Tomatoes are pretty hardy. Plant the leggy ones you have, but plant them deep. Prune/remove the bottom leaves or branches if there are any. The lower stem part of the tomatoes will grow roots. It'll be better than sowing new seeds.

If you have more space, direct sow any seeds you have.

I have also planted leggy plants by sort of laying them on their side in an elongated hole and bending the stem up straight.

Trench planting is a very good way to handle leggy tomato plants. Just be careful not to break the stem when planting, but if you do happen to break it, the plant will probably survive the breakage (especially if the "break" is more of a sharp bend than actually parting the plant from its roots.)

Betsy

Here is a link that might be useful: Trench Planting Tomatoes

Thank you all. Glad to know I don't need to start over. I've spent so much time taking care of them.

Thanks for the link Betsy. I'm going to read up on it.

Leah

I vote for trenching, too. The benefit is more roots along the buried stem. More roots often equals a heartier plant.

Oh, and I do recommend the cut worm collar as noted in Betsy's link. I use to think I didn't need one until one year.... :-(

Monet, Do you use the collar with all your plants? I think I read somewhere you can use a plastic cup?

Thanks
Leah

Re. cutworm collars: if you use a plastic cup, the plastic may disintegrate from the effects of several months of strong light.

I use toilet paper rolls, slit up the side, then cut in half. Paper towel and wrapping paper rolls would also work. Over the course of the summer, they disappear.

I have used a plastic cup, but have always pulled it off once I was sure the plant was beyond the point of major damage. TP rolls certainly will work. Heck, I've use thick papered (cardboard-ish) "junk mail" rolled up and placed snug around the base of the plant. You only need a couple of inches below ground and several above.

Last year was my first experience with a young rabbit. The plastic cup worked the best. I used one on many different seedlings.

monet_g, I hadn't thought about rabbits. I grow in raised beds and apparently my rabbits can't jump that high, so I don't need so many inches of collar above ground.

I've had cut worm problem for 2-3 years. I've used plastic 'ring' cut out from water bottle or toilet paper roll but somehow the worm still found its way into the ring inside the soil. I think the ring/roll is too wide for the plant. I've also used crashed egg shell which was somewhat hit or missed.

The most economical and effective method I found are those thick plastic straws from the asian supermarket - those used at the bubble milk tea store. I think it was like $1.99 a pack. Cut it open to wrap around the base of the stem and nothing can ever get in since it's so tight with the stem. When the plant is as thick as the straw, it should be strong enough and you can just unwrap the straw.