4" should be fine. Pinch the leaves off before planting.

Some people think that 6 to 8 inches is the ideal size. Others think that 8 to 10 or even 12 inches is the ideal size. I'm in the 8 to 10 inch category.

You can probably get away with planting them at 4 inches. You might want to consider experimenting with planting 2 now and 2 later when they get a little larger and see if it makes a difference. If you do it would be nice if you reported the results back here.

Good luck.

Randy

I had a bunch of late seedlings this year. I pinched off the suckers and sank them to top cluster. I would be luck if they had 3" above dirt. They are now 7" and 8" tall. All in about 1 1/2 weeks. I always notice how much fast they grow once in the ground and in full sun. Do however make sure that they are hardened off first.

E

I've never had any problems with planting the little 3" tall seedlings I get from the local greenhouse. They are already hardened off and they grow like crazy after a few weeks of root production. Also, I always pinch off the seed leaves and any low true leaves when I bury the stem. But I like the idea of a test where you plant two right away and plant two a little later. The later two could be re-potted if they are in smaller containers to encourage root growth and then planted outside in a few weeks.

Good luck!

Mike

Seedlings should be large enough to have a thickened stem. Too small, and it is just to easy to damage them in the transplanting process. Too lagrge, and they are likely to need some serious root-teasing-out before planting. And you sure don't want a seedling that is developing any blossoms while in a pot.

I like to plant my seedlings deep to encourage additional roots from the stems for later help feeding the fruits. So, I like mine at least 12' high, hardened off with very gradual exposure to sun and wind, and I snip off all the stems below the ground level.

Having said that, I should also mention that I transplant my seedling several times inside. I move them from flats to individual cells when they have their 2nd leaves (first "true" leaves), deeply into a 3.5" pot that I've saved from some perennial plants I ordered, and then to some deeper pots (some are 8" deep 4" wide PVC tube sections and some 1 or 2 qt cardboard milk containers).

I plant those outside in 12" deep and wide holes with a lot of compost and some slow-release organic fertilizer.

If they produce blossoms soon after transplanting, I pinch them off. Fewer early fruits mean more plant, and more plant means more tomatoes overall.

Hmm, after reading some posts here I'm wondering if I should of pinched off the bottom leaves.

I transplanted into the ground with leaves and all.

Why is this bad?

Well that was quick.

It is not necessarily bad in my opinion natural, sometimes I do if I think about it, many times I do not bother. I really can not tell any difference.
Bill P.

I'm not the tomatoe expert, but I'm going to say 8-12".I planted my main crop of tomatoes May 24th, and the last 4-5 are going in today.They were late seedlings , and are now 8-12" tall. I lost 1 transplant to the garden this year, and I do think it was the fact that it was only 6" tall, and I planted it 3" deep. It was the smallest of that batch of seedlings. Just from my exp this yr.

Think the important thing to state her is that 'maters want to grow. Not really important how big or small they are, because once you get them in the ground they do their thing. Those of us that grow in containers will tell you, that those roots wanna spread! Have you ever had to pull one because of disease or some other misfortune prior to its' experation date? If so, then you know they love the dirt. Doesn't matter what kind of dirt, they just love to get out in it. Kinda like kids, now that I think about it. You can tell 'em to hold off, and they will... But once you give 'em license... They are out of control! Good Luck.

Planting the seedlings with leaves below ground seems to me to invite some fungal/rot problems. I always pinch off the leaves that will be below ground.

I can't say I've ever tried leaving them on though, so it is just a defensible habit... :)

I had some seeds arrive late because they were mail order and were stricken by a bad case of snail mail. In any case they did not emerge until about April 17th or so. I waited until I repotted them into seperate pots, took them out to my zip-up 'greenhouse' (More like a glorified cold frame) and set them in there. They stayed there for a week. They were in the ground at about 3 weeks of age, give or take. Sounds fast I know, but they got a late start and had some catching up to do. They are now pretty much caught up. Only about 4" high when they went in and now they show great promise. Fortunately the weather has been very co-operative. They didn't seem to skip a beat hardly. Bear in mind this is NOT how I usually do things. I fast-tracked them because they were late in arriving. Still, they are doing well.