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 .
--
Snag
Learning keeps
you young !

"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 .
--
Snag
Learning keeps
you young !

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. It is very
stiff and hard to work with but the cages last a long, long time. One tip if
anyone decides to do this: The cages will become top heavy by late summer so
make your diameter at least 18 inches, 24 would be better.
Steve

On Tue, 12 Jun 2012 13:36:01 -0500, "Snag" wrote:

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 .
--
Snag
Learning keeps
you young !


I use women's old stockings. I bought a bag of them a few years ago
for $1. Still have plenty. Also tieing cucumbers up to tomato cages
to keep them off the ground.
--
USA
North Carolina Foothills
USDA Zone 7a
To find your extension office
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/index.html

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. I used to buy what
the home centers call "mini mats" -- 4 foot by 8 foot sections of
mesh. But I went to get more this year and found that they have
gone to a much thinner wire (maybe 14 gauge).

The roll is 10 gauge and waiting for attention this weekend.

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.


--
Drew Lawson | It's not enough to be alive
| when your future's been deferred

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

"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

In article
Jim Elbrecht writes:
On Wed, 13 Jun 2012 18:36:22 +0000 (UTC), lid (Drew
Lawson) wrote:

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.

That's about what I've done with the 4x8 mats -- making 8 foot tall
cages, sunk about a foot into the ground. The 5 foot roll (rather
than the 4 foot sheet) should make a ~25% wider cage, which I expect
to be a good thing. And I can vary the height that way. I like
about 6 foot, with indeterminate tomato varieties.


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 gives me a few ideas for other climbers. I don't have any
peas in this year, but a mesh A-frame would probably be good there.

My current plans will use up about half of the roll I have. So I
can experiment a lot with the rest.


--
Drew Lawson
"Please understand that we are considerably less interested
in you than you are."
-- Madeleine Page, on the deep truths of alt.folklore.urban

In article , "Snag"
wrote:

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 .
--
Snag
Learning keeps
you young !

I use circular clear plastic clips for my tomatoes, and I've found them
very useful doing things like attaching vines to chainlink fence so the
vine isn't interwoven into the fence and thus will be easier to remove
if necessary.

Priscilla