The thin wire cages do have a tendency to fall over when the plant
becomes large, since they are only anchored by about 6" of wire pressed
into the ground. The plastic coated metal stakes and some form of tomato
ties work fine for a few plants. If you plant more than about 20 tomato
plants in a single row you might consider the "Florida weave" method
(google florida weave tomato). I use this technique without pruning the
plants. I use biodegradeable (Jute) baler twine (about $25-30 for 9000
feet, and it's useful for all sorts of other things also [try Agway]).

Note that pruning the tomato plants is reputed to produce earlier fruit
(if done correctly) but decreases the overall productivity of the plant
somewhat. If you have several tomato plants you might consider pruning a
couple of them and leaving the rest to produce what they will. Leave
lots of space around the unpruned plants since they can get large. I
plant rows of tomatoes 10' apart to allow for air circulation and also
to be able to get a garden cart down the rows. However, my rows are
100-200 feet long, so this spacing may not be necessary for a home garden.

There is a moderately strong correlation between the size of a pumpkin
and the length of the vine. Having said that, the mini pumpkins still
produce a vine that can spread 5' in all directions. (still better than
15' for some of the large pumpkins).

I don't support canteloupe. It's too much work. I find that a handful of
straw under the fruit will keep it fairly dry and free from wireworms.



Doug Kanter wrote:
"Pat Kiewicz" wrote in message
...

Irene said:

Hi! I occassionally lurk here, but haven't posted in a long, long
time. My name is Irene, and I garden in Zone 5 (far northern Illinois)

Anyhow, I have a couple of questions:

Has anyone tried Burpee's Tomato Towers? They look like they'd be nice
& space-saving if they work, and very annoying if they don't. Or, do
you have a preferred staking method for indeterminate tomatoes?

I use plastic-coated metal stakes and tie up the plants (pruned to two
stems).

Do mini pumpkins result in smaller plants, as well? I've done
normal-sized ones before, and am considering doing Wee Be Little this
year (per request of the 3 year old). I'm considering using a so-far
not planted section of the garden about 2' wide by 15' long, sloping,
next to the house.

Mini-pumpkins grow on long vines. You might be able to grow them up
the side of the house, if you give them something to cling to.


No idea about the size of the pumpkins themselves, but if they're anything
like canteloupe, you'll want to support each pumpkin with some sort of mesh
sling. Pantyhose works.