I was told i started my seedlings to early for california. But so far they look great, starting to get the thick stems.

I already planted 2 test seedlings outdoors and the seem to be doing just fine.

Well they look a little purple, but if they turn out healthy then you've got a good thing going.

Some people are very concerned about stunting plants early in their growth, but I wouldn't be surprised if a couple hours outside in the daytime is OK. I wonder if someone knows about some controlled studies about this kind of thing?

I do something similar. Winter weather can be very unpredictable here in Texas. For example, yesterday it was 70 degrees!

I start my seedlings very early, in December, and while it's freezing outside I keep them in the garage under lights. I don't really have room in the house for my light set-up. The garage isn't heated, but I put a thermometer in there to make sure, and it never gets down to freezing in there. I also have them sitting on those seedling heating pads.

(Starting them very early also helps if some disaster happens and I have to start some more replacement seeds. Most people think I'm nuts for starting that early, but it has helped before.)

But when the weather report says we're having several days in a row where the nighttime lows aren't going to get colder than the 40's, and it's going to be in the 60's or 70's during the day, I put them all outside on the porch in the sun and just leave them there until the weatherman says we're going to have a freeze again. It's really not that much trouble since here it doesn't freeze more often than it does.

I figure that natural sunlight is always better than flourescent lights, so I try to have my seedlings out in it as much as possible. I also think that maybe having them at cooler temperatures and slowing their growth might keep them from getting as leggy. But I haven't done a controlled study on that.

Californian, thank you for sharing your experience. It's very helpful because this is my first year starting from seeds. I thought it didn't make sense to hide from the beautiful sunshine, so I've been leaving them in full sun whenever feasible. I was a bit worried not knowing whether it'll work, your post makes me feel much better.
Penny

Mine go directly outdoors too, but I have a cold frame so they stay out there with protection at night.

Don't be fooled by this unusual January. Having three weeks of 80 degree weather is a "every ten years" event (strong La Nina).

Light produces sugars needed for growth. Warmth uses those sugars to grow the plant. When starting seedlings early you should balance the two factors for best results.

I take my December/January starts out when it's sunny and 70+ degrees.

If it's sunny and 60s I put the tray into a black cement mixing tub to make a micro solar climate in the tub and catch some heat.

If it's sunny and 50s I add a heating pad under the tray.

At sunset I bring them back in and run CFLs until they have had 16-18 hours of total light.

Good luck.

I never bother with indoors, I only grow cherry toms early and seed directly, most tend to take a cold snap pretty well. I find I'm less likely to get early blight if I don't transplant and no hardening off issues or expensive grow lights. I won't start the bigger varieties until mid-late March.

I put mine outside right after they sprouted last year, and I was happy with the way things turned out. I was going to set up lights indoors, but I had about 1000 seedlings, and it would have been really expensive. Not to mention a mess. But you suggested setting up some kind of greenhouse instead. So I made a low tunnel (really easy, and cheap), and it worked out well. I did have to move them in on cold days, and that was time consuming. But this year I'm planning to move the tunnel closer my house, so it should be easier. It saved me a lot in light bulb, and electricity costs. And I didn't have to worry about hardening them off. Although there were some disadvantages. But nothing's perfect.

I've only kept tomato seedlings in shady areas or indoors under lights a few times, and much prefer to keep them in full sun from the start.

For me, they've always grown faster and stronger out in the sun.

It also beats having to go through the hardening process, which I'm always impatient with.