Question
Hello Mike,
Thanks for the opportunity to ask a few questions.  I am from Fremont, Wisconsin and enjoy veg. gardening.  I start my tomato seeds indoors beginning of Feb.    The stem does not get thick enough to plant outdoors by June.  I start the seeds in the west window and they get about 2 in. tall, I transplant them to a bigger container and pinch off any suckers when needed.  I will repeat this step when they are about 3-4 in. tall again.  Any advice on what I could do differently would be greatly appreciated.  I know it is easy enough to buy tomato plants, but I would like to accomplish this project from seed to harvesting on my own.  Have a great day and Thank You.
                            Sincerely,
                                Lisa S.

Answer
Lisa, weak stems are almost always a result of insufficient light.  In most areas of the country, lighting from a windowsill is not strong enough, especially in late winter or early spring.

If you plan on growing seedlings indoors, I would highly recommend either a tabletop fluorescent fixture or a two tiered growlight system.  I grow over 500 seedlings every year, and use two systems with eight trays each.  Just be sure to keep the lights no further than 3" from the top of the plants at all times.  Ther result will be stocky plants with strong stems.

I hope this answered your question.  Please write again if I can ever be of assistance.

Regards,

Mike