Probably hasn't been warm enough and they are growing slowly. I have quite a few sprouts that have been up for nearly a month and are just now getting their first set of true leaves.

Karen

I've been in the same boat as you jaggudada! This is my 4th year of winter sowing tomatoes and have never had trouble with germination of my tomatoes. It has been such a disappointment. This time last year, I was taking off the tops of the bottles, because they were so tall! I have planted 120, but only 60 have germinated, with only a few with true leaves, like Karen. I reckon I'm going to have to wait until late May to plant. We have had cold, cloudy, rainy Spring this year, unlike others. I'm not giving up hope - you must not either. :)

Karen and Caddie,

Good to know you are in a similar boat, as long as the sprouts don't die I'm not giving up on them. Anyway this is my first year, if nothing else I will learn few things and I have few tomato plants growing under lights.

It's still quite cool outside. Warm weather will bring on larger top growth. But what's happening now is more important than leaves. The seedlings are currently developing an extensive root system, you can't see it because that's going on below the soil, but it is a wondrous and important thing.

Good to know this from a Pro. I'm not worried if that's the case. what matters is fruits in couple of months, how slow we get there is immaterial.

Mine don't look so hot either, but we've had no real heat or sun. And we've had over 13" of rain in April alone, while our norm is 4".

But like Trudi says, they're growing roots. Here you see that my maters don't look so great.
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Look closely thru the poor photography, you can see roots all the way to the bottom of the 16 oz. cup. That's 2" seedlings with roots that reach down thru 3" of soil, all the way to the bottom of the cup.
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After I took the pics I thinned to one seedling/cup and added a little soil to the top.

Karen

My first batch of tomatoes and other things I WS'ed in my gallon milk jugs. I did about 90 or so jugs and have start switching to large styrofoam cups from the gas station (my MIL gets one every day so I have ample supply) and putting them in clear totes with holes drilled in them. However, the 32 oz cups are so large that I was using a large amount of dirt for little surfact area. I then bought some 8.5 oz styrofoam cups (51 for like 80 cents) and planted 2 tomato seeds per cup and put those out in the clear totes. I am anxious to see how they sprout. I do have some tomato sprouts in the 32 oz styrofoam cups that I planted about two weeks ago. (I'm still getting the styrofoam cups from my MIL because otherwise they go in the trash, but I'm going to cut them down by at least half and then use them next year.)

Another tomato thought: I've planted out over 60 small seedlings so far (with covers) and I just love, love, love the smell of tomato greenery!

bookjunkie, maybe I will try that because my tomotoes are barely sprouting.

My tomatoes here in St. Louis aren't doing too great either. Lots of rain this past April and when it isn't raining it tends to warm up way too much - some days up to 80 degrees. Lost a few sprouts due to my forgetting to take their tops off. Yet the tops were on because the previous day was so cool. Now we are suppose to get frost tonight - ughh! This weather this spring is driving me crazy.

~StLGirl

Hey Guys,

What seemed almost dead seedlings, I now see true leaves!!!

I'm very excited. I WS grape tomatoes seeds in 3rd week of april and was not sure if i was doing it correctly or not as this is my first year.

I WS'd 5 types of tomato seeds.. still not a single sprout. Actually I'm not having great germination with any of my veggies.. only one tiny pea plant and one spinach seedling. When do I start to worry? I know it has been a cold spring, so I'm hoping that's all it is. Anyone else have no tomato sprouts yet?

My few tomato sprouts (I don't sow that many - only grow 2-3 plants each year) have been up for a couple of weeks now, but only one set is just beginning to get true leaves. Think it's been a little too chilly. Not worried, though - they'll be ready for plant-out in a couple of weeks, and then they will take off!

PV