I would build a cage out of fence wire with large holes to allow you to
reach in and pick the tomatoes. You can make it 16 inches around so it
would fit over your pot, and 4, 5, or 6 feet tall. I used the 4 ft tall one
and they came out the top, but not enough to be a problem. Go to a store
that will sell it by the foot rather than by the roll.

Dwayne

"OmManiPadmeOmelet" wrote in message
...
In article ,
HelixStalwart wrote:

Next spring I will be starting a Paul Robeson tomato (black beefsteak,
climber), but...

...it will be in a 14" terracotta pot, not directly in the ground.

This gives me a headache knowing how to stake it. This year at least,
I can't put the Paul Robeson in the ground and I can't put trellis
wires on the wall. It *has* to be in the container. Apparently it can
grow up to six feet (or more in warmer climates). It is fairly cold
here in Scotland, so I am not too worried about it becoming a monster.
Also, this will be my first staked tomato so I have no prior
experience of tall tomatoes.

So - how do I stake it? I'd guess the obvious choices would include...
i) a single stake right next to the pot, lean the first vine over a
bit and stake as normal - would it sag?

ii) make a tall tripod of three stakes lashed at the top, each stake
fixed into the ground below the level for the pot but long enough to
give some decent headroom for growing - would need about 7-foot
stakes?

Please can you offer some advice. Because it's in a container, I can't
use something like a Veggie Cage (from www.tomato-cages.com).

Thanks.

I used cages last winter for pots.
I just tied them to a side stake in the ground to stabilize them.

Worked for me! :-)

Cheers!
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack
Nicholson