Tomato tips wanted

[Rich.H]

Decided this year to have a go with a mass of cherry type toms indoors in pots. I've lots of places they can go and hopefully it will give me plenty of fresh toms for instant eating as well as a glut to make some sauce or such.

At the moment I've around 50-60 seedling all sown in one large tray ready to prick out, but i'm wondering should I put them into modules and then pot out after abit of growth or is it safe enough to go ahead straight into pots big enough to house the adult plant?

[chickenchargrill]

I always go straight for the bigger pot, that way you're not handling them so often.

[The Riff-Raff Element]

I think it's different if you're keeping them inside. Mine spend quite a period under cover before going out in the garden, so I sow singly in small pots, then pot on successful seedlings to 500ml pots for a few weeks. One tip - for indoor cultivation, brush your seedlings once or twice a day with your finger tips. This encourages the main stem to thicken in the absence of wind and makes for a stronger mature plant.

[Odsox]

I sow singly in small pots, then pot on successful seedlings to 500ml pots for a few weeks.

That's the way I do it as well, in fact I chit mine and pot up germinated plants.
I was taught that plants (and especially tomatoes) prefer to have their roots in contact with the pot, rather than being "dumped" in a large mass of cold wet compost. It takes quite some time for the compost to warm up in the centre of a big pot, although that's more relevant to sowing earlier in the year.
Mine don't seem to mind being potted on and I do that job when the roots start circling the bottom of their present pot.

[hedgewizard]

If you want really strong plants, pot them up a bit deeper than they were to start with - they'll put up with being nearly buried! The buried stem sprouts new roots, just like a potato plant.