Hello! I'm your neighbor to the south (it's not often I get to say that!) but I'm in the same zone. I usually start after the first week in March (between March 5-8). My first year starting tomatoes inside, I started them at the end of February and that was just a little too soon.

Happy Gardening, Boo

I started mine on April 2nd last year and it was 2 weeks too soon! I planted them on May 15th and they made it, but there were a couple of upper-30s degree nights that had me worried. However I got my first tomato mid-July (Stupice) and got some more mid-season ones a few weeks after that.

I think that, although we're all zone 5B, we still have big local differences. I'm right up against Lake Michigan (in Wisconsin) and so have much cooler spring temps that even someone a few miles inland. It sucks when I want to get the garden started and I'm not getting anything above 60 degrees in May. In October I'm still picking tomatoes since the lake is keeping me warmer at that point. Didn't get our first frost until November last year.

Mike

I started mine at the beginning of March last year. Plants were 3 to 4 feet tall when I planted at beginning of June. This worked out extremely well for me. Plants flowered fairly quickly, fruit set was very good in the first few weeks. After that time, we had a lot of cold evenings, high humidity, and several period of heatwaves. Fruit set was terrible for 4 to 6 weeks. Everyone who planted 1 to 2 food seedlings at the beginning of June in my area had awful production, because their plants began flowering during the poor weather period. I had masses of tomatoes at the 1.5 foot to 2.5 foot level on my plants, then an almost complete lack of tomatoes for the next 2 feet or so (the sections that flowered during that poor 4 to 6 week period). My wife does not like the jungle of plants in all of our south facing windows, but the tomatoes we get are sure worth it. I would not want plants to be so big that they started setting fruit inside my house (not enough sun inside to support that, I think), but I really believe that having 3 to 4 foot 'seedlings' enhances my production.

Unfortunately, I will be on vacation for 8 days in the second weed of March, so will be starting plants on March 17...will need to use bigger pots to ensure that I get them to the size I want by beginning of June.

anthony~
1-2 ft plants indoors? Are you running a grow-op? My seedlindgs were 6 inches for a June 6 planting and I had frost here June 5.

mike~
I know lake effect. I'm the Ontario snow belt area east of Lake Huron. If I had plants the size of anthony I'd put them out with a frost cover. Stupice was my first producer as well as it should be but 'cause I started late I didn't get toms 'til August thru October. My Brandywine didn't have enough time so this year I am using Manitoba as my slicer and the rest are cherry type which I love.

boo~
GOOD LUCK with your toms. z5 is colder than most know and always a risk of June frost but we do get are toms don't we.

Anthony I still want to know how you got plants that size to go to the garden. Let us all in on the secrets.

anthony_toronto (My Page) on Thu, Feb 14, 08 at 12:48

I started mine at the beginning of March last year. Plants were 3 to 4 feet tall when I planted at beginning of June
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With all due respect, Anthony, how is this possible? I would like to know because I would LOVE to have plants that size to plant out - you could have tomatoes by the end of June!!!

Newbie 2007 - as you probably know, recommended start dates are 6 to 8 weeks before last frost/ planting out date. I find it makes sense to take into account germination time (7-10 days), and then I always try to push the envelope with the hope of getting a bit larger plant to transplant out about May 15th (running out to cover them up if there is a frost between May 15 & May 30th - it's worth the risk to get those extra couple of weeks outdoors in the garden. March 1st is my seeding date. I am about 30 to 45 minutes away from you - between Woodstock & London, south of Ingersoll & the 401.

I started very early last year and all worked out OK only because we had a very early, hot spring. By 7 weeks old my plants were at least 12" tall and then 3 or 4" taller after hardening off in the garage for about 10 days. I plan on starting seeds around the first week of March this year. I'll plant out around the beginning of May with the help of a fabric frost protect cover. Last year we had a lot of varieties ready by the 4th. of July.

Just my 2 cents. Last year I started my tomato and pepper seedling the first week of March. I feel its worth the time and effort to start them early. I start my seedlings under my twin 70 watt MH light in the house. Temp in the house 72 temp under light 85.
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After my seedling are about 3 to 4 weeks old I repot them in to 5" pots. Now its time to move them out to the garage under my 2' x 4' shop lights. I have 5 shop lights 10 total bulbs 400 watts of total light.
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The key to keeping your tomatoes under control is temp. I keep the temp out in the garage around 50. I run the lights on a timer for 16 hours. I start the timer around 6pm and it runs till 10am. This helps keep the garage temp up when its cold at night and running the lights at night keep the plants cooler during the day. My goal is to keep the temp around 50 to 60. This keeps the plant short and compact while the roots grow.
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Just to give you some ideas here are some pix

I have started already. Although I am in zone 7, my winter is as long as some zone 5 locations. I start too early, but I just pot up the plants into larger cups. I end up with them in the large SOLO drinking cups. It is a lot of work to carry them in and out when it is warm enough in the day, but not at night. When I put them out, they go into cold frames. I get very robust & early plants this way. I start peppers and eggplants even earlier. I may be crazy, but it works for me. I also do not grow 100 kinds of tomatoes either. I am also no expert, I have only taken to growing tomatoes in the last few years. I have grown them here and there, but they generally were not a part of my vegetable garden. I plant them when the time is right and they are hardened off by stripping the leaves up to the top batch of leaves, and then burying that at an angle "up to the necks".

I start my early ones first, then I get early-early tomatoes.

Robin

stquack~
Thanks for the link to your photos. Your setup looks great and obviously works. How do you keep the plants short and stalky. Mine are bit leggie but still work ok.

This year I'm going to use a seed tray and pot up as needed. Last year I used Jiffy pellets. They were OK but I think I can do better.