Hard to say, but the weather conditions have been a challenge here too. I grow mostly in containers, but I think I remember some experts saying not to fertilize too much until after the plants have been in the ground for a couple of weeks or so. But it doesn't sound like you overfertilized with the amounts you described. A picture might help if possible.

Thanks Ed. Unfortunately, I have no photos of these sick plants today. I'll try to submit a few tomorrow if I can figure it out. I can tell you that the branches and leaves shrivel up and turn yellow/brown and eventually drop until the only green on the plant is the main stem. I planted them when they were about 12" tall (total) and burried about half of the plant. none of the plants are more than 8" above the soil level currently.

If it is due to weather, I would sure feel better about myself.

Thanks.

How long did you let then harden off before transplanting?

Also, it doesn't sound over fertilized to me either. When I planted mine, I dug in some compost, added 3 tablespoons of tomato tone, and added 2 tomato spikes per plant. Aside from some herbicide damage (either from the compost or drift), mine are doing great.

One thing I have read on her countless times is that crushed egg shells won't do anything for your plants this year as they take way too long to break down into usable form.

about 3 days of 3-4 hours of afternoon sun, then cold weather forced me to keep the plants inside for several days. After which, I had them outside again for about 3 days of 3-4 hours of afternoon sun again.

is this sufficient?

2 of the dying (or dead) plants.

My poor Cherokee Purple. The worst of the bunch. I don't think he liked how I treated him.

What could have caused this?

I think you may have exposed them to the elements a little too much at first. 3 to 4 hours of afternoon sun is too much for the initial hardening off process. 20-30 MINUTES of morning sun for the first day is about right, then increasing exposure slowly by 30 minutes a day. Afternoon sun is the most harsh on tender plants and should be worked into gradually after a few days.

This is what I did with my tomatoes, and somehow I still managed to sunburn their leaves a little bit. Not nearly as bad as your plants, but it just goes to show how much more intense the sun is than flourescent lights.

Unfortunately those 2 plants are finished, but in your zone there ought to be plenty left to buy cheap, and you can start over if you want. Just a couple of things: How big are those containers? They look a little small. 10 gallons is a good size. Also I'm assuming that you have a soilless mix in the containers?

Were your plants showing signs of stress after the first few days of being outside in the sun? I still think the plants are damaged because of sunburn, but it seems like you would have noticed it almost immediately if you were carrying them around for a few days.

When I harden off, I generally do it over 2 weeks. I sit them out on my front porch which is shaded for 2 days before I even start to give them full sun. I leave them out overnight during this whole time (unless it got too cold). Then, it is limited to an hour the first day and gradually lengthen.

I think they were still too sensitive to the elements. Wind can really play havoc on tender plants.

edweather-
the containers shown aren't the final destination. They were my last pots used before putting them into my raised garden bed. I start with jiffy pucks, then move them into 5 inch pots, then into 9 inch pots, then transplant into the garden when ready. I do use pro-mix in the containers which is a soil free mix.

tripleione- yes, they were showing stress during the hardening process, which makes me think they just weren't ready for the outdoors yet. live and learn i guess.

Thanks for all your help.