Adding Dirt to the Tomato Starts

In other update news re: the tomato / tomatillo plants - yesterday my daughter and I added a lot more dirt to the cups. It's not getting consistently warm yet, so I don't want to plant them outside just yet, but they seemed so big that I wanted to give them more dirt.

Tammy's Mater Magic

It's been a full week (almost) since Tammy graced me with five fledgling tomato plants and one tomatillo plant. Miraculously, all have been watered and sunned, put out in warm weather and brought inside at night and on chilly days... In short, they're all still alive and perky looking.

Tammy gave me some great suggestions about caring for them, which are basic... almost idiot proof. She noted that:

1. I might want to add some dirt along the way, as they get bigger, before it gets warm enough to plant them outside
2. When I do add dirt or plant them outside, I'll want to put them as deeply as possible into the dirt --- not just insert the roots alone, but plenty of stem. She pointed out how the stems have little "suckers" (feathery / prickly little looking feelers) that, if put in dirt, will become roots.
   
3. Tammy said if there were lower leaves sprouting off the main stem, I should remove them prior to surrounding that part of the stem with dirt -- otherwise they're likely to carry off on their own and become a separate sprout.
   

I've been given all this advice before from pretty knowledgeable gardeners, but it always seemed overcomplicated. Tammy made it sound so basic. Love it!