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Tomato Spirals?
On Mon, 15 Mar 2004 23:11:24 GMT, "FDR"
wrote: "Frogleg" wrote in message .. . On Mon, 15 Mar 2004 18:53:10 GMT, "FDR" wrote: Frogleg wrote: On Mon, 15 Mar 2004 01:57:16 GMT, "FDR" wrote Looking through the Garden Tools by Lee Valley catalog, I came across a tomato staking method using spirals. Basically, it's a 6 foot long piece of metal that you push into the ground and it is spiraled all the way up. I like those cages from Gardener's supply too, but I can't see myself paying so much for them. If they were cheaper I'd definitely get them. Go somewhere like Home Depot and get a roll of 6" mesh concrete reinforcing wire. Ask about what kind of tool you need to cut the wire. Here's a rough illustration and directions: http://www.extension.umn.edu/project...37trellis.html This page suggests tying the cage to a stake, but if you snip off the bottom wire, you'll have a 6" multi-spike perimeter to put into the ground. These are sturdy, last for years and years, and do a good job of supporting the tomatoes. Though they are certainly sturdy, I don't think they'd be for me since my wife wouldn't appreciate the aesthetics or lack of easy storage capability. My dad used to just plant tomatoes in a row, and then make a tomato support system that looked like rail fences. He'd have uprights to pound into the ground, and use whatever scrap lumber he had around to make rails 2 or 3 of them several inches apart so you can reach between them to pick the fruit. If you are into aesthetics of unpainted scrap wood, paint it, you'll never know it's scrap. If you can't find scrap or don't want to, then buy wood, paint it white just like those white rail fences they show around the fields in Kentucky where they raise horses. Or buy some of that plastic stuff that can be drilled like wood, already the color you want it. They're easy to make anyone can lay pieces of wood across upright stakes, and pound a few nails or put a few screws through it into the uprights. you can put stabilizers across the gap between the rails on either side of the tomato plants, You can nail or screw them in, or notch toward the ends so they can just slip over the tops of the rails on either side and use one between every .. or every other tomato plant to keep the rails stable. Cross pieces should be used at least at each end. The longer the row the greater the need for stabilizers. I'd just make them in convenient lengths, 8' 10' whatever length lumber you have or want to use. All depends on how many plants you plant. I used to end up with around 40 plants each year. They're easy to store in that they are flat so each side can be laid one against the other and lean them against a shed wall, or inside the shed if you have a big one, or along side the wall of a garage or suspended overhead. You can alter things to suit your needs. ;-) Janice |
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