Help! I decided to grow all of my tomatoes from seeds this year. When the seedlings had their first set of leaves appear, I transplanted into larger pots. Since then (almost three weeks) they have hardly grown. I put them in a sunny window daily. Anything I can do to save them? I normally plant tomatoes mid to late May (Rhode Island). Thanks!!!

You plan to put these plants out next May? You may want them to grow slowly. Usually, we start tomatoes 6 - 8 weeks before the planned planting date. By next May, your seedlings will have grown, produced and died of old age.

What did you plant your seedlings in? If the potting soil did not contain added nutrients (read the bag) you can fertilize them with a balanced fertilizer mixed at 1/4 the recommended strength.

I'm also wondering why you have planted them now? (It is literally months too early to start your seeds if you want to put the plants out in May.) Your seedlings are very pale and most likely need some fertilizer, and seedlings rarely do well just placed in a sunny window - you are much more likely to successfully grow nice tomato plants by giving them a grow light - which doesn't need to be anything fancy, just a plain fluorescent "shop light" type of thing is perfectly adequate. At any rate, I would suggest discarding the current seedlings and starting again in March or April.

I am not sure why but I posted this back in March/April even though the date says September 2021. I had a good season thanks to all the replies!

mdp1965maccom said:I am not sure why but I posted this back in March/April even though the date says September 2021. I had a good season thanks to all the replies!

Well, that's certainly weird! Happy to hear that you had a good gardening season

mdp1965maccom said:I am not sure why but I posted this back in March/April even though the date says September 2021. I had a good season thanks to all the replies!

That is weird...but, this *is* the Internet.

The photo has an April 20th date on it...

Those seedlings looked pretty bad...glad to hear you had a good crop!!!!