skip to main content

Growing Tomatoes

Started too early - need help

16 years ago

This is my first time growing from seeds and evidently I can't count back 6-8 weeks from May 1st which is two weeks after my last frost date of April 15th because I started my seeds on Feb 15th. My question is will I run into any problems with having 10-12 week old plants before I plant?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

booberry85
16 years ago
I suspect you'll need to repot them before transplanting. Your tomatoes may get a little leggy too. Just be sure to transplant them deep when you do transplant them.

Becky (who usually starts too early too!)
billtex
16 years ago
What zone do you live in,i'm assuming you are talking about tomatoes. You may need to pot up, how many true leaves are there on the seedlings ?bill w
Related Discussions
Too early to start from seed with my lighting setup?
Q
Comments (11)
I'm in MN too. And it is probably not too early for you. I am always chomping at the bit to get going right after Christmas. I have learned though that depending on what I am starting, it is possible to start too early :) For perennials and some annuals that take a long time (i.e. geraniums, petunias) I've started them in January. For shorter season things like veggies, I usually try to wait until later in Febuary at least. I started my tomato seeds in January one year and they were almost 4 feet tall before I could get them planted out. They did wonderfully, but they were a little unruly to deal with in the house/greenhouse. One thing to keep in mind is to remember how much light space you have. You don't want to be using all your lighted space for germination trays. Then when you go to repot the seedlings into their own pots you will run out of lighted space for them (speaking from experience here! :)
...See More
Is it too early to start dividing in NE Ohio zone 5/6
Q
Comments (7)
yea wait ... first i think of soil compaction.. you simply standing and working in your beds.. i know OH has a lot of heavy clay.. and tromping around your beds early .... MIGHT lead to cement later in the summer ... next.. it would depend on how far you want to divide .. and the potential for heave.. as the ground goes in and out of thaw ... if you are simply halving a giant piece.. you can probably get away with it.. but if you were dividing down to single plants.. you might find them all above the surface in a few weeks ... i too am anxious to get out there.. but there is plenty to do .. cleaning up a lot of stuff.. before i spend too much time actually walking in the beds .. or making cement ... actually.. the first thing i had to do when i moved here with a 3 year old.. was build a sandbox.. so the kid would stop digging up everything i just planted .. lol ... make any sense?? you know.. what it really comes down to ... i dont trust mother nature ... she will mess with you gratuitously .. i still expect her to throw winter at me, with a vengeance .... it may not happen ... probably not ... but i trust her as far as i can throw her. .. ken ps: i though you were a guilt momma.. lol ... and i was wondering what you were guilty about.. lol ...
...See More
Too early to plant outside? Too late to start indoors?
Q
Comments (1)
The question really is whether you think you'll get a hard frost (e.g. the moisture in the soil actually freezes to any extent) or not. The tubers will survive in the soil with cool temperatures, just not frost. Remember, they are shallow root plants so you only need to freeze a couple of inches of soil and you'll kill or damage the roots. It would take several weeks of ground frost to kill the tuber (think about what happens at the end of the season.) I too am in Zone 5, and am on the side of a lake (which usually means our temperatures are slightly higher than others) but you are more daring than I. But my reason is that most of mine are 8" tall already and I don't want to have to bother with coverings for frost warnings. Most of my tubers took 15 days to go from nothing to a cuttable sprout. Were they in the ground, that sprout would have had a couple of sets of leaves above the ground and would have been highly susceptible to frost. The up-side of your plan, however, is that even if the above-ground part gets frosted, a root system should get established as well, so a new sprout should come up quickly. Good luck, and let us know how it works out for you. Cheers, Russ
...See More
How early is too early to start seeds?
Q
Comments (3)
Hey, I'm in Cedar Rapids too! I would suggest direct sowing your squash, zucchini, and cucumbers. I transplanted some last year that I started and really, the direct sowed ones caught up with the transplants in no time - not worth the trouble of starting them indoors. I've no experience with melons so I can't help you there. Tomatos - I'd say mid-late March and you'll be okay - lanky plants really don't do that well. Broccoli can go out a bit earlier, I believe, so you could probably start that right now but I'm no expert as I've never grown it from seed. When in doubt, follow the directions on the seed packet! This my second year gardening here in IA and I can't wait! Good thing I'm having my third baby late-March/early April - gives me time to get into a routine before the gardening season really is in earnest!
...See More
wvtomatoman
16 years ago
You can run into issues when starting plants too early, but tomatoes are quite resiliant. Some examples of issues ad work arounds follow. You'll have to pot up more because you don't want your plants getting root bound. Also, leggy plants can be cumbersome to work with, but that can be over come by trenching or planting them deeply. And, the plants can start to flower and set fruit before you get them in the ground and get their roots established, but you can just pinch off the blossoms.

Fortunately you have several options besides dealing with the issues mentioned above. You can slow down the plants you have, you can take cuttings from the plants you have, or you can start new seeds closer to the proper date.

To slow down plants grow them in the coolest temps you can (without getting too cold of course), don't fertilize, and be stingy with watering. Some people even recommend removing the side foliage (leaving just a little clump of foliage on top).

Good luck.

Randy
tworivers1
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks everyone, this does make me feel a little better because I didn't know if I should toss them and start all over again since this is the time frame I probably should be starting them.

Bill, I am talking tomatoes and live in zone 6, St Louis, and I don't have any true leaves yet.

I think I'll keep what I have and take Randy's suggestions if I run into problems.

Related Stories

HOLIDAYS 5 DIY Holiday Gifts to Start Early

By Vanessa Brunner

Handmade gifts for the home can be the most meaningful of all, but a rushed DIY project can bring on stress and mistakes

DECORATING GUIDES How to Decorate When You're Starting Out or Starting Over

No need to feel overwhelmed. Our step-by-step decorating guide can help you put together a home look you'll love

GARDENING GUIDES 12 Tips to Help You Start an Edible Garden

By Abundant City

Get on your way to growing your own vegetables with a raised bed or a few containers on the patio

MOST POPULAR Organized From the Start: 8 Smart Systems for Your New House

By Laura Gaskill

Establishing order at the outset will help prevent clutter from getting its foot in the door

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Golden Alexanders for Early Spring Color

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Get sunny flowers while other garden growers are still asleep, with this adaptable prairie plant beloved by butterflies

HOUZZ TV FAVORITES Houzz TV: See How Early Settlers Lived in This Restored Pilgrim House

Passionate restoration and preservation efforts give a 1665 home an honored place in the present

SPRING GARDENING 7 Great Container Plants for Early-Spring Appeal

Good things sometimes come to those who impatiently head to the nursery for plants that can take a chill

NATIVE PLANTS Plant These Fall-Flowering Natives in Early Summer for Pollinator Love

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

These 3 groups of plants will support masses of beneficial insects come autumn

MY HOUZZ My Houzz: Early-California Style for a 1920s Home and Garden

By Bonnie McCarthy

Native plantings and flea market treasures fill the cozy live-work space of a Southern California landscape designer

MOST POPULAR How to Start a Cool-Season Vegetable Garden

By Marianne Lipanovich

Late summer and late winter are good times to plan and plant cool-season crops like salad greens, spinach, beets, carrots and peas

Sponsored

More Discussions

Has anyone heard of a storage tomato? Looking at Giallorosso di Crispi

4

"Purple" tomatoes?

4

What tools and materials for planting tomato

0