Did you get them used to the outdoors a few hours at a time before you planted them?

I did not...well, maybe one or two times before...

exactly as Dave said. I personally think its too early to plant out.

Looks like they re going through a pretty hard case of transplant shock, probably due to poor root system and not hardening them off. I don't think I would toss them quite yet.

In the past I have made a TP tent from a box (actually it was a wine box cut up) to protect them from blazing sun, wind or cold. Mine went in the garden so I buried each side of the tent down in the dirt to keep them in place. A TP tent over a pot I have not tried. You may need to use some super tape and tape it to the outside of the pot on each side. Leave on only tell you see improvement.

Thanks all for commenting!

I appreciate the advice and suggestions. :)

My original intent last week was to just bring them out for some air/sun, to start the hardening off process....and ended up planting them in the ground. :/

It was windy the day I planted, and some of the stems were getting floppy so I (impulsively) decided to just plant directly in the ground.

Bad idea in retrospect....but I think I am going to just let them be. Some of the smaller plants are in my little shelf greenhouse, and the others that are already planted in the ground are covered nightly with 5 gallon buckets

Growing under lights/from seeds is challenging for me...and i've made so many mistakes so far, that it almost doesn't seem worth it.

I may end up just buying nursery plants again this year, and try from seed again next year.

Dave:

To answer your question about the variety (I found it) is "Chadwick Cherry'' baker creek heirloom seeds.

The 'other' variety I planted alongside this variety all showed signs of disease and poor development...could these plants also be infected/affected?

The current seedlings (under my grow light right now) are super sweet 100 and sweetie (I think they are both indeterminate varieties?)--I hope they aren't in bad soil/don't get sick!!

Also, wanted to add about the new seedlings...their stems are purple and their second set of leaves are starting to emerge. The leaves appear to be of light color w/ slight mottling and purple veins. What does THAT indicate?

i'll probably echo some of the previous comments if it has already been mentioned... the sun is too powerful and the plants aren't used it when started indoors. the first few days keep them in shade, no direct sunlight then after 3 days or so gradually start putting them closer to direct sunlight for *brief* periods.

Temperatures? You can't just say it might have been too cold without having an idea of how cold. Are we talking 30s, 40s, 50s? What exactly did they endure? If it's just 50s, and are stressed from not hardening, they'll recover. If lower, might be a bit chancy.

It looks like they're "planted" in pots. Why not just bring them in?

Oh, if they were stressed by just being thrust into direct sun, they'll recover.

Purple stems - keep in mind that most all these questions already have many discussions here so you can get a quick answer by using the search. For example:

Purple stem discussions

Chadwick Cherry is a HUGE plant. So is Super Sweet 100. Easily 8 feet tall and almost as wide. It is not a container plant. But your initial post was confusing as you show plants in containers yet say now they are in the ground. Which is it? If in the ground then obviously you cannot bring them back in and will have to rig up one of the many methods of protection for them to recover. Full sun exposure and wind are their true threats, not temps as long as the night time temps are well above freezing.

Seedlings developing a disease inside is close to impossible since they are not exposed to the outside bacteria and fungi that cause the diseases. So symptoms are usually not diseased caused.

You are learning alot. Unfortunately it is awfully close to doing it time to be learning it. So take advantage of the down time this next winter to do lots of reading and research so you can be better prepared come seed starting time next year. It is a good way to pass the winter doldrums. :-)

Dave

Thank you stevie, dan, and dave!

Good info and advice!

To answer your q's about the plants/temps.

6 plants in the ground, 5 in containers.

The temp has been dipping into the 30's at night with days in the mid 50's.

So far no freeze, however we had 2 frost warnings.

The plants in the ground look rough. Worse than the ones pictured (however, I did not take a pic since the lighting was poor).

Is it too late to dig them up? They've been in the ground for a few days now...

So, Chadwick cherry gets huge, huh? Same with super sweet? ok. I will def plant them in a bed when the time comes..

I was curious about the soil disease, only because I used saved seeds from an old tomato (given a bucketful a few years ago/saved the seed) (not sure of the variety)...but worried it may have been diseased...

If that is the case...is it true that the seeds will be sick also?

Thanks everyone for the insight and encouragement!

I get so down about my mishaps and failures that I want to throw in the towel, sometimes...

This place has been such a helpful source for me to utilize the last few years. :)

I'm going to go ahead and bring in the potted tomato plants and wish the best for the others for tonight.

Ok, just brought them inside...

Pictures of some damage below...

a few hours ago the smaller plant did not look like that! what is going on with it?!

My poor plants! I'm the worst plant parent, ever! :'(

30s will certainly stress them, if they spent all their time indoors before that. I agree that it's very unlikely you're facing disease. I suspect they'll recover, but it may be a while before that recovery is conspicuous. Tomatoes are pretty forgiving plants. Depending on where you are, I'd throw a cover over them at night, and hope the soil temperature is at least in the 50s. If they are in full sun in the daytime, you might keep that cover over them for half the day to shield them (making sure they don't get baked).

I suspect that digging them up now would just stress them even more. I think the only recourse now is protection.

Thanks again, daninthedirt!

I'm a little more optimistic about there not being any disease (fingers x'd) based on yours and dave's insight/comments. Phew! Maybe my new seedlings will be ok after all!

Where they are planted is partial shade (although, I originally thought it was a sunnier spot). The planted plants are covered with 5 gal buckets, which will at least help with wind/sun.

I googled some pics of the leaves on my smaller plant, and it appears that what I may be seeing is 'sun scorch' on the leaves.

It's strange because last time I checked on them, they did not look like that (late afternoon/evening)! I suppose that my shelf greenhouse contributed to the heat/burn?

Just hoping to successfully make it through a season with seed-grown/home-grown tomatos!

As i've said in my previous posts...worst case scenario..i'll buy store-bought ones (seedlings)...but i'd really like to be legit!! Trial and error for years and years now!

When will I be a master gardener? LOL. ;)

Tomato plants will require at least 6 hours of FULL sun to do well. Do you have that? Also, do not cover them with a 5 gallon bucket... they need light, air movement...Having them covered like that for too long will hurt them quick. Overnight is fine if you are down in the 30s, but get it off of them as close to sunrise as possible.

Thanks ncrealestateguy!

Yes, they have at least 6 hours in their new spot (maybe 7-8).

I originally thought the spot I placed them in was sunnier (8-10), but it is not.

As for the 5 gal buckets, I use them only at night. I take them off in the AM before the sun reaches them.

I'm going to bring out the potted plants today and place them in dappled sunlight.

Thanks for the insight/advice!

Tomatoes need a lot of sun to do well, but NOT in the few days after you first put them outside. At this point better to use those buckets to protect them from low temps at night rather than from a lot of sun in the daytime. Sounds like you're doing the right thing.

I suggest getting a large clear plastic bag (like leaf bags) and use them to tent over your plants. This will provide added protection from strong sunlight and wind.

Thanks again, daninthedirt and lanna!

I'm going to continue using the buckets at night and was going to possibly be adding a 16oz water bottle (heated in the sun) to sit inside the bucket over the night (to help keep the bucket/soil warm???) IDK if this will work or not, as i've been reading up a bit about what to do to help with this problem.

lanna: I like your idea and may go and get some bags this weekend when I go grocery shopping.

Thanks everyone for the encouragement and support! My plants thank you, too! ;)

Now just curious, how the plants are doing, after 3 weeks.

My own experience tells me that tomato plants are pretty resilient and tough to survive cold weather and get adjusted.

I planted some of mine at about the same time. The lowest temps were 38, 39. and numerous low 40s. They have grown about a foot in heights and flowering now.

Sey

Hello Seysonn!

Well, sadly, those plants are dead. They got bacterial speck and I pulled them, as I did not want it to spread to the rest of my plants.

But! The silver lining is that the newer plants that I got (nursery plants) are doing ok. They are somewhat purple from the cold, but I think they will 'make it'. If they don't I can pull them too since I ended up with an awesome batch of seedlings that I homegrew (sweetie, super sweet 100).

So, guess I will just chalk all of this up to experience and hope for better luck next year. It has been a great learning experience, so i'm pretty sure i'll do better in the future!

So glad your plants are doing well! From what i've read you are a seasoned gardener, and I admire all the experienced gardeners on here, they have been so helpful to me in my gardening journey.

Looking forward to summer and sunny, warm, weather!

Happy gardening!!

Garden Lover, I'm glad things are turning out for you. It sounds like you planted your tomatoes out too early as well as the hardening off issue. I think every gardener has done that at one time or another. This season I had to plant a tomato seedling and 3 melon seedlings out in my garden without hardening them off first. I covered them with a medium weight agro-cloth day and night and it seems to be doing the trick. I have removed the cloth from around the tomato but the melons are still covered. All are alive and growing...

rhoder551: Thank you! So far there were some losses, but also successes. :)

I think, additionally, I started them waaay too early, and the variety it was was more sensitive (since it is an heirloom). Unfortunately, I won't be tasting those tomatoes this year, but I'll try again next.

Also, I will not start germinating in February. WHAT was I thinking?!?!? LOL.

Next year, it'll be mid-late March, which would work out more than ok for my zone.

Pretty soon, i'll be getting my pumpkins going as well as the cucumbers. Where is my 75-80 degree weather, already?! LOL!!

Sounds like you have your plants safe and sound. ;)

My peas are growing, got lettuces, and brocolli. It's really starting to look like a garden out there!!

Here's to a great growing season!

Update: Rechecked my nursery tomato plants (planted out 1.5 wks ago), thinking that they may have been susceptible to cold injury and may end up pulling them/replacing them with healthier ones once the weather warms up.

Tricky hardiness zones!

I'm inbetween 6-7 so, depending on how you read the chart, you may be able to plant out earlier, but after our chilly/wet last few weeks, i'm not sure if those plants will successfully recover.

Oh well, I WILL have tomatoes again this season...even if I have to buy replacement plants!!! LOL. ;)

Wanted to add...the weather will NOT defeat me in this! LOLOLOL!!!