22-07-2003, 02:03 PM
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Tomato height/size caging/staking
(Pat Kiewicz) wrote:
DigitalVinyl said:
Two of my three tomato plants are outgrowing their cage/stakes.
I have a indeterminate with a 4'+ above ground stake. The plant is
easily a foot taller than the stake and growing. Since I've got two
months till frost concerns I'm thinking it might get bigger.
If I anchor twine up above it (off the porch landing) and run the
twine down to the stake...would that be enough support for it? The
stake is secure (buried almost a foot).
I use 8' stakes (2' in the ground). When my plants top the stakes
(which a couple already have this year) I top them and try to select
a side shoot from low on the plant to head up the stake again.
LOL...I missed two suckers and already have two side shoots. One grew
out the front and around a corner to more sun. It currently has two
clusters of Ts starting on it. I've given it a stake. The other is
lost in the melding with the bush one. I haven't quite got pinching
out down yet.
SInce you have some structure overhead and the ability to keep them
going up, I'd run up that twine and keep your plants going up.
Thanks.
For the determinate bush I had a 15" square, 32" high cage. I am
thrilled to say that it is two FEET taller than the cage with lots of
tomatoes growing. I kept on thinking it wasn't going to grow much
larger.
These cages are stackable and I have another. Should i try and fit the
second cage over?
That's what I'd recommend.
I'll get my neighbor to help me. There are bunches of tomatoes right
at the top of the existing cage. Don't want to damage anything.
My tomato cages are 4' tall and 2 1/2 feet in diameter. I've got one
variety that's fill these up over the top this year.
A side question...how the heck do you inspect these plants for bugs. I
can barely see inside them! And I bought cages with 8" spacing for my
big fat hands.
If you have a hornworm on the tomatoes, you will find out soon enough...
I was thinking preventative and also common one like aphids (woolly
aphids have shown up repeatedly on neighbor plants), spider mites,
etc.
I haven't had serious problems with any bugs on my tomatoes, though,
and the few I have seen go for the staked tomatoes first.
(crosses fingers) Neither have I...?
(Why do I grow tomatoes on stakes? Greater variety in less space; earlier
harvests.)
DiGiTAL ViNYL (no email)
Zone 6b/7, Westchester Co, NY, 1 mile off L.I.Sound
1st Year Gardener
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