hey cool I have "leggy" tomato plants

[bryce d]

Being on the tight budget end of things,or just lazy. I don't have any lights. So I just started the tomatoes on a window shelf. The fact that they are long and stringy is no surprise. Is this a real problem. I planted them in peat cups and after a few hays the soil was only half full in the cups. Everyone is talking about "burying the plants deep" could I just fill up the top half of the cup. would that help or would they just look a lot better till they died.

[applestar]

Adding/filling with soil as they grow is a good idea -- this will support the stems and will cause them to grow more roots -- but try to provide maximum light possible even without supplemental lights. Line the shelf with white or reflective material, put the peat cups in aluminum lasagna pans, make a reflector screen to put on the room side of the plants to reflect lights back to the plants, etc. and clean the window panes, remove insect screen.... Turn the containers 1/4 turn each day.

I use inside of chip bags for reflective material.

[digitS']

Bryce d, I used to make quite a big deal about using a South Window instead of lights. I have used lights, by lowering an 8-foot fluorescent fixture from the ceiling, in front of that window. Then, I had the ceiling redone and decided I didn't want to hang that thing again!

Fact is, I used to work in a commercial greenhouse both before and after big sodium vapor lights were installed as supplemental lighting. But, you know what a greenhouse is called that doesn't have supplemental lighting? It's called a greenhouse.

Well, a South Window isn't quite a greenhouse - close. Honestly tho', I cheat.

The plants are only in that window for a couple weeks. I have a backyard greenhouse and even if I haven't turned on the furnace overnight, I'm still likely to be carrying the plants in and out during the days after they have gotten past infancy.

If you can get your plants into the most comfortable location in your yard soon to begin the process of hardening off, they are likely to be fine to transplant out when that time comes.

Steve

[rainbowgardener]

Depends on how deep your pots are. If they aren't very deep, then I would switch them into the red Solo cups
you can buy cheap:



Bury your tomatoes to the top of those. And as has been said, start putting them outdoors to harden or at least vacation in the sun as soon as you can, even if you have to bring them in at night.

The problem with tomatoes in the window getting leggy is that they can get immensely tall and skinny with very little leaves to support all that and they get top heavy and brittle. All that stem can just snap.

[hendi_alex]

I use very little supplemental lighting, just using a few clip on reflector lights from Lowes. Most days the plants only get the supplemental light for a few hours after the sunlight drops off in late afternoon and into evening. Down to about 50 degrees and sunny, the plants go outside every day in their miniature greenhouse which is a clear sweater box about 6-7 inches tall. Above about 60 degrees, the lid gets cracked to allow heat to escape. Any day that is over about 64, the plants are directly exposed to air and sunlight. Here in S.C., especially this time of year, there are plenty of outside days such that the plants get fairly stocky, thick stemmed, and hardy.

After the plants outgrow the sweater box, they are just shuttled out late morning and back inside in the evenings, except on very mild nights when they stay inside a portable cold frame through the night. sometimes with a single incandescent light to give a little warmth. This is obviously a routine that is more suited to someone who has a very flexible schedule.