In article ,
"TQ" ToweringQs AT adelphia.net wrote:

For tomato, you need a pot that's at least 5 gallons (3.8 liters). Drill
holes in the bottom for drainage.

Uh, 5 gallons would be closer to 20 liters... ;-)

I used some 3 gallon pots last winter and they worked ok, but only
because the root system grew out of the holes and into the ground. G
That stabilized the pot too!

5 gallon would be better, I agree.


Once the plant is established, I'd stick a 54" (137 cm) cage in the bucket.
These cages are narrow and should fit nicely inside the container.

Since you expect the plant to reach 6', the cage alone won't contain it, so
you'll need to construct a tee-pee over it. I use 2-3" oak or maple
sapplings about 10' in length, but you could get away with slightly shorter
ones.

That will work, but I find it easier to contruct a circular cage around
the pot out of 6 ft. farm fencing wire. The 2" x 4" mesh makes it so I
can pick tomatoes thru the wire if I need to.

Cheers!



"HelixStalwart" wrote in message
...
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.


--
Om.

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