Is it over yet?

[Georgie_girl]

Do you think I can plant my tomato sprouts yet or will it frost again and kill them?

[legal]

I think the onion snow comes in May.

[jer]

Do you think I can plant my tomato sprouts yet or will it frost again and kill them?

 

I wouldn't do it yet!

 

This Fall--er, Spring has been way too COLD!!!

[lavender]

Me either!

[Petee]

Wait till after May 31 and then check the weather.  You don't really get ahead if you put tomatoes into cold soil.  They just stop growing and wait till it's good weather anyway.

 

The BUDS will be having their plant "sale" again right after Memorial Day.  Plants for a donation.  They will be perfect for setting out as soon as there's no sign of a frost.

[Georgie_girl]

So should I just put them in a bigger pot when they outgrow their starter? I'm worried about their roots getting bound up.

[lavender]

If the plants are actively growing you should probably plant them up if things get very crowded. It is hard to keep a very root bound plant watered. It is possible to hold plants by keeping them cool. Put them outside in the daytime or in a cool, bright room. This will slow growth. 

Plants will grow a surprisingly long time in those 6 packs. They are also putting them in larger cells these days. I have some that actually have 12 cells in them and they are tiny. The new ones are much bigger.

When I put the plants in the ground if they are root bound I sort of roll them between my hands to loosen the roots. On big plant I'll actually take a knife to the roots to loosen them. You can cut the starter packs off the plants to prevent the roots from tearing when you pull them out. 

[Petee]

Once a seedling gets its second set of leaves it should be transplanted to a container large enough to keep it from becoming root bound till it can be planted out after May 31.  You can try planting out before that but unless you want to cover nightly and uncover before the sun roasts it alive under the covering then you should wait.  Plants such as tomatoes and peppers aren't going to grow properly till the soil warms sufficiently anyway and cool weather early in the plant's formation can inhibit the amount and quality of fruit they will develop later in the season. 

 

Till then transplant up to a larger container like a styrofoam cup or a throw away container using some sort of potting mix.  Fertilize with 1/4 to 1/2 strength tomato food till they go into the ground.  Regular Miracle Grow is not meant for fruiting plants, it's meant for developing leaves.

 

Root bound plants are in trouble before they even hit the garden because they get stressed, it damages their immune systems and they go into shock which stops them temporarily from growing.  Grow a healthy root system and the plant will do the rest.

[Georgie_girl]

I put them in a bigger container a few days ago (they had been in one of those pots that come with a "grow kit" and were getting kind of crowded) and they seem much happier.  I will look for tomato food the next time I'm at the stor, thanks Petee.

[geezerwriter]

If you don't have a lot, you can put them out now if you make hothouse covers and put them on every night and take them off every morning. I cut the bottoms off clear gallon milk jugs when I did that -- 30 years ago. I don't do that any more. The gain isn't worth the pain. But if you're worried about not having them in soil, you can do it. It's just gonna be work between now and June.

[Georgie_girl]

If you don't have a lot, you can put them out now if you make hothouse covers and put them on every night and take them off every morning. I cut the bottoms off clear gallon milk jugs when I did that -- 30 years ago. I don't do that any more. The gain isn't worth the pain. But if you're worried about not having them in soil, you can do it. It's just gonna be work between now and June.

I would forget and kill them.  THanks for the tip though.