You're having a hard time getting a definitive answer because there isn't one. The need for a larger container is progressive and depends on your skills at and dedication to pruning roots and the above-ground portion of the plant. A #3-size plant, left to its own devices, would quickly outgrow a 5 gallon container, after only a year or two, but a #3-size plant properly cared for and properly pruned might be productive in a 5 gallon container for many years. The soil you use also plays into the equation. You can't just plop a #3 plant in 10 gallons of heavy soil and expect it to grow robustly. You could, however, plop a #3 plant in 10 gallons of a well-aerated soil and it will thrive, if you meet its other cultural requirements. You would also need to describe the present size of the plant material. If they are liners, a half gallon container might be appropriate for this growing season, but if they are in 5 gallon nursery pots, you might be able to leave them in that container if they were recently bumped up in size or if they have tight roots you'll need to bump them up yourself. From what I offered, you should be at least starting to get a feel for how difficult it is to answer your question directly? Al The link I left below should provide some insight about maintaining woody material in containers. Here is a link that might be useful: Trees (and other woody stuff), in Containers

I have some is the ground and some in pots and the ground ones usually do better, but most of them are volunteers, whatever was near there last year is coming up again, I just let the 'maters fall on the ground if I don't pick them and they set the seed the next year, on their own.. I'm a messy gardener...but I amend the soil heavily, compost and kitchen scraps and green clippings, leaves..etc. it all gets tossed out there, I have lots of earth worms and they love it...I think nematodes don't like a'rich' soil they like the sand...sally

Hi Bill I am very familiar with a lot of ground cherry varieties and I can tell the difference in the taste, some are better than others, some are easier too. My aunt had a patch and they grew like weeds, no care and sometimes I would snack on them, not too often because she had the best fruits in her garden and so did I.:) If you liked the Pineapple variety, you will like the others even more, there is one that grows very tall and I think is the Hawaiian one, others are bush and Derek from Tampa had a variety that was so hardy! and spread like ground cover, I did not get a name but it had different leaves also. I sample few other varieties when at Monticello at the Harvest festival, one of the better ones was Aunt Molly. The small yellow are different varieties of ground cherries About the tomatillos, I grew Heirloom Purple and Toma Verde Green, very productive! and grew tall just like a tomato, they are somewhat easier but at the end of the season they get diseased with our humidity and also cannot take the freeze, I would start them in spring or if you are starting them now put them in a container, you will need support for them and move them when we get a freeze. December tomatillos in a salsa Silvia

First, I wouldn't pay any attention to anyone who says they "couldn't use all the tomatoes they got off their 2 or 3 plants". Either they must not like to eat tomatoes or they were growing one of the huge cherry tomato-type plants and only like to eat a few tomatoes. It is simply impossible to get so many tomatoes off 2 or 3 plants that you can't use them all. Second, I live in Minneapolis, MN and I have seeded my tomatoes a little over a month ago but how do the green houses get their plants to grow so big? Do they plant their seeds in January? No they don't start them extra early as a rule. Some commercial growers use growth stimulating chemicals on their transplants - something most of us would prefer to NOT use. Expensive and usually not available to the average grower anyway. But the main factors are all the light that is available in a GH that you simply cannot duplicate with the average indoor set-up for growing seedlings and the seed starting mixes they use. Not to mention that they don't over-water like most home gardeners do. But for best results when it comes to transplanting, you don't really want really large transplants anyway - 6-8" is ideal. Granted you have a short growing season but that doesn't mean you can't work with that limitation. Lots of methods for extending that growing season work much better than just trying to transplant big plants. Have you researched methods for extending the season? Using varieties with shorter DTM? Pre-warming soil, cold frame, using low tunnels, covering with a cloche or WOW for earlier planting in the spring? And in Fall row covers or temporary tent covers. All can add 6 weeks to your season and get you more ripe tomatoes. I have always had trouble getting my tomatoes to bear fruit as well. Excessive nitrogen and over-watering are primary contributing factors to that issue. Variety selection and its DTM can also contribute. So give us more details on the varieties you use, exactly how you are growing them from seed, your light set-up and potting mix used, how you are watering your plants once transplanted to the garden, what fertilizer you use and how often, etc. Dave