How to grow tomatoes- Part 3

Remember in my "How do grow tomatoes- part 2" post when I said that once the seedlings reach 5-6" in height they should be moved outside? That was, and definitely still is, good advice.  It is advice that I, in spite of having written it down, did not follow.  So our seedlings were...a little too big.  Some of them had outgrown their cartons, literally.  And some of the cartons were, after being moist for so long, (perhaps because of my overly enthusiastic watering), a little moldy.  However, despite the tight quarters, excessive watering, and furry growths, every single one of our seedlings was THRIVING!!!

Which of course left us with a huge problem:  we had roughly 75 seedlings ready to plant, and only enough space for about 4 full grown tomato plants.

I guess we didn't anticipate that we'd have such an amazing success rate.

And so, I did what I could:

First, I disposed of the more moldy/runty looking ones.  Sorry guys.

Second, I planted the healthiest looking ones wherever I could. Our original plan was to plant one tomato seedling into each giant pot (we have 4).  Instead, I planted 2 or 3 into each pot. (I figured they could handle the crowding, based on what they were already used to).  I also found more space in our upright beds, near the mesclun, and planted a few more there.  Then I found/purchased a few more pots and planted a few more.

Ideally, you would want to strategically place these tomato plants in the areas that get the most direct sunlight.  Obviously, that isn't exactly what happened in our case, given the circumstances, but I think most of our tomatoes ended up in fairly optimal spots.

That left about 25 seedlings without a permanent residence.  I left them in their little cartons outside, and thought about where I could plant them or who I could give them to.  I brainstormed for days, maybe a week, and by the time I went outside to check on them, my decision was already made. They were dead.  It was somewhat heartbreaking.  But it certainly made my life easier.  Off to the trash.

Lesson of the day: tomatoes seedlings are fairly indestructible, therefore don't plan hundreds of seeds unless you live on a farm.