Thanks. I realized I had messed up with those pots pretty quickly. I did cut out the bottoms though, so now the roots are all into the ground below. Apparently not before putting some stress into their lives. The next ones I plant are going into huge pots for sure.

If the soil is fertile under the pots they may do better planted in the ground, more even moisture and the roots have room to spread.

In that context, a better approach would have been to remove the pot entirely, and just plant the whole root ball deep in the soil. That would allow existing roots to expand horizontally. If you cut the bottom out of the pot and set it on the ground, you're insisting that new roots have to go straight down, and the roots still in the pot will be confined when they try to expand. So those plants are still pretty stressed.

That all makes sense. Thank you. I planted these, then shortly afterwards I read Craig LeHoullier’s book. Realized I really didn’t think it out real well. Taking off the pots completely is a great idea but I’m hesitant since I already have fruit on all the plants. The Patio tomato seems super happy with the way things are though, so I have at least one happy plant. Thanks again, I’m sure I’ll have a million and one more questions as time goes on.

If you already have the bottom cut off of the pot, you can just dig a hole in the soil, set the pot down in the hole, and cut off the sides. Backfill with soil. The plant will never feel anything unusual. You don't handle the rootball. Since the plant is highly root-bound in the pot, it's very unlikely the rootball will fall apart when you do this.

Just to clarify my previous post --- I wasn't suggesting to bury the pots in the ground but was looking down the road for your next season's plants to be planted directly into the ground. Prep the soil first of course with cultivating, removing stones, adding amendments, etc. if needed. You may notice an improvement with healthier plants, no legginess, better production, and less care esp when you are away from home.