Radioron: I have found that if I plant tomatoes any sooner than March 30..I have problems with them being to tall and spindly before I can get them out to a better light situation.Six weeks at the most before going outside seems to give mine a good start.(just my two cents).Ross.

Thanks Ross. I spent 17 years in an all female enviRONment. They told me I was there so that if anyone messed up they could blame it on a man. I wonder if my own washroom was worth it?(tongue pressed firmly against the inside of my mouth).
Ross, I'm a little surprised at your response. My days in Chatham and Windsor(home of the best tomatoes) were of a gardening Shangrila. Canada's best soil and best climate for vegetables made me think I was a great gardener.
I thought that by March 30th in a 6b zone you would be able to have your plants outside on sunny and warm days which would reduce the leginess. Now March 30th in Kent County was good since I had all kinds of warm April and May days.
Up here in the bush,however, I believe an early March start is necessary since I no longer can consider Firecracker Day as safe. In fact, I believe the last rural frost date in Victoria County is now June 6th. Consequently, I keep all my plants moving from inside to outside small greenhouse to back indoors. By now my logic is that of a laughing tobacco deviant and thus I defer to your advice. I have just repaired a balky printer; written a speech on the injustice of stigma for those with depression(for Tuesday night)and in an hour must have something tasty for supper. Have a good week.rsquared

I agree with Rosco's methods. Last year I started my seeds in early March which turned too leggy by the time I could set them out in May.

Ianna, I see your point. I usually start mine in the compressed peat "coins" and as they go move up in size from my tiniest pots to my six inch clay pots. One trick I learned in Kent was to take tall mater plants..make a small trench and then bend the top of the plant up and cover it. I was told this promoted a fabulous root system. I bring my tomato/calla/canna/pepper/zinnia pots out every warm sunny morning to my south patio. They're popped into my mini greenhouse and eventually put out on the cement patio stones for a few weeks of hardening off. Of course, this also means bringing them in many nights until 4-B overnite temps are warm.Best of all.rsquared

I grow my tomatoes from seed in Toronto. I have a small compact greenhouse which I use every spring to harden off tomatoes and other plants and give them natural light. I have not had much problem with plants becoming leggy. I think when plants have a small amount of soil around the roots and exhaust the nutrients is when they begin to decline. There are gardeners who move their tomato plants to larger containers before they are ready for the garden. I know Peterborough warms up later and the plants have to remain protected for longer. Perhaps covering garden soil with black plastic to warm up and having some protection when you plant tomatoes would be helpful. Tomatoes love heat.

Hi:
My frost date is about May 20th as well. I usually start in early March which is early. However, I use lots of homemade growlights and intend on using WOWs or a hoophouse to plant out early. I've done this before with good results and get tomato varieties with a longer DTM (Date to maturity) than my season would normally allow.

Radicon,

I actually resorted to doing just that when my plants got too leggy. I used tall styrofoam cups (perforated) so the plants continue to grow upright. I agree it made the plants vigorous and strong. I bumped into another tomato lover while admiring his plants for sale and he told me that it's my lighting that also contributed to the legginess. I had it too high. It should have been 3 - 4inches above the plants. Something I will definitely do in the next couple of weeks.

I would love to know what your process is in hardening off your tomatoes. My problem is I work during the day so taking the tomatoes out for a couple of hours per day isn't possible for me. I need an alternative process to this. Can I leave tomato plants in a plastic green house all day long till I return from work?

There is advice from experienced tomato growers about stroking tomato leaves. When a second or third set of leaves emerge brush gently tops of tomato plants. It makes for sturdier plants.

When the seed package says 6 weeks early there is no sense pushing the envelope. You will end up with leggy plants. The soil must be warm before you set them out anyway or they will just sit there or start to rot or become diseased.

If you want to start 1 or 2 for early tomatoes. First buy seeds developed to do well in cold soil with an early maturation date. Gradually get them into big pots and then into a big planter when they go outside in a protected spot. The soil in a planter will be warmer than the outside soil. They will need good light while they are growing inside--perhaps a separate light just for them. A fan turned on low and trained on them will make for sturdy stems.

Yugoslavia - instead of stroking, use a fan. A gentle wind will move the plants and help strengthen their stems.

I'm a reporter at the Toronto Star. I'd like to interview Toronto area gardeners who have tried the upside down method of container planting. Could you kindly contact me at the paper at 1-800-268-9756? Look forward to hearing from you, Leslie Scrivener

lelies

Best put your request in a separate thread so all may see it. I personally haven't tried the method although heard some good things about it.

Ianna

I'm trying the upside down method this year. Twelve different heirloom varieties.

Well the article on this subject appeared in Saturday's Toronto Star. It was interesting. What they didn't mention is that the product is not good with really large tomato plants because the stems tend to break from the weight of the fruits. However I understand the planter suits people who have lack of space or sunlight. For instance one person I know has a very shady area but there is just one small area high that has good sunlight. In this case, his upside down planter captured the necessary sunlight for his plant.

I started my Tomatoe seedlings in April 1st , my plants were good but still a bit smaller than my neighbours. He stared several weeks prior. I have fruit on most find growth a little slow. I guess it's trial and error and depends on weather conditions. I live in Ontario Canada weather very unpredictable. Next year I will try 7 - 10 days earlier and see what happens. I will transplant to bigger pots if they get tall and spiney looking.

Happy gardening everyone!!