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

Well, I can only guess that they were termites as the containers are too heavy to be held up long enough to check the bottoms, but right where the drainage holes were positioned on the bench, there was definitely something eating the wood. I've poked around the dirt and don't see any ants. So whatever it is, is near the bottom of the pot I put it in! And since it was wet when my husband slid the pot over, I can't really see any "bodies"! Thanks for your suggestion, Jeri. I will continue to keep an eye on the container to see if I do spot any ants.

Marion, I do the following to root my roses: I like to take the cutting from a branch that has had a bloom that has just finished blooming. I cut it so that I will have 2 sections of leaves, then I cut the spent bloom off the top. I put the cutting immediately into water while I get more cuttings, prepare the soil, etc. I like to use few drops of a product called "Super Thrive" in the water I soak it in, and in the water for the dirt. I use miracle grow potting soil in a small container. I get it wet, but not so much that it will be sitting in a puddle. I make a hole in the dirt with a pencil. I take the rose out of the water, and make a few shallow cuts at the base, then I dip it in Schultz TakeRoot powdered rooting hormone, and stick it in the hole in the dirt. I put the little pot of dirt and rose into a zip lock bag (I like the 2 gallon ones) then I zip it most of the way up, and blow air into it to create a mini greenhouse. I put it in a window that does not get direct sun. In my case, a north facing window. I don't touch it for at least 2 weeks, then I lightly pull on the stem to see if it has rooted. If the stem turns black, it is dead. If it grows mold, it needs to be cleaned off immediately or thrown away so that it doesn't effect the other cuttings. If you are successful, in 2-4 weeks new leafs will start to grow. If you used clear cups for the dirt, you will start to see white roots in the soil. I adapted my method from this video I watched when I first started: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiL83eUKWY8

I'd ask for a replacement and keep nursing this one. I got a rose band that had been shaken out of its soil and dried out. It lost all the leaves but eventually grew more. It was 8 months in our year round growing season in So CA before it was back to the size it was when they shipped it to me. I love that rose and it's a good plant now but I lost a years worth of progress because they packed it poorly and for a while it was touch and go.