"Jim Elbrecht" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 13 Jun 2012 18:36:22 +0000 (UTC), lid (Drew
Lawson) wrote:
In article
"Steve Peek" writes:
"Snag" wrote in message
...
The plastic bag my morning paper comes in makes an excellent tie strip
to
tie my tomatoes to the stakes . I pinch a corner off the bottom so I'm
not
fighting trapped air .
I used to use my better half's knee high stockings, but about 10 years
ago I
bought a roll of 5 foot concrete reinforcing wire and made cages.
So I'm not the only one.
Actually, this is my first round with the roll.
My method with the roll after trying a few different ways-- I roll
out 10-20' on the driveway and try to flatten it as much as possible.
Then I snip at the 4 or 5' mark. [I wish I'd made a couple 6' ones
for the Sweet 100s]. I cut right at a weld line so I end up with
6" tails that I use to sink into the dirt. Rarely have to add any
additional supports.
-snip-
For the unfamiliar, this is wire welded in a square grid with 6"
spacing. Lots of room for pulling even a very large tomato out.
Years ago, I grew luffa on similar cages, but I think I pulled things
out through the top.
I've got fewer tomatoes in this year so I've got a couple hills of
cucumbers and beans growing on them, too.
I also saved some flat 5x5 pieces that I train some cukes on every
year. I just make a self supporting 2-sided teepee with it and
plant 8-10 cukes around the base. Keeps them up out of the dirt and
slugs.
That mesh is some good stuff.
Jim
Have a look at your local Lowe's or Home Depot for construction site safety
netting. It's a 4x100 foot roll of very heavy plastic, bright orange with 2
inch squares. Cost is about $30. Tried it for peas this year, awesome! I cut
off about 30 feet for a row, tied it to some stakes and the peas did the
rest. This section should last for years plus I've got about 70 feet left.
The only real issue is that you can't reach through it to pick. I noticed
that Lowe's has the same thing in green in the garden section, but it's more
than double the price.
The peas and spinach came out today, parsnips and something going in
tomorrow. Got to go and pick blueberries now, there's just not enough hours
in the day this time of year.
Steve