"p. pleater" wrote in message
...

Look in Yellow Pages for a local Steel Stockist or Metal Stockist. They
should be able to supply any diameter cut to your length requirements.
Last year I bought a bundle of 5mm dia X 5ft long mild steel rods to use
as general purpose stakes at a very reasonable price.....and they will
outlast me !! The only downside is rust, but its no problem for me cos I
just wipe them with an oily rag prior to use.
This year I've bought some 9mm dia X 10ft long stainless steel rods for my
runner beans. Pricey but they will last for ever. A friend bought some
cheap redundant stock aluminium rectangular tubing (I'm guessing about
30mm X 8mm) for his beans.
p.pleater.

Spouse uses mild steel bar, rod and tubing for various applications. Some
years ago I asked for offcuts of rod to use to stake the outdoor tomatoes.
They were perfect, they haven't rusted more than over the surface and will
certainly outlast us. They're far better than bamboo because they never
split, never break and take up far less room when stored. They're almost
invisible too.
The only problem of using rods was protection for my face when I was tending
the plants. He drilled suitable holes in the base of champagne corks which
were fitted on the upper ends of the rods. I've kept them and re-used them
ever since, any which split (two to date) give an excuse for opening another
bottle ...

Aluminium is a more difficult metal. In the same way as slugs don't like
copper my runner beans don't seem to like Al. I have to force them into
climbing, they try to avoid touching the metal. Once they're made to climb
they're fine.

Mary