I prefer to set out 6 to 9 inch plants b'c they adapt better when they're smaller in my experience.
And I don't pot up either. I do one transplant from the seedling trays when they're about 1- 2 inches tall and transplat to plastic cells about 2 X 2 inches, 32 cells to a standard nursery tray and grow them on to that 6-9 inch size. Of course if the weather is bad when it's time to set them out they may get a tad bigger.
And yes, they may be a bit rootbouond but that's what I want. When you pot up the root system is much more fragile and likely to break apart when setting inground or in containers. But rootbound plants don't do that and ASAP set out new roots inground, where I want them to be.
This is the way all the commercial farmers I know of raise their plants and I've grown thousands of plants this way with excellent success.
My farmer friend Charlie also raises huge plants in 1 and 2 gal contaniers to sell wholesale to his retailers and laughs all the way to the bank about it but if folks want such large plants it's their money.
Charlie himself raises his plants for his own acres and acres of tomatoes the way I do.
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Carolyn
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