Why are my seedlings so small?!

One thing you might try (because one person's experience is not always the same as another's) is doing both. Transplant one or two plants now, and let the others grow. See which ones do the best. If you want to be cautious, though, I'd probably let them mature more before transplanting, as it may be a gamble in your growing conditions to set them out too soon. If you don't like experiments, I'd recommend being cautious. You probably have a long enough season where you don't need to worry much about how fast they mature.

[loulac]

Before thinking of transplanting I check the roots. My seedlings either grow on flats or in yoghurt pots with a hole punched in the bottom, wide enough to enable me to push the the whole content out without breaking the mix and thus check the importance of roots. If they don't show at all or just a little I wait. The same rule works if there are several seedlings in one pot. The more I (resonably) wait, the stronger seedlings get. I use liquid fertilizers, but never more than a third of the recommended dose !

Originally Posted by loulac

Before thinking of transplanting I check the roots. My seedlings either grow on flats or in yoghurt pots with a hole punched in the bottom, wide enough to enable me to push the the whole content out without breaking the mix and thus check the importance of roots. If they don't show at all or just a little I wait. The same rule works if there are several seedlings in one pot. The more I (resonably) wait, the stronger seedlings get. I use liquid fertilizers, but never more than a third of the recommended dose !

Your post reminds me that if you have multiple seedlings per container they won't get as large as they will with one plant per container (and dwarfs will likely be pretty small in this case; mine have been: e.g. Payette); however, they can be just as mature as larger plants of a similar age, in this case. Small, mature plants tend to grow to equal the size of larger mature plants quickly once repotted or transplanted (if they're mature; immature ones can still take their time). The same is true to a much more obvious degree with tomatillos.

[ARgardener]

Weather here isn't a concern. We are definitely in the clear. I'll give them about a week more indoors, then a week or so to harden off. Will try to get them in ground right around May-

I think that should be about right.

[loulac]

Originally Posted by shule1

Your post reminds me that if you have multiple seedlings per container they won't get as large as they will with one plant per container.

It would be interesting to know if this difference in size is temporary or long lasting. I have noticed that breaking the mix often stops the growth of the seedling for about a week, and if it is not kept in the shade it may die. I think that a month later there is no difference between seedlings coming from entire or divided blocks of mix, but it's just a first impression.

Originally Posted by loulac

It would be interesting to know if this difference in size is temporary or long lasting. I have noticed that breaking the mix often stops the growth of the seedling for about a week, and if it is not kept in the shade it may die. I think that a month later there is no difference between seedlings coming from entire or divided blocks of mix, but it's just a first impression.

It seems to be very temporary in my experience. Well, as long as they get a bigger pot, at least.