How to Thin Tomato Seedlings (without stressing them out)

 
I'm not thrilled when I must thin my seedlings.  It feels like I'm harming my children somehow.  I know, that's a bit dramatic of me but still, it feels wrong to determine which plants will be allowed to live and which ones must die. 

  My husband would likely argue (and he would be right) that if I were to plant LESS in each pot, I wouldn't have to remove them.  After all of these years of gardening, I'm just still so afraid that my seeds might not germinate, so I tend to plant too many per pot.

In a previous posting, I shared with you how easy it is to start your own tomato plants.

Today, I'm going to show you how easy it is to thin your tomato seedlings.



As you can see,
some of my pots have up to 5 seedlings in them

 

















Very simply, cut out the smaller or weaker seedlings,
keeping placement in mind.  I reduce down to two seedlings per pot.  I attempt
to allow ample space between the two
remaining seedlings in the pot.  It isn't difficult to "cut" the dirt in half once it's time
to transplant to the garden, so long as the
seedlings aren't too close together.
The reason you will want to cut the seedlings instead of pulling them is to avoid disturbing the delicate roots of the neighboring seedling.



 





Thinned down tomato seedlings