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Container Gardening

Starting tomatoes indoors - pot size

16 years ago

If I were to start tomato seed indoors right now, what size pots would I end up needing before I transplant them in mid May? Right now they will be in a windowsill that gets full or close to full sun. The temperate is around 65 to 70 right now but that will jump once it warms up outside.

I currently am prepared to transfer them to 4x4x4" pots once they outgrow their starter pots. Will that be enough or are they going to be seriously in trouble?

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Comments (4)

justaguy2
16 years ago
Start tomatos from seed 6 weeks before your plant out date. Starting earlier will result in tall, usually leggy plants.

Your goal should be to have a plant around 6" tall and sturdy at plant out time.

Starting them in a windowsill is unlikely to be enough light for them. A cheap fluorescent shop light hung 6" over the top of them would be much better, but still won't be enough light if they grow much more than 6" tall.

In the event you do end up with tall, leggy plants you can bury the stem without harm to the plant. It's called trenching and you just lay the plant on it's side in the trench and cover all but the top 2-3 inches. The plant will grow upward by itself so no need to bend it upward, just keep the leaves off the ground so rot doesn't set in (just put something like a small sheet of plastic under it).

Pot size with tomatos is flexible. I start out with a normal seed tray (6 pack) and transplant into 20oz plastic cups with holes punched in the bottom once the plants are a few-several inches tall. That's all I do until they get planted outside. You can use the 4x4 pot as well, but tomatos are a plant that benefits from having it's stem buried which is why I use the deep cups. They form roots along the buried stem. You can help the process by clipping off any leaves that would otherwise be buried.
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marie99
16 years ago
Put 2 inches of potting soil in a 16 or 20 oz cup. As the plant grows, cut off the lower leaves and add more soil a little at a time. On warm afternoons, take them outside for a couple hours. Don't forget to bring them back in. They'll freeze. Use a lamp if you think they aren't getting enough light.
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My husband made a plant stand for me with old fluorescent lights hanging on chains. The lights hang low over the seedlings and can be hoisted up as they get taller. There are plans for homemade plant stands on the net. I don't think one 75 watt fixture is enough unless you just have couple of 6-packs and can hang the light almost on top of them. I start some plants but buy the bulk of my tomatoes and peppers from a local grower who starts plants April 1. I always think they are very small when I get them mid-May but they always do well. Generally in our area near Concord NH, we don't put plants outside until all danger of frost is over, usually about Memorial Day unless you can give plants extra protection.
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wild_forager
Original Author
16 years ago
I don't think light from my window is an issue. They'll get just as much as they did in the yard last year and they did fine. It's not leggyness I'm worried about, it's them getting too huge.
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hitexplanter
16 years ago
Some years when I do transplants I pot them to a 1 gal. black pot and then to a 3 gal. if needed then on to the final 20 gal. container. The trick I have found is don't let it get rootbound or slow down growth. I have started seed a early as late December but more often mid-Jan. for a final plant out in mid-April here in south central Texas. By not letting the root system or top slow growth and not giving much cool weather it is flowering and setting fruit by early May. We have a short spring growing season before it gets too hot and fruit set stop often in June many years so getting a jump for us is critical.
Hope this gives you some food for thought on your question.
Happy Growing David
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