Question
Hello there,

I live in  upstate NY.  I planted various tomato seeds back in March and loved them into beautiful seedlings.  With the cold weather here, I still hadn't transplanted them outside when we reached the end of May.  Just when the weather was about to warm up, I had to leave town due to a family emergency.  My boyfriend was left here with my seedlings.  When it was time to transplant them outside, even though I had given him easy to follow instructions, things didn't go as planned.  I just returned home to find that he overcrowded the plants.  The tomato plants are growing, but they are smaller than I would expect.  I went through and weeded out the smaller plants and tried transplanting ones that were worth it...but I worry that the plants growth has been stunted and they won't come back from this.  The plants are between 11-20 inches high.  They have not started flowering.  They are planted in containers because I wanted to use organic soil and fertilizer.  

So my question is...will the plants come back and start to thrive now that I have thinned out the containers and staked them?  They have been getting water and sun...it was simply an overcrowding issue.  Is there anything else I can do at this point to help them?  

Please let me know what you think.  

Thank you in advance for your time.

Sara

Answer
I grow "Patio" tomatoes, one to a container. They are dwarf, easy care, and give me enough tomatoes for my needs. I tell you this because, I have tried to do what you are doing, and found that it was very difficult. Tomatoes need mega- nutrients. Not just high nitrogen, but the minerals and trace elements. So when they are crowded in a pot, fighting for food, they suffer. They easily find their food in good rich soil in the ground. But in a container, with organic supplements, you are going to need to be highly skilled to get a large indeterminate tomatoes to grow and produce. I had a fairly decent crop one year in big 4X4 foot wooden boxes, with one plant per box. But all of the work I did to keep the soil rich, and the plants watered just right, and enough light, and support, and bug free, was not worth it. Water was a real problem, since tomatoes require even moisture all of the time. That can be a real challenge in a container. I had some damage because some of them got too dry and then I watered and the skin split.
But enough of me, here is what I think you should try. Gently take the plants out of the container, and separate them into individual plants. Pot each up in pots that fit the size of the plant and roots. Small enough for the water to reach the roots, but large enough for the roots to expand. Use composted manure, and leaf compost,and good potting soil in thirds. Work in Kelp meal, Alfalfa meal, Bone meal, Epson salts, Super phosphate, Fish emulsion, and ground egg shells.
Be very careful to check the soil for moisture. Only water when it needs it. If the weather is hot, you may need to water twice a day.
When the roots have filled the pot, you will need to pot up to a larger pot, and fill with the mixture again. If you have a large type of tomato, you may have to pot up several times to get it to the final 24 inch pot. You will also need something for it to climb on. A sturdy trellis or lattice.
What would happen if you don't go to all of this trouble and just leave them as they are??? They probably will not produce any tomatoes.