Measuring Tomato Seedling Success

Reader Contribution by Ilene White Freedman
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It’s time. It’s time to separate the wheat from the chaff. It’s time for tomato seedlings to stand up and be measured. Are they fit for the job?

If you start your own seedlings under grow lights or in a window, you might be asking these questions of your tomato plants in the next few weeks. You’ve grown them from seed. You’ve nurtured them, fussed over them, watered them, provided the best lighting you could offer.  Even if they’re spindley, you might be a bit attached to your little babies by now. You’ve grown them from a pup, and now its time for them to go out in the world and establish some roots. The main question: Will they do justice to your garden?

Ideal Tomato Plant Measurements

What exactly will it take for these tomato plants to do justice to your garden? Your goal is 5-8 week old plants with pencil thick stems and pencil long height. The height doesn’t matter as much as the stem thickness. This will give the jump start that tomato plants need in a relatively short growing season as we have in the eastern US, at least. With only July and August as hot enough months to produce delicious tomatoes, the plants need a jump start of a couple months of indoor or greenhouse growth. Seed packets say 8 weeks, but I know my greenhouse does the trick in 5 weeks. They would be monsters by 8 weeks. Under grow lights, I bet it’s closer to 8 weeks.

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