Tiny Tomatoe plants!

[Heidi]

Help!

Our tomato plants are still tiny - some are 3-4" tall, others are smaller, and some are around 7".

We don't have a greenhouse or hot conservatory. The small ones are on a sunny windowsill under plastic bottle clouches, the bigger ones are outside.

They're nowhere near the size of the ones my mum is growing in her very warm and sunny conservatory.

Any tips on speeding up the growth?

[Alison]

Don't worry, you're fine and will still get a decent crop and not much later than some of the really early starters on this site. I've been late sowing in the past and not put then in until about now and have still done OK so stop panicking, so long as they're healthy and not pot bound you will be fine. Just make sure you keep them away from any late frosts though!

[Flummery]

Most things manage to catch up - unless they have been started off REALLY late. I'm sure yours will be fine & in another month or so you won't be able to tell them from your mum's!

[Heidi]

Thanks.

Its just so annoying - they were planted back in Feb! And yet are all still tiny

Oh well fingers crossed the warm weather will give them a boost.

[caz999]

Hi Heidi
Just to let you know my toms are all 2" to 4" also, but I am not worried because last year was my first year of growing veg and I didn`t actually plant a single seed until mid May and everything still grew and produced crops for me sooner or later!!! So I really feel ahead of myself this year as I have seedlings all over the place already!!
Perhaps it`s something to do with us both living in Somerset!!!

Caz

[rustylady]

Don't worry, and don't try to force them. You will get much better crops if you let them grow more or less naturally. If they're indoors on a windowsill they don't need cloches of any sort. Just make sure you pot them on into a one size bigger pot when the roots have filled the existing pot (you can tell by looking at the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot). Keep them evenly watered, but not soaking wet and wait for the warmer weather. They will race ahead then.

[Heidi]

See when i'd first potted on the first lot of tom seedlings i had them on the window without a cloche, but the leaves started going yellow. So then i put them all outside with bottle cloches and they seem to have sort of hibernated - hardly any grow for weeks. Now i've moved them back inside with the bottle cloches and in the windowsill they really starting to take off, but as i've said nothing like the size of my mum's.

[Snadger]

Better to have small short jointed plants than leggy plants with the first truss appearing high up on the plant!

Mine are between 3" and 5" at present as this cold spell has slowed down there growth. Once we get a bit warm weather I expect they'll come on leaps and bounds!!