I do germinate tomatoes in a flat container. I use mushroom plastic containers which I put holes in the bottom. When the tomatoes have their second true leaves I transplant them into 16 oz glasses sinking them up to the leaves. Tomatoes--no other plant--will grow roots all along the stem. Mine stay in these until they either get too big for the pot or are planted out. This would usually depend on when they were planted but most times they stay in the 16 oz. glasses. I don't like transplanting too much because every time you do you set the plant bach a couple of weeks. I do the same with peppers but I don't sink them down. I gave up planting anything in the cabbage family because I got tired of fighting the cabbage worm

WOW! Thanks for the quick response everybody!! Didn't expect that. Anyway, I have attached some pictures and explanations. These plants are all 8-16 weeks old (bhuts started early february). I have really tried not to overwater them, generally waiting until they are either starting to droop/wilt a tiny bit or at least until the container feels super light and looks dry on the bottom vents. I originally was soaking them at that point pretty good but when some of them started yellowing I started being more careful and only watering with the spray bottle which takes forever with all these plants (yes I have way too many peppers, underestimated my success with the first try from seed). I have been using something called BioRoot from General Organics pretty much every watering but only a tsp per gallon so very light - this is what the grow shop suggested I do, is that too much nutrients? I have been hardening as much as weather allows over the past couple of weeks, keeping them inside when too windy (which is often) or too cold or too rainy. I think they are ready to go outside but I was going to wait until around Memorial Day as that seems to be recommended in zone 5a (Chicago suburbs). Anyway, on to the pictures.... In the below image see the wilting dried up leaves on the tomato plant. I have already yanked off the bottom branches on my tomato plants because they have all either yellowed and sagged or just completely dried out http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/153/img20110519131645.jpg/ In the below image see the lower leaves are yellowing... http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/7/img20110519131710.jpg/ In the below you can see my bunch of bhut jolakia plants...almost all of them are either yellowing or have brown nasty spots either on the tips or somewhere on the leaves http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/715/img20110519131721.jpg/ In the below image you can see a sweet pepper and a habanero that are both starting to curl up - I just watered the sweet pepper last night - the container is pretty light now like most of the water has evaporated but there is still a little bit of moisture! http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/580/img20110519132743.jpg/

I don't think it needs to be repotted. If you like you can repot it into bigger pot, but it is much easier to over water plant that is in lots of soil - bigger pot = lots of soil. Unless you use a well draining mix, lots of soil means more 'worries' about watering. Here is my plant in relatively small pot, and it is potted in a mix of grit+perlite+turface (that makes water drain out very well): This plant is about 11" from soil level to top and approx. 14" wide at the widest point. The pot is 5.5" wide at the top and only 4.5" tall.

Expect explosive growth from these. Opuntias are some of the fastest and vigorous of cacti, growing almost before your eyes. I'd leave that little clump as it is for six months or so, and transplant them into individual pots when they're larger and more easily handled. ICYMI, Opuntias have glochids (barbed spines), in addition to regular spines, so it's sometimes better to mess around with them when they're bigger, but not too big.