Are you using artificial lighting or trying to make do with a window? It looks like a combination of hitting the top of the dome and also bending toward available light.

The dome should have come off as soon as the seeds sprouted. If you leave it on too long afterward, the overly humid environment can lead to fungal problems and damping off.

If you see damping off, you'll recognize it. The seedlings don't just bend; they collapse completely. I don't see any signs of that yet.

Yours look OK for the most part except that they may need more light.

The lid will come off!

I have CFLs on them - 6500 K and 1600 lumens. I moved the light closer to them a couple days ago to prevent them from getting leggy. It's literally sitting on top of the dome lid - couldn't get closer.

Should the changes be gradual?

Also, my pepper plant hasn't yet sprouted...I suppose I was wrong to plant it with these other seeds? Taking the lid off might ruin it's chance won't it?

What about the leaf curl? Doesn't look normal...

CFL can burn leaves when too close, so just be careful with that now that the dome is off.

The "leaf curl" looks totally within the range of normal to me. Sometimes, they do that. It usually sorts itself out quickly. In my experience, dwarf and rugose varieties are more likely to have cotyledons that look thick and curve more at first.

Pepper seeds don't need light to germinate, so if you're feeling impatient or it's hard to keep them moist without getting the neighboring seedlings mucky, you can move them into a separate tray and put a dome on them and keep them on the heat, then move them back under the lights when they sprout.

I think they're looking a little better. I'm noticing growth of truth leaves.

I've put them out in the sun for less than 30 minutes at a time a couple times already. And I have a fan on them at low setting. The mix they're in is still moist so I haven't watered. It sounds like I don't do anything now until 2 or 3 sets of true leaves come forth...? Also, do these look leggy at all?

If you can't tell - first time growing anything from seed.

no they aren't leggy, that is about their normal height at that stage.if you are growing them indoors then continue growing them indoors and do not put them outside until they're ready to go outside.

don't fuss too much with them and let them do what they do, or you will kill them. the biggest mistake many new growers make is over-care for them. they just need lots of light and a little bit of water.. nothing else.

Ihave Noname: I think they're looking a little better

They looked fine before, too. Sprouting is like being born, and many organisms are born a little distorted from the stresses of the process. Things like struggling out of the seed coat and growing upwards against gravity while your stalk is still tiny can cause seedlings and cotyledons to look less than perfectly straight in the very beginning. And leaving the dome on a bit too long probably didn't help. Now that you've seen that it works out fine, you'll know there's nothing wrong next time.

Agree w/stevie that they don't look excessively leggy. Also agree that DBTML* is probably the most common way beginners kill seedlings.

*Death By Too Much Love

I just like to be sure I know what the next step is and when it's time to take that step...I don't want to miss anything important - like I did with leaving the dome lid on. It sounds like I don't do anything until those true leaves have developed.

I understand not to give too much love. I've worked with purchased transplants the last couple years so I have learned that lesson (a poor rose bush that never quit on me - just needed me to leave it alone)...it's just my first time starting my own plants from seeds.

And naturally, I want the best looking plants in town.

Google "potting up tomato plants" for info on when people like to transplant their seedlings to larger pots. Regardless of how you choose to pot up, remember to plant the seedling deeply and bury the stem each time you pot up.

At some point, your plants might start to look a little pale, which means it's time to fertilize very gently with all-purpose (more or less balanced) liquid fert at 1/4 to 1/2 strength. You shouldn't need to fertilize seedlings very often.

Other than making sure you don't overwater and making sure your plants are getting the right amount of light, you may want to turn a fan on them or brush them repeatedly throughout the day as you pass them to help them grow strong stems.

When your weather complies, start hardening off. Lots of articles on the web and posts in the forum on about how to do that.

I actually have put them in the early sun already a couple times (less than 30 minutes each time). One gardener on youtube recommended putting them out a bit as seedlings so the hardening off is easier. The sun has been out the last week or so here in NorCal. I had a light fan on them all day yesterday.

I have a liquid fish fertilizer that I thought I'd use for a bit. Would need a P and K source later.

"I actually have put them in the early sun already a couple times (less than 30 minutes each time). "

Be VERY careful doing that as it isn't the normal recommendation. Even a few minutes of direct sun exposure can burn or even kill them at this stage. Sheltered sun exposure only is safer.

When to transplant depends on what they are in now (multiples in peat pellets need to be separated early on) and what they will be going into container-wise. Those plants could easily be separated now and transplanted into 2" small cell packs but the are far too small to tolerate bigger containers yet.

Do them deeply when you do and be sure to strip off all the peat pellet covering.

Dave

If your plan is to switch them to the outdoors now, which might be possible where you are if the weather is warm enough during the day, then go for it. If not, then I suspect exposing them now to short bursts outdoors is going to at best not make a big difference for the hassle it takes to move them in and out and at worst end up exposing them to potential harm (disease, pests, leaf burn) with little gain to show for it.

A balanced fertilizer is better than fish fertilizer for seedlings, IMO. Not to mention you won't enjoy the odor if you're keeping the seedlings indoors. Something cheap and simple like Miracle Gro is perfectly fine for seedlings. Just remember to use it at 1/4 strength or so at first.

I've sat down on the patio with them for 15-20 minutes at a time - had my eye on them. Figured morning sun would be less harsh. They haven't looked different at all during or after doing it. If it's not a good idea, I may stop or reduce the time I do it. I definitely don't want them all to just keel over. I was following Gary Pilarchik on Youtube btw.

You mentioned that peat pellets need to be separated early on. Are their roots outgrowing the pellet and beginning to tangle at this point? I was thinking about transferring them from the pellets to little red party cups. Are the plants too small for those? Tips on what soil/planting medium to use next would be nice...I'd like coconut coir, compost and earthworm castings. Anything else? Bonemeal/Bloodmeal? I want organic.

The fish fertilizer odor surprisingly hasn't been too bad after applying to other plants indoors. I only really smell it upon opening and pouring it. Would a 2-3-1 liquid fertilizer be more preferable?

The 16 oz party cups? Yes too big. Each step up needs to be a gradual increase in the size of the container. You could go to the 8 oz cups I suppose but cups, in general, aren't the ideal by any means.

The problem I was referring to with the peat pellets is you have more than one plant in each. If you aren't going to separate them now then it will be much harder to do before long. The other alternative is to snip off all the extras now. Then the singles can remain a little longer.

If you have done any reading here about all the issues with using pest pellets then you already know that most of us will not use them but you are stuck with dealing with them now so you have to try to make the best of it.

Same goes for questions on fertilizers to use and soil mixes to use - hundreds of discussions here and on the Growing from Seed forum that the search button will pull up for you to read through. Have you checked out the How to grow tomatoes from seed FAQ here?

Dave

I did read the "How Do you Start Tomatoes from Seed" post. It was brief. I've perused through several tomato threads on here and watched many videos on youtube. Everyone has different preferences.

Edit: Searching around on here, I'm not seeing a lot of negative comments about the peat pellets...many seem to like them well. These seeds sprouted in just a few days...I had expected they would take 5-10 days so I've been happy with them.

If you provide warmth and moisture, fresh seed will sprout quickly. I don't sprout on a heat mat, yet my tomato seeds always sprout within 4-7 days.

If the peat pellets work for you this time, fine. But remember that a non-problematic method/product will have a very high level of non-problematic use. A significant number of people report issues when using peat pellets and even more so those who use peat pots. That doesn't mean that nobody can make it work for them or even that a significant number of people can't make it work for them. It just means that those with a lot of experience will rightly caution people about their use not being ideal. Personally, if starting seedlings in peat pellets, I would never start multiples in them unless I planned to snip and sacrifice the extras. Pulling the roots apart in a peat pellet probably won't kill the seedlings, as tomato plants are pretty resilient, but the root damage will set them back, and, ideally, avoiding setbacks is a good thing.

And gardening is one of those areas in which everyone has an opinion and few are tested opinions. Living things like plants will survive and produce something even under less than ideal conditions and less than ideal practices. But if you really want "the best looking plants in town", you could do worse than listen to someone with Dave's amount of experience.

Dave: Even a few minutes of direct sun exposure can burn or even kill them at this stage.

In the past, when starting replacement plants, I've put out seedlings into full sun with zero hardening off in the cotyledon-only stage which were sprouted indoors. They took the change fine--hardly any damage at all, and grew really quickly and robustly. I actually think it's when true leaves are adapted to the lower radiation levels of artificial indoor light that the plant becomes prone to sun damage. I would guess that, as soon as the growing tip starts producing the first indications of true leaves, that's when you have to start being super careful about sun damage. Some day, I'll do some experiments on this.

" I actually think it's when true leaves are adapted to the lower radiation levels of artificial indoor light that the plant becomes prone to sun damage. I would guess that, as soon as the growing tip starts producing the first indications of true leaves, that's when you have to start being super careful about sun damage."

I'd agree if for no other reason than the cotyledons alone aren't capable of photosyn, only the true leaves. But many times that distinction isn't included in the advice. Shoot I have lost trays of young seedlings sitting in the greenhouse from sunburn, much less outside.

What I take issue with is the broad statements made on so many blogs. Utube and even sometimes here, that putting your seedling out in full sun is no problem - no guidelines, no qualifications, no age guidelines, no distinction between full sun in AZ vs. full sun in MN, etc. Newbies read those claims and next thing you know they have a tray full of sun and wind burned plants or dead ones and want to know what happened to them. There is a thread running on this right now over on Vegetable Gardening with pics of young seedlings that were put outside early on and the damage that happened.

So the safest approach is to not do it unless you are experienced and really know what you are doing and if you are going to do it be prepared to possibly lose some of your seedlings. If you have 200 of them it is no big deal but if you only started 10-12 plants it can literally wipe you out.

But people get impatient and they don't want to bother with proper hardening off procedures. Their choice but they have to pay the price.

Dave

Dave: I'd agree if for no other reason than the cotyledons alone aren't capable of photosyn, only the true leaves.

? I thought the entire point of them, in dicots at least, was to start photosynthesis to support the growth of true leaves? Granted, I think in large-seed plants with big nutrient reserves in the seeds, the cotyledons could possibly be mostly vestigial and not necessary to a plant thriving. But I thought research had definitively shown that cotyledons do photosynthesize and contribute to speed of true leaf development?

Dave: What I take issue with is the broad statements made on so many blogs. [...] So the safest approach is to not do it unless you are experienced and really know what you are doing and if you are going to do it be prepared to possibly lose some of your seedlings.

Agree. It can produce a nasty surprise for beginners.

Ok, I'll modify it to "minimal photosyn". ;-)

Dave