"FDR" wrote in message ...
Looking through the Garden Tools by Lee Valley catalog, I came across a
tomato staking method using spirals. Basically, it's a 6 foot long piece of
metal that you push into the ground and it is spiraled all the way up. The
tomato plant grows into the spiral and gives natural support. The ad claims
that it is the most popular way to do it in Europe.

Has anybody actually tried these? They are $4.50 a piece and seem like a
bargain. I just don't know how sturdy they are.

I'd like to try staking this year. Just don't know what method to use.


I have 5 of the spirals I bought from the local garden center a few
years ago. They are 5' tall and are a very strong metal of some sort.
They do indeed work but the drawback is that you must prune the tomato
plant down to a single stem.
This is great if you would like to produce a very small number of very
large tomatoes per plant but otherwise it is not too practical. They
are also too short for the tomato plants we grow in Tennessee so if I
use them, I have to top the plant out at 5'. They work pretty good for
cucumber vines but are a little short for that purpose as well. I am
sure I will find a good use for them, eventually.

I support most of my plants with a simple trellis system. I go to the
local lumber yard and buy some 10 foot long 2x2's. I use a power saw
to put a point on each one. I get out the ladder and a sledgehammer
and drive
them down about a foot into the garden soil and space them about 10
feet apart.
I then attach nylon string trellis (from the local co-op) with
thumbtacks or staples. My garden is wide enough for three of these
stakes across and they will easily support 6 large plants, fully
loaded. I prune the plants to about 3 main stems and get both large
tomatoes and good production. I would not recommend doing this
yourself if you don't have someone to hold the ladder steady, if you
are small of stature or you are physically challenged by age or
infirmity since climbing a ladder and then driving stakes down with a
sledgehammer takes considerable balance and strength.

Lee Hall
Zone 6B - Tennessee