"FDR" wrote:


"Frogleg" wrote in message
.. .

-snip-
Go somewhere like Home Depot and get a roll of 6" mesh concrete
reinforcing wire. Ask about what kind of tool you need to cut the
wire.

Here's a rough illustration and directions:


http://www.extension.umn.edu/project...37trellis.html

-snip-.

Though they are certainly sturdy, I don't think they'd be for me since my
wife wouldn't appreciate the aesthetics or lack of easy storage capability.


i use a variation of the concrete reinforcing mesh. [mine is 6x6
holes, BTW]. I just cut it into 4' 6" lengths -cutting close to the
vertical piece on one end. Then I loop the cut tails loosely
around the verticals of another and repeat until I have a foldable
fence as long as I can easily handle. [24' works for me-- it happens
to fit the width of my tomato section & it accommodates 6 plants.
Anything over 3 sections will work]

[if I cared about aesthetics, this is when I'd paint them dark green]

I till the garden & rake the tomato area more or less smooth-- then
unfold my tomato fence as a zig-zag with a stake about every 20 feet.

Then I plant the tomatoes in the center of each section-- helping
them go in & out of the mesh for a couple weeks.

In the fall they fold up & hang on the back side of my garage--
outside. The original that was here when I bought the house 16 years
ago has seen better times, but is still usable. [The newer ones
probably won't make 20 years as the wire is much lighter.]

Jim