I have often been asked what is best size pots for growing out tomatoes for your garden. The answer is not as simple as one may think. When considering growing out tomato seedlings for later transplants into their garden spot or bigger planter, there are some things to consider. Your eventual choice could eventually lead you to much savings, time and hassle!
What Are You Growing Plants Out For?
Know this! There isn’t really any difference in the size of the pot if the seedlings are going to be transplanted within 4-5 weeks. If you are wanting to grow out seedlings where the next step will be planting them in their final growing spot, then you have several choices that will well be worth it. Remember the bigger the pot the bigger your cost. Soil cost and pots cost! Bigger pots over a short period may not mean bigger plants. A bigger pot will only benefit you if you are wanting to have plants of a certain size in the ground and you have enough time to grow it out to that size before you transplant them.. You don’t really need pots over a certain size if your goal is to eventually transplant average sized plants in the garden. One of the questions to ask yourself is how big do you need the plants to be. The next question should be, when are they going to be transplanted.
How Big Do Plants Need To Be When Planted?
My experience leads me to this answer. You can literally put 2-3 inch tall plants in the ground if carefully shielded, especially if you do raised bed gardening. I do it every year. Each year I have seedlings that I never up-potted and don’t want to cull. So I stick them in the ground. Depending on the time of they were planted, they literally catch up with my bigger plants. Before long, I couldn’t tell the difference between plants. A bigger plant, when planted, does have a better chance of survival. But a small plant, well cared for, has just as good of a chance. I say that to say this, DON’T PANIC!. Unless you have a short growing season, even seedlings that are tiny can produce timely fruits, if planted with enough time for them to do so. So although up-potting is suggested, even your tiny seedlings can make it, given enough time.
Are You Going To Sell Plants?
If your goal is to sell plants(I have for 20 years) the best value for money is to use 2.5 inch pots. They use less soil, are easier to manage and unless you plan to have them there for a long time, they grow fairly large plants. You may be able to get a better price for plants in a larger pot but it may not be fair to your customer if the plant is small. This is a practice I see a lot of in bigger retail stores. Small plant big pot and even bigger prices! So 2.5 inch pots take up less space and when plants are well fed, grow just as big plants over the same time. This size pot is also among the cheapest you could find. are cheaper. Know that you can up-pot a seedling into any size container based on what you are seeking. Again, the key is if there is enough time to grow out the plant to maximum size before transplanting.
Are you Growing Out For Eventual Garden Growing?
Guess what? For me, 2.5 inch pots are still your best overall bet for up-potting tomato and pepper plants. They are the very best bet, in my humble opinion, for growing out plants, whether you are selling or using for eventual garden planting. I literally grow 12 inch bushy plants in that size container. In fact, I never use any other size pots except for my Micro Dwarf tomato plants, where I use mostly 6 inch pots.
In conclusion, using 2.5 inch pots is the best bet for most situations. I get mine at Greenhouse Megastore. Their service is top class and their products are good quality. At the time of this article, April 2021, it will cost you about $60 for a case of 800 pots. They also sell in smaller quantities, but if you can afford it go for the case. It’s the best value for money, especially if you are going to sell plants or grow in large quantities. Here is the link! Feel free to leave a comment about this post. I hope it helped! I wish you a happy gardening season and best of luck with your transplants!
