Tomato help

I'm new to growing fruit/veg. from seed. I was wondering if it was really necessary to transplant tomatoes to individual containers when they get a couple leaves.
I'm growing a few kinds of peppers along with them so any tips on those would help too.

Desperado25 wrote;" I was wondering if it was really necessary to transplant tomatoes to individual containers when they get a couple leaves.'

If they get much bigger than that, I think the roots of the individual plants will grow together, and seperating them for transplant will damage them. Most veggies can suffer from transplant shock, so it is best to minimize the possibility. If you go to the Tomato Forum you will get a better, more complete answer, I think'

Margo

Don't worry so much about transplant shock. I've been working with tomatoes for years, and I have never seen a plant die from transplanting. I got a dozen or so seedlings still awaiting homes, and some of them are starting to get a little entangled. Just be careful with the roots when you disentangle them from each other. Also, i recommend putting them into solid ground, and not really into pots. If you put them into pots you will have to keep moving them from pot to bigger pot as they grow.

Pilgrymm wrote;"I've been working with tomatoes for years, and I have never seen a plant die from transplanting."

Neither have I. I have had them take quite some time to begin growing again, which may be a problem for someone with a shorter season. Much depends on an individual situation, so anything can happen, I guess.

Catmad wrote in response to mine: "Neither have I. I have had them take quite some time to begin growing again, which may be a problem for someone with a shorter season. Much depends on an individual situation, so anything can happen, I guess."

That is true. Over here in Northern Cali in the valley, we tend to have a very long and warm summer that starts in may and quickly dies off in november, so we have a very wide season with which to grow in. Last year i managed to make it through three different sets of plants. right now my first round bell peppers are full grown and already giving me peppers, and my second round chilis and jalapenos are coming along nicely. i have second round cherry tomatoes right now and third round rutgers coming in. as well as a crop of rutgers seedlings that have no place to go.

I always overseed and then hand out seedlings to ppl that want em.

One of my tomatoes broke off at the soil line as I was transplanting it into the garden, i.e. it lost all its roots at once. I planted it with about 3" of its stem in the ground. In the afternoon it looked dead, all wilted and lying on the ground. The next morning it was upright, only a few of its leaves still damaged from the trauma. That was in May. Now, 10 weeks later, I can't tell which of the plants was that one: it's producing tomatoes just as vigorously as the ones which had all their roots.

carriee, thats is awesome to hear. i had a patio tomato that my dog bit off at the ground level, and it did the same thing, i just planted the stem down, and it came back to life. and then my dog grabbed it and basically ate it and the tomatoes that were growing on it. that was in may... heh.

I started my seeds, 4 per cell and transplanted them to individual 4 inch pots once they had 2 sets of leaves. It did take a little while to seperate them but easier when they are dry. We have a very short growign season, so I started them indoors back in March. I transplanted them after they had already had blooms, but now I've got quite a few little guys growing.

Now that my toamtoes are actually growing I'm noticing some spots ont hem like bugs are eating them. Any advice to get rid of them and keep my maters happy and gorwing? I want to stay as organic as possible.

HighCntryGrdnr;
I suggest going to a local gardening shop, and purchasing 1500/3000 ladybugs. They are the best way to get rid of an insect problem in your garden without using pesticides. That is, if you know the type of bug that is eating the plant. if it is aphids, and other tiny bugs, like small ants, then ladybugs are perfect. If it is things like centipedes and beetles, than ladybugs aren't going to do much.

The best way to release ladybugs into your garden is to setup a tent out of an old sheet over the garden area that you plan on releasing them. After that is setup, spray the ladybugs with a little water, just a light mist, while they are still in the bag. And toward dark, right after the sun goes down is the best time, just open the bag of bugs and place it under the tent. the combination of water, the tent, and dusk will help keep the ladybugs from flying away. Also, keep the bag of bugs in the crisper in your refrigerator up until it is time to release them.

Other than that, you can see what the gardening store has in the way of bug stuff, for other types of buggies. i prefer organic gardening, and if i see some holes in the leaves on my plants I try not to jump. This summer i lost almost a whole crop of strawberries to pillbugs, but i'm so stubborn i didn't do anything about it. (my strawberry plants are only a strip about 2 feet long. so it wasnt that big of a deal)

if you can identify the type of bug to the garden store they can usually show you what you need, and what is safest to use, etc.

are there any plants that the ladybugs would damage?

Pilgrymm - Thanks for the idea. I'm pretty sure its ants that are eating my plants. I see grubs and worms and ants, more than anything. I still haven't actually seen any of them on the plants, but thats my guess. Do most gardening centers carry ladybugs? I've never seen any while shopping around my area. I have seen a few in my garden, but obviously not enought to kill the little buggers.

Desperado: no. ladybugs eat other bugs. not plants. ladybugs are one of the BEST bugs you can have around. EVER.

HighCntryGrdnr: places like lowes, home depot, osh, don't normally carry ladybugs. i suggest finding a mom n pop organization in town, or you can order them online. here is one place you can go to. i just googled "buy ladybugs" and got this:
http://gardeningzone.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=121

Will ladybugs eat the white flies that are infesting my tomato plants?

Crazy4bts: yes, they will eat white flies. =)

I noticed that in Dave's video he doesn't re-pot them either. Here's the link into the video library, just click on Tomatoes:

http://davesgarden.com/video/