Repotting tomatoes & tomatillos

johnp 4/5/2014, 9:46 am

This morning I am repotting to larger containers all my tomatoes and tomatillos. Many of the original containers have more than one plant. In the past I have always snipped all but one plant after I'm sure the transplant took. This year I would like to save the extra plants both for myself and to give away. Especially the tomatillos as they look very fragile. Any tricks for better success?

**camprn** 4/5/2014, 10:30 am

Hi John, How exciting!!!

They best thing to do is make sure the seedlings have some true leaves and are strong enough for gentle handling.
Leave as much original soil on the root hairs as possible.

Skip right to 4:30 for the info you are looking for.

A pro in a production greenhouse.

quiltbea 4/5/2014, 12:04 pm

1+ with camprn.

Remove the leaves at the bottom and bury at about 2" deeper if they are small seedlings.

Don't hold by the stem, but by the leaves instead.

boffer 4/5/2014, 12:18 pm

The woman in the second video is good!

**sanderson** 4/5/2014, 12:38 pm

Thanks, Camp. Very appropriate at this time of the year.

johnp 4/6/2014, 7:39 am

Camprn I watched the videos and went out and turned 18 (three six pacs) starters into 56 nine ounce cups ( 18 per tray). I used MM for the transplants. The tomatillos and ground cherries were iffy after transplant but this morning they have all perked up. I have one more 6 pac of cosmonaut volkov heirloom tom's which looks like another 18 plants. Then I can start on the peppers. Of course the problem is space and light which I have neither but it is fun. It is time consuming though as you have be careful.

CapeCoddess 4/6/2014, 11:57 am

Yep, I agree with John P. I was motivated also to pot up my ridiculously overgrown six packs this morning. Repotting tomatoes & tomatillos Img_2040

Not sure how many I ended up with...probably around 25. I'll take an inventory as soon as I finish lunch. Repotting tomatoes & tomatillos Img_2041

I do have a lot leftover in the six packs for giveaways. Whoever takes them can pot them up themselves. I'm so done. Now the problem is finding all the trellis space. I can't imagine doing 56 although I think I did something like that last year.

okay, gotta clean up all this mess and head out and plant me some asparagus.
CC

johnp 4/6/2014, 12:06 pm

I now have 76 tomatoes and 12 tomatillos and ground cherries. I know at least 3 families that will buy tomato and pepper plants this spring and all three are where I buy my eggs. I see lots of eggs this summer. Laughing

The same goes for peppers next week. I am now headed for the garden center for another light and then to drag another table out of the shed.

quiltbea 4/6/2014, 12:11 pm

Cape.....Lookin' good. I love seeing what you're doing because with me being a zone and some colder weather behind you, I see myself in the near future. Its nice to know spring is really coming. For now, I'm still buried in snow.

Were those tomatoes started in MM or a Seed Starting Mix?

johnp 4/6/2014, 1:18 pm

I started with potting soil. I found that in separating the plants your pencil combed through the roots he Repotting tomatoes & tomatillos Dscn0411

Repotting tomatoes & tomatillos Dscn0411

lps a lot. I am going to try to post my first picture of the transplants:

CapeCoddess 4/6/2014, 2:39 pm

quiltbea wrote:Cape.....Lookin' good. I love seeing what you're doing because with me being a zone and some colder weather behind you, I see myself in the near future. Its nice to know spring is really coming. For now, I'm still buried in snow.

Were those tomatoes started in MM or a Seed Starting Mix?

I always start my seeds in old Mel's mix dug out of the SFG in the fall and left in a wheelbarrow in the garage over the winter. I add fresh compost to it for potting up. I ended up with a total of 22 plants potted up and trellis room for only 14, of which one spot is reserved for box car Willie What a Face

. The overflow will go into the perennial gardens.

That's a real nice setup you have there, John. I may need to get another light going because everything won't fit under the single kitchen light anymore. Aand it'sstill getting too cold at night in my bay window to leave them there.

CC

johnp 4/6/2014, 4:18 pm

Thanks CC. Looks like I didn't preview my last post but I got the picture kind of in the right area.

**sanderson** 4/6/2014, 6:52 pm

John, Nice set up Very Happy

MB3 4/6/2014, 10:55 pm

i also did some repotting of some tomatoes today
i still have more to complete, and have many more that will need it in the weeks to come, as i have many plants at various stages.
the ones i did today were started in very early Februrary -- given I had no seed warming mat and only have a small west-facing window and lo watt CFL bulb in a drafty cold house, my plants look like what some people have in a week or two in a warming mat and T5 setup Razz

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