repotting

[sen2two]

I'm a first time grower and have some broccoli, strawberries, and a tomato plant. I bought them pre potted and very small at home depot. I took them home and repotted them. They all have grown a lot larger (except for the strawberries) and I'm thinking they need to be repotted. I do not want to plant them in the ground for a few reasons. So I'm stuck with pots for now.

How would I know when to repot them or what size pot to get?

Thanks ahead of time for another newbie!!!

[rainbowgardener]

You repot them when the pots are starting to get full of roots. If you see roots coming out the drain holes or when you slide the root ball a little out of the pot (not hard to do and doesn't hurt the plant) you see roots circling around the outside of the root ball. Or if the plant is big enough compared to the pot that it starts to get top heavy. Or if it is yellowing or showing any signs of nutrient deficiency.

The tomato plant will need to be in a container at least the size of a 5 gallon bucket (for ONE plant) and will need some kind of cage or stakes to support it.

The broccoli could probably go one to a 2 gallon size container.

[sen2two]

Thanks!

Is it a bad idea to repot them now if they don't need it just yet?

[Marlingardener]

You can go ahead and repot them, just don't jump into a huge container from a small container. Up-potting is a series of increments. However, in the case of your tomato, go ahead and put it in a 5 gal. or larger container, since it will grow rapidly and develop an extensive root system.
For the broccoli, I'd suggest at least a 2 gal. container. When I pull my spent broccoli, I'm always surprised at the extent of the root system.