Is there room at the top of the pot to add more medium without disturbing them? And how do you know they really are not sufficiently deep? Can you show us a picture?

No room up top...

I just assume they are not deep enough! Lol!

As for a picture? Sure... Hopefully...

Woohoo!!! It worked!!!

So much easier with this new Houzz format...

Actually, while I'm thinking about it...

At the bottom and along the bottom base of the cups, I drilled three holes - for a total of 6... You can see some of them...

Do you think that is adequate for drainage? I didn't think so when I did it, but I didn't want to take away the integrity of the cup...

Sure they might have gone a bit deeper (right up to below the cotyledons when possible) but they don't look bad at all. Personally I bury the cotyledons too.

When going into cups like that some say to set it right on the bottom of the cup (depends on size of plant) and then fill as it grows. Idea being all the soil under the root ball isn't really needed. All depends on how long before they can go to garden? When they do, plant them deeper.

Personally I'd put at least 1/2 to 3/4 inch of soil in the bottom.

The holes don't look big enough in the pic. Better to have 3 big ones rather than alot of small ones as the small ones are easily plugged. You can use a hot knife, wood burner, solder iron or such to melt V shaped wedges on the bottom edge. I have read others say to snip 3V shaped holes in the bottom edge with sharp scissors.

Dave

That's reassuring!

So, would I be able to re-transplant them?!?!?! LOL!!!

I'd say don't bother. The cups are just an intermediate stage and the real transplanting comes when they go into the ground. Do it then, but then again just about anything works.

I am always careful when transplanting tomatoes. I start mine inside. Some time i end up killing them when i move then. I wouldnt move them again . I would get something tomatoes could lean up against and set outside. Either they will live or die :QQ

wow those tomatoes look great . I would wait a week or two before putting them in the ground. Tap from bottom so roots dont break off GOOD LUCK

In zone 5 you have approx. another month or month and 1/2 until plant out. At the size they are now by that time they will be rootbound in the cups anyway and likely need to be transplanted yet again before going to the garden. So do it now or plan to do it later - your choice. How much deeper into the cup do you think they could have gone?

Tomato plants are very tolerant of the transplanting process as long as you don't damage the stem. And doing it doesn't harm the roots, in fact it stimulates them to develop new, more fibrous feeder roots.

Dave

Thanks everyone!

My night is just winding down... Thank God for Spring!!!

After the positive feedback, I think I will let them be... For now...

Some people will transplant them into bigger pots before the ground also. You can plant deeper at that time, and then again in the ground.

At least for the ground, though, you can plant a portion of the stem horizontally, so it doesn't need to be a particularly deep hole, unless you want it that way. To make it easier to plant horizontally, just tip the cup or pot on its side. Wait 12-24 hours and the tomato plant will have bent around 90-degrees to grow upwards.

Now just plant the horizontal part of the stem, with the upward-bending section as your new plant that grows vertically-aligned.

Or of course, just plant in the ground without doing all that. There are more factors to a well-grown and producing tomato plant also.

LOL i love growing tomato starts from seeds during winter months.. Mine are supper tiny when i set them out in may but oh so much fun!

Well, I am continuing to let them be, but now I have another question....

In one of my cups that have two plants growing, one of them is growing roots along the stem...

Would I be able to cut it at its lowest point (without disturbing the other plant) and re-plant it???

Here is a picture... It's the one that is curving towards your left shoulder... You can see the little roots starting to poke out... If I could do this, should I wait a little longer???