Bigger is better with containers. You can be sure the pot it came in is too small, though, because shipping large containers is expensive. Tomatoes are tough and usually won't suffer much shock from being repotted (even when they're large). Just be careful with the stem and don't disturb the roots too much and you should be fine. Contrary to the prior recommendation, I would only fill the new container up to the level so that the root ball will be sitting at the proper height. Once the plant is in the new container, hold it up and pack soil around the sides. Then water it in and repeat until it's settled. For fertilizer, get a tomato fertilizer with calcium and other micronutrients. Apply at the label rate. Vegetables in containers need complete fertilizers. This post was edited by gosalsk on Sat, May 24, 14 at 9:23

The Bush Early Girl I had last year was a Potato Leaf Then it wasn't a Bush Early Girl, sorry. ;) Best Boy has alternate seed sources if you want it for some reason. Brandy Boy, no, except several reported it on the store Burpee seed racks last year. I have to order them from Burpee because I have so many requests for the plants but once this supply of seeds I ordered last year is gone, no more. And nothing else has been ordered by me from Burpee for many years. As already mentioned there are many better tomato varieties available than any of those and from better tomato seed vendors and at much cheaper prices too. Dave

Heck, if you're getting tomatoes out of that pot on your first try, you're doing fine. As you read other posts here or in the FAQ page you'll quickly get ideas about how to do better next time. Keep in mind that you can still start another Early Girl from the nursery. We've got plenty of summer and fall left. Leaf curl can be caused by uneven watering but is a physiological reaction, and thus could be caused by other factors too. Cold nights (below 50) for example. While leaf roll isn't something you want to see, it isn't the end of the world. By way of example, I pulled a 1 lb 3 oz Brad's Black Heart of a heavily leaf curled plant last week. Yum it was tasty. Not bad for June! So obviously, leaf roll wasn't too big a deal. Be sure to take a look at the container forum for ideas about how to grow tomatoes successfully in containers. Most of mine are in ground, but I do have 11 plants growing in containers and they're doing fairly well. It just takes time to get figured out.

Based on the browning of the vascular tissue, that looks like some kind of vascular wilt disease or pith necrosis, i.e., soilborne. This would be very rare in container plants grown in fresh commercial medium, but there's always a chance you can get unlucky with your potting mix, one of the amendments, your nursery plants or seeds, etc. Could maybe also be one of the root rots. Is there any sign of rot or girdling on the main stem right at the soil line? Unfortunately, if any of the above is the case, there's really nothing you could have done/can do to save the plant. The good news is, unless you're contaminating the soil in other containers with soil from this one, there's no real risk to any of your other plants. You're not seeing any spots or any other lesions or symptoms on the developing fruit, correct? Because if so, it could be bacterial canker, which is something that you can spread to your other plants on pruners, etc. Your reported symptoms don't really line up with canker, but diseases don't always present according to textbook. If you suspect it's canker, separate the plant a bit from the others and always clean your hand, pruners, and other tools before handling other plants. If the plant is still producing and growing and has healthy new growth, you can see whether it will live long enough to mature the fruit you have and hope that the fruit is of decent eating quality (there's no health danger to you--it's just that fruit from diseased plants sometimes doesn't develop good flavor and texture). Don't use any fruit in canning, as diseases or pest-affected fruit can have altered pH. You can always contact your local extension to try to get a more definite diagnosis. Regardless of what it is, I would make sure to not re-use the potting medium in that container, clean the container and supports thoroughly with bleach at the end of the season, do not compost the plant, and do not save any seeds from the fruit.