"I put a layer of river rocks on the plastic, then soil on top." Container grown plants don't need drainage substrate in the bottom, and in fact, don't want it. In every growing medium, in the ground, and in potted plantings, there is a level at which the soil's "wicking" ability to suck water upward (think about a paper towel dipped in water) balances the downward gravitational pull. This is called the perched water table. Below the perched water table, the soil is saturated with water, which can suffocate plant roots and encourage root rot. Above this level is usable soil. By adding a gravel substrate, instead of increasing drainage, you're actually moving the perched water table UP in the container, so the plant has even less room to grow. In other words, skip the rocks. I guess you may want to consider this a learning experience. You might consider switching the plant into something more like a traditional container. I think even a 5 gallon bucket might be a better home for it than that drawer. Some people even take two 5 gallon buckets and make a sort of SWC (Self Watering Container) out of them. Either way, I suspect your tomato is going to be limited in its growth ability by the growing conditions of your container. And really, we are NOT picking on you jemsister! We just didnâÂÂt have the full picture of your growing conditions, and as we get it, our advice does change to (hopefully) better fit your unique situation. Betsy Here is a link that might be useful: Article that shows perched water tables This post was edited by bets on Thu, May 30, 13 at 20:38

Earlier on this post, green_devo mentioned electric conduit with large square nylon netting, which is a system I've used successfully for my pole beans, peas, cucumbers and tomatoes. Conduit is readily available at Home Depot, really long (10 ft.), comes in different diameters, is cheap ($2.00 ea. for the smallest dia.), easy to cut, and won't corrode. Pair it with nylon netting, heavy duty concrete mesh or livestock fencing using wire or zip ties to attach it, and you're good to go! You'll note that we've used pipe elbow joints and added conduit cross braces along the top, without any threading or gluing, since there's just enough tooth in the threaded joints to grip the conduit, but you could caulk those to make sure they don't loosen in strong weather. We usually sink 4 ft. of slightly smaller rebar 2 feet into the dirt, then slip 6 ft. long conduit over that spike, but if you need it tall, those could be longer; much easier to pound in the shorter, sturdier rebar than the longer conduit. This all breaks down easily (including pulling out the rebar) after the growing season is over, and stores compactly. Super happy with this system! By the way, notice the tomatoes at the left in the photo are sprawling and ready for trellising.

labradors/Linda, I don't think we can move the upside down container. The iron stake is pretty deep into the ground as it is, and slightly bent due to storm damage, so I am weary of moving it, and have it secured to the staircase with jute. I wish I could hang it off a tree or something stronger! haha. Also, I live in a co-op, and the tree is on "our" side. It also gets significantly more sun here. How much, and what kind of a difference will it make if I transplant into a bigger container? I have read 5 gallons is the general rule, but seen so many people post online - and in person - with containers smaller than I am using. Either way, I think by the stairs will become the permanent spot. The container is hidden from street level by a bush in front, and there is already an upside down plant, there, so it won't look random if it's up against the steps. Agressive? Dang! I got cherries instead of bigger tomatoes for two reasons: I thought they'd be faster to grow, and I thought the plants would be smaller. ha! Thanks, you guys!

I Love Cucumbers - here's a pic of my tomato trellis back in May before the plants are in the ground, so you can see the trellis better. This can be at whatever scale you want, but your stakes should be deep enough to handle the weight of the growing tomatoes (and taking into account what kind of winds you get in your area - they get pretty stiff here - 40 mph and more sometimes). You can get around planting the stakes so deep (1 ft + in my case) if you make it a teepee sort of affair, with two stakes leaning into each other and the top cross bar anchoring the whole thing down the line. That green mesh is a plastic fencing that we buy in rolls and secure with cable ties or twine. It's strong and reusable, as are my stakes, which as you see, are nothing fancy, but are branches and/or small trees cut down and trimmed from around the property. At this point, though, I agree about investing in some straw bales and mulch the heck out of the area under the tomatoes and just let them sprawl where they will. Unless you have slugs as bad as we're having this year, you'll still get tomatoes. :)