Is this the beginning of tomato blossoms?

[bower]

Gotta say, after another day hovering around 58 F my plants were not looking happy at all, except the officially tolerant ones. With another bitter cold night and day of sleet in the forecast, I decided tomorrow will be an indoor day, and dragged half of them back upstairs where they will get more light in the windows. Enough misery for now.

James is right that a day in the gloom won't kill em.
I wondered about your shelf - are they adjustable? You could remove the shelf with the little plants and give the taller plants more head space.

[luigiwu]

Bower, I totally get what you mean about the heat being worst! which is why today I left it open even though it was quite chilly. When I got home, the cold frame temp told me 46 degrees.

James, yeah my plant have you to thank. I brought them inside... for some odd reason, the ones that have never left indoors stress me out more... maybe an out of sight, out of mind issue? I hate come home every day and trying to untangle them and then always having to snap off more branches that are limp and withered... but onwards, glad you think the forecast is favorable starting this weekend. When do you think you'll plant out exactly?

[Tracydr]

Originally Posted by luigiwu

KarenO, are you talking about celcius or F?
James, I had no idea blossoms means they are stressed. I think I let them go too dry before rewatering... their bottoms leaves go super limp and sometimes never bounce back. EEP.

So I'm thinking, my seedlings are all on a restaurant shelving system. If I roll it outside and shroud it with either 6mm film or greenhouse film? that can work as a cold frame, right?

Hey, I have the exact same shelves!
I think the idea of a cold frame should work. Do you have a place on the side of your house with morning sun, afternoon shade? You can probably get them hardened off to half day sun over a weekend. Make sure they are somewhat protected from wind the first few days.
I put them right up against my house in a spot that only gets a few hours sun to start. I start with one hour, then two and quickly get up to full sun.
Because we have warm days in the winter but chilly nights, I typically have my tiny seedlings, still in flats, going outside all day long, coming in at night until it's in the fifties.
Four years ago I had about 100 seedlings. We had a house fire and had to live in a rented camper for six months, in the front yard while they fixed our house.
I had to keep my tomatoes on my outdoor patio all winter. Keeping them up against the house, under a roof to start, which adds a good amount of heat sink. I'm sure they still got nippy at night but a house wall, concrete patio and covered roof allowed them to thrive, although they got a little grumpy the few nights near freezing. I added a warm lamp and blankets on nights below freezing which isn't that often.
My next house I'm going to have a greenhouse!

[JamesL]

Originally Posted by luigiwu

Bower, I totally get what you mean about the heat being worst! which is why today I left it open even though it was quite chilly. When I got home, the cold frame temp told me 46 degrees.

James, yeah my plant have you to thank. I brought them inside... for some odd reason, the ones that have never left indoors stress me out more... maybe an out of sight, out of mind issue? I hate come home every day and trying to untangle them and then always having to snap off more branches that are limp and withered... but onwards, glad you think the forecast is favorable starting this weekend. When do you think you'll plant out exactly?

Split them up and start rotating them in groups under the lights. Might be the best you can do. I do think you can move them out into a covered environment on Thursday, probably permanently. A couple of nights in the 40's next week, and if that holds true, no problem. Other than hardening off I would not expose them to the weather overnight though.
Planting out - You won't want to read this but based on the 10 day forecast, May 10th would be the earliest. More than likely the 17th.