Its worth a try. You might get some that make it and some that dont. Just be as careful as you can with the roots. Dont pull them out, better yet try to dig around the base of the roots as deep as possible. Good luck.

Damon

I just attempted this. Mine were "in the ground" (really, a large container as they were planted in a raised bed above sandstone).

I'm having varying degrees of success (and failure). I can make a few suggestions, but keep in mind this is my first time ever gardening (anything!). All of you experienced tomato growers out there.....please correct me if I am giving out bad advice! lol

Prune heavily from the bottom up. The plant had less foilage to maintain while it regrew some roots that were inevitably ripped. Just bury it deep so that part roots too. If my plants had a lot of fruit set, I'd probably have pruned all or most off. It just seems like way too much for the plant to keep up with after having its roots disturbed.

A foliar feed seemed to really help. I figured if the plants roots weren't in top working condition, getting it nurients via the foliage would be good. I alternated between fish emulsion and VF-11 plantfood, and I'd have to go with the VF-11. I really like that stuff. It might be hard to find locally, I could only find it on the west coast but you could always order it online now. You can also get a free sample bottle for the cost of shipping if you call (google vf-11 plantfood for the site).

And...in case the main plant doesn't make it, be sure to prune some suckers and root them for backups. They will be behind the other plants, but still the same age as the mother plant.

Try to keep the plants in the shade for the first week. If there is no all day shade, try to find morning sun/afternoon shade.

Good luck! I went into this thinking that everything just might die (I am moving too, I figured I'd lose plants either way)....and if I had any success, score for me! :D

P.S. I assume we're talking about indeterminates here, I have no experience with determinates ;)

When we moved to Florida, I put the wife's favorite plants in the back of the van (the ones Florida would let in) and they did just fine. Perhaps you could do something similar with some of the plants. That way they could be left in their containers.

Oh, are they already in pots? I guess I figured they were in planters like a raised bed, or something not all that mobile. If they are in containers, then it seems easy enough to just move the pots with you :)

In order to drop a quickly dying tree, I uprooted 8 tomato plants, dropped half the tree & replanted. All 8 made it.
My advice would be to make the process as quick as possible & take a good amount of dirt with the roots... like Damon suggested. My plants were only 2-3 ft tall, but I still think you have a great chance of them surviving.
GOOD LUCK!!!!!