I still have a few weeks before I can safely plant the tomatoes in the garden. However, the tomatoes have outgrown their pots so I need to transplant them into bigger containers.
How to transplant tomatoes
At this point in a tomato plant’s growth, it is important to plant them in a large enough container to allow them to grow deep roots, but not so big that it makes transplanting more difficult later. Ideally, when I am ready to put the plants in the ground, the roots need to fill the container so that the plant easily slides out of the pot. If the plants haven’t grown enough to fill the pot, the soil around the tomato plant will spill out everywhere. So judging the size of the transplant container is important. Also, be sure that each pot has proper drainage because you don’t want the plants to become water-logged.
Once you have the containers that you need to transplant your tomatoes, you will need to get good soil to plant your tomatoes in. You don’t want to transplant into the same kind of soil in which you started your seedlings, nor do you want to use just garden soil. When I transplant into larger containers, I like to use a combination of the seedling medium and the garden soil so that the tomatoes can begin adjusting to the denser garden soil. Be sure that you have properly moistened the soil with enough water to moisten the soil, but not so much that it is saturated. Ensure that the soil is moistened to the dampness of a rung-out sponge.
Next, you’ll want to add organic amendments to your soil. At this stage, you can add amendments that promote growth.
Once you have your pots and amended soil, it’s time to transplant the tomatoes. Put enough soil in the bottom of each pot so that only the plant’s leaves are above the soil. Do this because the tomato stem below the soil will sprout roots instead of leaves and you’ll develop a better root system.
Fill the pot around the tomato plant with soil and then saturate the planted tomato with water allowing the excess water to drain out the bottom of the pot. Now put your tomato plants back under lights or in a sunny spot and monitor them twice per day for the first few days to ensure that they stay hydrated. Water the plants as needed.
If you’re interested in putting in a vegetable garden this year, I have written several books that can help you get started. All are available on Amazon.
Simply Vegetable Gardening
The Survival Garden
The Four Seasons Vegetable Garden
Help From Kelp
Using Diatomaceous Earth Around the House and Yard
The Perpetual Homesteader 