tomato pot increments?

[janeyo]

Is it best to go from 3 inch to 4 inch (which seems really a small jump), or straight to 5 inch?
My toms in 3 inch pots now have the roots popping out the bottoms.

Thanks

[shirlthegirl43]

How tall are they janeyo? I usually wait till there are a fair few roots showing and then go for a 5 inch pot, or plant into the bottom of the 10litre flower buckets that will be their final home. Then I earth them up as they grow.

[SarzWix]

I try and go from 3" to 5", but if I run out of 5" inch then I use bigger, whatever I have handy.

[Alison]

I'd always understood that it was best to keep toms in a smaller pot to start with to improve your chances of an early crop.

[Flummery]

I keep them in the 3" until the roots show at the bottom and they're just about pot bound. Then move up a bit - I go to 5" as well. After that it's straight into the greenhouse border or big pots. That's why I don't like to get them on too early - no heating in the greenhouse - and a sort of 'kind to the planet' wimpy girlie feeling that I shouldn't have any either!

[janeyo]

I hate it when I get different answers, makes me all of a ditherer. The roots are defo showing and they are quite tall about 30cm (a bit leggy).

maybe I will try the smaller ones in 4 inch and the bigger ones in 5 inch, it's all about experimenting

[FIREMAN627]

janeyo it sounds as if your toms might be a bit leggy but dont worry you can pot toms on into pots where you put them a lot deeper than you would normaly, this makes the plant produce more root,which is good for the plant

[janeyo]

I know they do seem quite big lol. OH was impressed til I told him it wasn't actually a good thing at the moment.
I will pot them as deep as I can. The look healthy enough, not yellowy or anything. It was my moon experiment thing and just don't thinkit's bright enough here for them to cope
I have got some baby back-ups....

[Alice]

I'm a long way north of you Janeyo and we have a shorter growing season. I can't do anything about extending the season at the end so I have to try to extend it at the beginning. That's why I like to get things started early. I keep toms in the smallest pots they can manage with as that forces them into flower earlier and don't put them in their big pots until they are ready to go outside.
I'm surprised at the height of your moon plantings. Mine are only titchy with 4 true leaves. They look well enough but not exactly thriving. But the peppers are doing well enough.