wind your tomato plants may survive. I push my growing season by planting early varieties in planters close to the south side of my house. The soil in the planter warms up faster compared to the ground soil.

Chervil2

fbot, leggy tomatoes are the reason I decided to go with all wintersown tomatoes this year - I figure in the worst case, I'll have to buy tomatoes at the farm, but I suspect many of my toms will produce just fine. With leggy seedlings, though, when you do plant them out, just plant them deep - leave only the top third of the plant above ground.