After puttering about my yard I found some old masonry borders one would put around a flower bed. They are fairly long and curved. I've placed them on top of each container. They have the added bonus of helping to prop up stakes that are straining under the load from the plant and wind. Although I've found a temporary (and positively ugly) solution, like Heather, I'm curious to see what other folks do. Perhaps this is something that I should be addressing when I prepare my containers in the spring. Below is a picture of my plants from earlier in the month. All the plants are now nearing the top of their stakes. Thanks! Here is a link that might be useful: photo of said tomato plants

Without doubt, timing is much different in Florida. For one we have a much larger window of opportunity. In the northern tier of the U.S. the growing season is 90 days. The more south the more it modarates. PLbrown, you paraphrased me and left out the but timing is important part. Jane..I need seeds of those forever tomatoes. I've had hot peppers last 2 years. And I have an orchid that stays in bloom. I want veggies that grow like weeds and weeds that grow like veggies.

I appreciate the comments. What I'm really trying to figure out is why my largest tomato plants always produce bland tomatoes, while my smaller plants produce flavorful tomatoes. I have several theories, which I'm going to explore this year. In my garden (picture below), my tomatoes are planted along the back, and beets, onions, squash, etc., are planted along the front. I turn off the irrigation lines to the tomatoes once they start setting fruit, but the front side of the garden still gets watered. Theory #1: My largest tomatoes also have the largest root system, and they're running over to the front side of the garden where ample water is available, thus producing watery tomatoes. To test this theory, I plan on running a spade down the middle of my garden a few times this summer to prune any roots that are running across. Theory #2: The roots of my largest tomatoes also run deeper, to the bottom of my raised bed where there is a layer of hard packed clay. Perhaps rainwater is collecting there, and the bigger tomato plants draw up more of this water. To test this theory, I plan on putting my tomatoes out later this year, without the help of season extenders, so the plants don't have as much time to develop deep roots. Theory #3: (could apply to anyone's garden) Larger tomato plants have more self-shading than smaller plants, meaning there's less sugar available per tomato. I'm going to prune my tomatoes this year to 2 or 3 stems, to open things up and get more sun on the leaves. Theory #4: Some other stress factor is responsible for the smaller tomato plants being smaller, and those stressful conditions produce better tasting tomatoes. I'm going to try watering a couple times this summer with diluted seawater. I bought some Sea-90 from seaagri.com, to see if a little sea salt on the roots will stress the plants just enough to slow their growth and produce more concentrated, flavorful tomatoes. This picture of my garden was taken the first week of July. The 2 right-most tomatoes were started under a cold frame, and turned into monsters with bland tomatoes. The two staked tomatoes in the middle were put out later, grew comparatively smaller, but had much better flavor.

It would help to know where you garden. If I set out tomatoes by February like yummykatz, I'd have nothing but freeze burned plants. lol Tomato pollen dies at temps over 95 degrees and your plants will not set fruit. They also need a bit of wind or movement to help that pollenation process. My granny used to whack at her large healthy plants with a length of garden hose or short stick. I think she thought she was disciplining them, but in reality she was helping that pollen move around. In my Ft. Worth area garden, I plant Celebrity and Roma tomatoes. I try heirloom varieties from time to time, but usually only get one or two tomatoes from a large vine. It is especially frustrating when the bunnies get the one tom produced. Celebrity, as well as Heatwave and Merced, get to producing early in the season. We are usually harvesting by Memorial Day, after planting in late March (and watching for freezes.) By the middle to the end of June, the tomatoes go on vacation. Sometime I baby them through the summer for a fall harvest, but haven't been too successful there. Hope this helps. Here is a link that might be useful: Creative Soul