I grow a staking variety of tomatoes on single stems in containers. The
containers stand on a four foot shelf so by the time the plants have grown
six feet it is getting difficult for me to reach from a step ladder. This
year I have untied the plants when they reached the tops of the stakes,
dropped them and run the stems horizantal for two containers and run them up
another stake. I did this a week ago (living in Australia) and they are
doing fine. Hopefully when they reach the top again I will drop them and
reverse back to the original container.Hopefully they will keep on cropping
from the main stem until late autumn.

Has anyone had experience of this system? I saw a picture of a greenhouse
crop grown lilke this and it seems a good way of utilising a small space.

Mike Stickney
--

Mike Stickney asked:
I grow a staking variety of tomatoes on single stems in containers.
The containers stand on a four foot shelf so by the time the plants
have grown six feet it is getting difficult for me to reach from a
step ladder. This year I have untied the plants when they reached
the tops of the stakes, dropped them and run the stems horizantal
for two containers and run them up another stake. I did this a week
ago (living in Australia) and they are doing fine. Hopefully when
they reach the top again I will drop them and reverse back to the
original container.Hopefully they will keep on cropping from the
main stem until late autumn.

Has anyone had experience of this system?

You've just described the system one of my FIL's neighbor's has used for at
least the last four years (probably longer but I only noticed after watching
him one day.) He's gotten some beautiful (size, color, shape) tomatoes using
this method -- and it almost seems to control output, too, so they're not
getting too many but have enough to enjoy throughout our "season."

The Ranger

Interesting. Have only seen a similar system used by hydroponic growers, who
periodically lower the tomato plant and coil the lower part of plant into the
hydroponic solution.

You could also grow bush tomatoes instead of indeterminates. If you want.

"FarmerDill" wrote in message
...
Interesting. Have only seen a similar system used by hydroponic growers,
who
periodically lower the tomato plant and coil the lower part of plant into
the
hydroponic solution.

The trellis system works very well for some varieties and not others. It's
a fantastic system with the correct varieties. Some types will 'curl' their
leaves but are healthy and great producers on a trellis system.

Many are building sun shades and planting their tomatoes much like this to
produce the green sun screen. On our ranch we decided to see how it would
work if we planted cherries in planters on the top to cascade down from the
trellis and this was fantastic. People would look at it a little strange
when they came to see that the plants were tomatoes and not flowers as they
expected.

We grow both determinate and indeterminate in this manner, but it does get a
little tricky with the pruning at times. The best part is that you only
have to tie them up every six inches of growth to accomplish the 'look and
feel' you are after. Gardens are wonderful things and only limited to ones
imagination!

Timber
www.timberslodge.net
....a Step Through Time

"Mike Stickney" wrote in message
. ..
I grow a staking variety of tomatoes on single stems in containers. The
containers stand on a four foot shelf so by the time the plants have grown
six feet it is getting difficult for me to reach from a step ladder. This
year I have untied the plants when they reached the tops of the stakes,
dropped them and run the stems horizantal for two containers and run them
up
another stake. I did this a week ago (living in Australia) and they are
doing fine. Hopefully when they reach the top again I will drop them and
reverse back to the original container.Hopefully they will keep on
cropping
from the main stem until late autumn.

Has anyone had experience of this system? I saw a picture of a greenhouse
crop grown lilke this and it seems a good way of utilising a small space.

Mike Stickney
--