Started several varieties of tomato's this spring and basically they all sucked. They appeared to be growing well though a tad leggy. However they didn't grow roots at all. Was going to up pot a few weeks ago and due to the root issue after I tried to pull the first plant out I knew things were futile. Used burpees seed starter blocks which is different from what I have used the last few years.

Never had much luck with the seed blocks
I get 72 cell tray and potting soil

If you tried to pull the plant out of those starter blocks you might have broken off the roots - best to just repot the seedling starter block and all into a larger pot of soil. Bury the plant stem down to just below where the first "true leaves" have sprouted when you repot. If your seedlings were leggy (thin long stems) that's an indication your lighting was to far away from the plants. I set my seedlings under shop lights suspended only 1" - 2" above the plant - seems to help build a thicker stem.

There was hardly any roots at all. There was very little root coming of the main root at all.

Just plant the whole thing leave a couple inches sticking out.


They'll root.

How wet did you keep the soil? Plants won't put out many roots if they don't have to. I like to let mine get a little dry every couple days. As said plants that are leggy are telling you they need more light. Putting a fan on your plants will also help them strengthen up and make stiffer stems. I start mine under T5 lights and they do okay but the real thing always make them jump up and go. If you do start plants inside under artificial light, always introduce them to real sunlight slowly. You can sun burn them if you stick them straight out in the sun. Plants will talk and tell you what going on just got to know how to listen.

Do you ever find that "potting" soil oxidizes after the first season and then you're left with most just peat moss? I had sort of the same experience as SNIPERB this year but last year, on fresh potting soil, I got them to survive and grow up--late--after placing the smaller peat cups into larger plastic containers with more soil. I will have to re-evaluate things for next year...

I didn't water em much. Usually let the soil dry out for a few days before watering again
The mix seemed to hold moisture longer than normal seemed like pure peat.

X2 what GWGjr said. Don't pull.

Wasn't pulling. I was trying to push the plants out from the bottom and the plants just fell out as there wasn't enough roots to hold any soil.

We water from the bottom so the plant is encouraged to reach its roots down. A individually celled tray with a hole in the bottom and potting soil works great. Set the tray in a foil pan or something like that with 1/2 inch of water and it will soak the water right up.

you may well be able to save the tomatoes if you plant the whole block in cups with potting soil and only the top 2 leaves of the plant above the dirt

tomatoes can grow roots form any point on the stem

I always plant them to the first leaves when they go in the garden it gets the roots deeper right away

last year I started putting cardboard boxes around tomatoes and filling them with compost as the plant grew it was easier to weed and the plants I did this too needed less watering

Couple of things, if plants are crowded or don't get high quality light they will push and become leggy. 2. You can't transplant seedlings effectively until the roots have filled the pot and are slightly root bound. And as others have said with tomatoes you can plant up to the first pair of true leaves. My dad used to always dig a shallow trench and lay leggy tomatoes on their sides and plant up to the first true leaves. The whole long some roots and the pant grows rapidly with that colossal sized root system.

Our tomatoes have been like that for the last 2 years. I think it was because we had so much rain the plant didn't need to put out many roots. They too jumped up 18-24 inches before it branched out . BUT they did good and was bearing maters" right on schedule.

I use a butter knife, pluck and plant. I seed about 250 seeds to a flat initially.