Transplant flowering tomato and chilli

I started growing tomato and chilli plants in small yogurt containers. I should have transplanted them into bigger containers at least a month ago. Some are now starting to flower and am wondering if I should transplant them now or transplant them at a later date. I understand that transplanting = stress on the plants. I am growing these plants on my bedroom windowsill. If I transplant, would I be better warming the soil/compost first?

I appreciate any help as this is my first year of attempting to grow my own food.

You are fortunate that those two plants are very tolerant of transplanting and overcome the stress quickly. Water them in good, and if it is still cold where you are, some type of a cloche at night to protect them from the cold might be in order.

Mark Mckee wrote:am wondering if I should transplant them now or transplant them at a later date.

Now! If the roots are wrapping in circles around the container, loosen them up. You can do a lot to these roots and will be forgiven. Sometimes I've even cut them with a knife if the rootball is too dense, just redirect them from circling around and around.

For tomatoes, you want to put some of the stem below the new soil level. It's a strange plant that will easily send more roots out from the stem, makes a stronger plant, but you need an even deeper container.

The peppers might appreciate a warmer soil, but if you are still growing in the house, it will warm up quickly enough.

Hooray for you for getting seedlings to flower. Enjoy that first fruit.

sometimes I pluck off the flowers before transplanting. It seems like you sacrifice the earliest fruit, but get a higher total yield in the end, as the plant is able to grow stronger before devoting energy to developing fruit. if you have a long season, I would say pinch the flowers. ymmv.

Thanks for the advice.

I got the tomato seeds from a can/tin of organic chopped tomatoes.
I got the chilli seeds from chillies I bought at the supermarket.

It's still pretty cold here in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Temperatures dropped to 2 C/35 F a couple of days ago. Even in a cold frame I think it would be too cold for tomatoes and chillies.

Mark Mckee wrote:Thanks for the advice.

I got the tomato seeds from a can/tin of organic chopped tomatoes.
I got the chilli seeds from chillies I bought at the supermarket.

It's still pretty cold here in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Temperatures dropped to 2 C/35 F a couple of days ago. Even in a cold frame I think it would be too cold for tomatoes and chillies.

Germination from canned tomato seeds? Who would have guessed!