Tomatoes to Stake or to Cage
 

Hi all, last year i caged my tomatoes with not much success. any
other ideas to prevent plants from falling over. How do you stake
them? Thanks for your help.

Tomatoes to Stake or to Cage
 

From: (cab97)

Hi all, last year i caged my tomatoes with not much success. any
other ideas to prevent plants from falling over. How do you stake
them? Thanks for your help.

Since you are virtually alone in your lack of success with caging it seems
obvious that you didn't do it right. Explain actually how you went about the
task and we may be able to set you straight. While staking is an alternative it
involves more work and care.

Tomatoes to Stake or to Cage
 

In article ,
(cab97) wrote:

Hi all, last year i caged my tomatoes with not much success. any
other ideas to prevent plants from falling over. How do you stake
them? Thanks for your help.

I like to stake my tomatoes too. I generally plant in large pots since
pots on the upstairs deck are safe from the deer. I have done it in the
ground as well, just not since we've moved here to wilderness-land.

I buy 5 foot stakes at the garden center. I have used the cheap redwood
ones that are like square dowels, or the bamboo pole ones as well as the
fancy twisty metal ones. Sink them deep or you will have your plants
pulling them over. I put them about 1 - 1 1/2 feet deep. I place them
fairly close (say 4-6 inches) to the plant right after I plant the
tomato. As the tomato grows I use the plastic tie stuff that looks like
a roll of masking tape to tie the plant to the stake every 8 inches or
so. I am also one of those who pinches out suckers.

Many growers scoff at staking and pinching out suckers, but it's cool
and foggy here and this method seems to give the plant more light and
thus more tomatoes for me.

If your cages are falling over they are likely not large enough for your
plants. The ready made round ones must be for peppers or something
because tomatoes generally get too big and heavy for them. I'm sure if
you checked the old post via google you could find good direction for
making sturdy cages out of wire mesh.

good luck
marcella

Tomatoes to Stake or to Cage
 

Hi. I have caged and staked them also, and was really disappointed. I
think the secret is the type of tomatoes you grow.

Determinate don't put out growth that needs pruning. It should work well
with staking. Indeterminate keeps putting out new growth, and cages should
be the best, however, not the flimsy cheap ones you can buy just about
anywhere.

The best way is to get a roll of 3 to 4 ft fence and cut it in 6 ft lengths.
Roll each piece up and hook it together. Use fence that has at least 4 inch
square holes. That way you can reach inside and pick the fruit. Otherwise
you have to pick it by reaching over the top and down inside the cage.

On the bottom side, cut out the bottom strand of wire that is parallel with
the ground, making a 4 inch leg, every 4 inches. When you have your tomato
planted, you can set the cage over it and push it down into the ground 4
inches.
If you live in a high wind area, you may still have to put two posts into
the ground on either end of the row, and run a wire through your cages for
additional support.

Good luck. Dwayne





"cab97" wrote in message
m...
Hi all, last year i caged my tomatoes with not much success. any
other ideas to prevent plants from falling over. How do you stake
them? Thanks for your help.

Tomatoes to Stake or to Cage
 

In article ,
says...
Hi all, last year i caged my tomatoes with not much success. any
other ideas to prevent plants from falling over. How do you stake
them? Thanks for your help.


What did you use for a cage last year?

Bill

Tomatoes to Stake or to Cage
 

On Mon, 24 Mar 2003 21:29:20 -0700, "Dwayne"
wrote:

If you live in a high wind area, you may still have to put two posts into
the ground on either end of the row, and run a wire through your cages for
additional support.


We don't live in a high-wind area, but we've found two
stakes in each cage to be necessary to keep the tomatoes
from collapsing the cages - just from their weight.

Last year, our wooden stakes broke and the cages collapsed .
They were made of tomato cage wire, made as specified in the
post above (in the part I snipped).

This year, we're getting some pieces of rebar (not the mesh,
the bars) to use for the stakes. *That's* not going to
snap, no matter how big the plants grow. I used these for
my pole bean teepee last year and they worked very well for
that purpose also.

We have a cooperative lumber yard that will happily cut the
rebar to our desired lengths. The lumberyard is just at the
head of our street, and we bring the folks who work there
zucchini and tomatoes when we have an excess. I don't know
if lumberyards normally do this or not.

Pat
--
CLICK DAILY TO FEED THE HUNGRY
United States: http://www.stopthehunger.com/
International: http://www.thehungersite.com/

Tomatoes to Stake or to Cage
 

On 25 Mar 2003 02:12:14 GMT, (Frankhartx)
wrote:

From: (cab97)

Hi all, last year i caged my tomatoes with not much success. any
other ideas to prevent plants from falling over. How do you stake
them? Thanks for your help.

Since you are virtually alone in your lack of success with caging it seems
obvious that you didn't do it right. Explain actually how you went about the
task and we may be able to set you straight. While staking is an alternative it
involves more work and care.

Not all alone. See my prior post.

BTW, I've grown and staked tomatoes for at least 25 years,
probably more like 30. Last year was the first year they
broke the stakes and collapsed the cages and fell over.

It was the accursed Brandywines that only produced two ripe
tomatoes from six plants! :) I think they were out to get
me all along.... It was just a disastrous tomato-year for
us.

Pat


--
CLICK DAILY TO FEED THE HUNGRY
United States: http://www.stopthehunger.com/
International: http://www.thehungersite.com/

Tomatoes to Stake or to Cage
 

Pat Meadows wrote:

On 25 Mar 2003 02:12:14 GMT, (Frankhartx)
wrote:

From: (cab97)

Hi all, last year i caged my tomatoes with not much success. any
other ideas to prevent plants from falling over. How do you stake
them? Thanks for your help.

Since you are virtually alone in your lack of success with caging it seems
obvious that you didn't do it right. Explain actually how you went about the
task and we may be able to set you straight. While staking is an alternative it
involves more work and care.

Not all alone. See my prior post.

BTW, I've grown and staked tomatoes for at least 25 years,
probably more like 30. Last year was the first year they
broke the stakes and collapsed the cages and fell over.

It was the accursed Brandywines that only produced two ripe
tomatoes from six plants! :) I think they were out to get
me all along.... It was just a disastrous tomato-year for
us.

Pat

Shucks Pat, we get a decent crop of tomatoes about every two years. I
have never been able to teach my wife that you don't have to drench
everything in fertilizer every time you pass by the plant. Tomatoes get
12 - 14 feet tall and don't bear fruit. I now buy fertilizer in 5 lb
bags, use it a couple of times and then hide it. VBG

I might say that I used reinforcing wire cages for several years and
they worked to a certain extent. I now use stakes exclusively and tie
the tomatoes as they grow with good success.

George

Tomatoes to Stake or to Cage
 

Hi all, last year i caged my tomatoes with not much success. any
other ideas to prevent plants from falling over. How do you stake
them? Thanks for your help.



Stakes. I just keep adding stronger stakes as the plant grows.

/z.

Tomatoes to Stake or to Cage
 

I stake my plants using 5/8" thin wall conduit which is
available at Home Depot for about $1.50 for 8' lengths.
It can be cut to desired length with a tubing cutter.
I paint mine green to blend in with the plants.
They last for years. Just tie the plants to the pole
as they grow.
__________________________________________________




"Pat Meadows" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 24 Mar 2003 21:29:20 -0700, "Dwayne"
wrote:

If you live in a high wind area, you may still have to put two posts into
the ground on either end of the row, and run a wire through your cages
for
additional support.


We don't live in a high-wind area, but we've found two
stakes in each cage to be necessary to keep the tomatoes
from collapsing the cages - just from their weight.

Last year, our wooden stakes broke and the cages collapsed .
They were made of tomato cage wire, made as specified in the
post above (in the part I snipped).

This year, we're getting some pieces of rebar (not the mesh,
the bars) to use for the stakes. *That's* not going to
snap, no matter how big the plants grow. I used these for
my pole bean teepee last year and they worked very well for
that purpose also.

We have a cooperative lumber yard that will happily cut the
rebar to our desired lengths. The lumberyard is just at the
head of our street, and we bring the folks who work there
zucchini and tomatoes when we have an excess. I don't know
if lumberyards normally do this or not.

Pat
--
CLICK DAILY TO FEED THE HUNGRY
United States: http://www.stopthehunger.com/
International: http://www.thehungersite.com/

Tomatoes to Stake or to Cage
 

In article ,
says...
I stake my plants using 5/8" thin wall conduit which is
available at Home Depot for about $1.50 for 8' lengths.
It can be cut to desired length with a tubing cutter.

There is an alternative to staking and caging. I have some 4x7 foot
frames with 2" mesh stretched across them. I use them for tomatoes as
well as beans, etc.. Of course I also pinch out side shoots on the
tomatoes.

The frames are made from redwood 2x2s and attached to my 4x4 raised beds.

--
To announce that there must be no criticism of the president or that we
are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic
and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.
Teddy Roosevelt

Tomatoes to Stake or to Cage
 

On 24 Mar 2003 17:15:34 -0800, (cab97)
wrote:

Hi all, last year i caged my tomatoes with not much success. any
other ideas to prevent plants from falling over. How do you stake
them? Thanks for your help.

I use 8 Foot wooden long "furring strips" (8 foot by about 2 inch
wide) available at Home Depot for about $1 a piece in the lumber
section. They are cheaper than the short 5 foot tomato stakes they
sell. Also the furring strips are not pressure treated with arsenic
like the tomato stakes. I am reusing the same ones for the 4th year.
They last pretty well, they are strong and cheap.

Tomatoes to Stake or to Cage
 

On Wed, 26 Mar 2003 20:11:12 GMT, Bob W
wrote:

On 24 Mar 2003 17:15:34 -0800, (cab97)
wrote:

Hi all, last year i caged my tomatoes with not much success. any
other ideas to prevent plants from falling over. How do you stake
them? Thanks for your help.

I use 8 Foot wooden long "furring strips" (8 foot by about 2 inch
wide) available at Home Depot for about $1 a piece in the lumber
section. They are cheaper than the short 5 foot tomato stakes they
sell. Also the furring strips are not pressure treated with arsenic
like the tomato stakes. I am reusing the same ones for the 4th year.
They last pretty well, they are strong and cheap.

Can you please explain the "furring strips"? Have never seen them in
HD or Lowes.

Thanks



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