Garden

[PA Mom-mom]

@Carmie  That makes total sense! I've only been patio gardening for a few years - since I gave up my regular garden. Thanks for the advice! I still can't imagine how the Roberta's pots would hold a tomato plant.

[catmama]

I have a few light weight pots and haven't had an issue with the wind.  I love them because they are colorful and bright and cost much less than terracotta or pottery.  They've been outdoors all winter and even when we had a severe cold snap (PNW) they are still in good shape.

[KG60]

@PA Mom-mom We have high winds where we live, that frequently push my half whiskey barrel, (plastic) across the deck. For my tomato plants, I buy 5 gallon buckets, drill 5 to 6 1/2 inch holes in the bottom of the buckets, add 2 inches of gravel, or peat moss in the bottom. Fill with dirt or potting mix and drive a tomato stake on the very inside of the outside edge of the bucket, on two sides, ( two stakes.per bucket). Then plant my tomato plant in the center. Sprinkle a tablespoon of Epsom salts around on the top of the soil and water in. Tie to the stakes  with ties as the plant grows. This is cheaper than buying grow bags and can be reused for years and years. Plus, they have the wire handle so you can move them into or out of the sun as needed. 😊

[gardenman]

The weight of the pot doesn't matter a lot in regards to tipping over. It's more the amount of foliage above the pot that creates a sail area for the wind to catch. I've had half whiskey barrel-sized planters tip over in the past with tall plants (Bird of Paradise) in them. That pot and soil weighed well over a hundred pounds but there was so much growth above it that the wind would flip it fairly regularly. A lot of foliage up high just grabs the wind and works as a lever to flip the pot. The more flexible the foliage is, the less likely it is to flip the pot. It'll bend and even break before it flips the pot, but sturdier plants like a Bird of Paradise will flip over pretty easily even in a very heavy pot. 

[PA Mom-mom]

@gardenman  My cherry tomatoes are usually indeterminate, so they grow upwards of 6 feet tall and more. I try to keep the suckers thinned out as much as possible, but eventually they get away from me. We're going to try to build square brackets around the bases of the pots to see if that helps. Any other suggestions?

[gardenman]

@PA Mom-mom 

Staking the plant from outside the pot might help, but wind with tall plants is an issue.

[PA Mom-mom]

---

@gardenman wrote:

@PA Mom-mom 

Staking the plant from outside the pot might help, but wind with tall plants is an issue.

---

@gardenman  We did use a fencing stake two years ago, but it isn't very pretty or good for our bedding plants. But it does work.