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tomato stakes
I went to our local lumber yard to buy tomato stakes. They sell 6' stakes
pointed on one end for fifty cents each. The clerk asked, "Is treated wood o.k.?". Thought we had a dealbreaker right there but they did have untreated wood. I wonder if they sell many of the treated? Who buys them? What effect do they have on the tomatoes? Marilyn in Ohio |
tomato stakes
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tomato stakes
I would not buy them for any food crop, but for a flowering plant,
maybe. -- Joseph E. Meehan 26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math "Allview" wrote in message ... I went to our local lumber yard to buy tomato stakes. They sell 6' stakes pointed on one end for fifty cents each. The clerk asked, "Is treated wood o.k.?". Thought we had a dealbreaker right there but they did have untreated wood. I wonder if they sell many of the treated? Who buys them? What effect do they have on the tomatoes? Marilyn in Ohio |
tomato stakes
Allview wrote:
I went to our local lumber yard to buy tomato stakes. They sell 6' stakes pointed on one end for fifty cents each. The clerk asked, "Is treated wood o.k.?". Thought we had a dealbreaker right there but they did have untreated wood. I wonder if they sell many of the treated? Who buys them? What effect do they have on the tomatoes? The chance of getting good gardening advice at a lumber yard is similar to the chance of getting good cooking advice at a foundry, or good advice on fixing your car from road builders. Most people don't have any idea about problems with using treated wood. Using logic based on incomplete knowledge, a treated stake will last longer than an untreated stake, thus it's a better value. And they're not even thinking about whether the treated wood has arsenic or not when they come to that conclusion. For that matter, many people will go for the more convenient cage, buying it either at the same time and place as they buy their tomato starts, or later on during a routine trip to K-Mart or some other one-stop store that has a garden center. In that case, they don't even need to consider the effects of treated wood on food crops. -- Warren H. ========== Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife. Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants to go outside now. Webhosting: 500MB Space, 30G Transfer, 7.95/mo. http://www.holzemville.com/refer/ |
tomato stakes
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tomato stakes
Phisherman expounded:
The treated ones will last a lot longer. The untreated will last 2, maybe three years. I think someone who grows 100 plants or so will buy te treated ones to save for furture years. They won't have any effect on the tomatoes. No, but they might have an effect on the people who eat the tomatoes. Why take the chance? The money you save won't do you any good if you're sick from the pressure treated wood. Buy the untreated and replace them when needed or buy the coated steel ones for good. -- Ann, Gardening in zone 6a Just south of Boston, MA ******************************** |
tomato stakes
"Allview" wrote in message ... I went to our local lumber yard to buy tomato stakes. They sell 6' stakes pointed on one end for fifty cents each. The clerk asked, "Is treated wood o.k.?". Thought we had a dealbreaker right there but they did have untreated wood. I wonder if they sell many of the treated? Who buys them? What effect do they have on the tomatoes? Marilyn in Ohio Plain old concrete rebar is available at hardware stores everywhere in 10' lengths for about $3. It last years and years and years. Or, if you want something that lasts even longer, galvanized electrical conduit is about the same $. If 10' is too tall for your tomatoes, (it's a little tall for mine) then you can cut it in half with a hacksaw. I actually bought the 20' lengths direct from a concrete supply house and cut them into thirds, as the 5' was too short. Sunflower MS 7b |
tomato stakes
Plain old concrete rebar is available at hardware stores everywhere in 10'
lengths for about $3. It last years and years and years. I would say it will last for your lifetime, and your kid's, and their kids'. It is rough, so that whatever you use to tie the tomoatoes (I recommend pantyhose strips) wil not slip down. I actually bought the 20' lengths direct from a concrete supply house and cut them into thirds, as the 5' was too short. Yes. My tomatoes grow to six feet, so even a third of a 20' piece is barely long enough, once you stick a foot of it into the ground. vince norris |
tomato stakes
Allview wrote:
I went to our local lumber yard to buy tomato stakes. They sell 6' stakes pointed on one end for fifty cents each. The clerk asked, "Is treated wood o.k.?". Thought we had a dealbreaker right there but they did have untreated wood. I wonder if they sell many of the treated? Who buys them? What effect do they have on the tomatoes? Marilyn in Ohio As an alternative, one can buy a 5' or 6' piece of cedar fencing 6" wide for around $1 and split it into 3 or 4 nice long stakes. Whenever the bottoms rot off, cut a new point and reuse. |
tomato stakes
For that matter, many people will go for the more convenient cage,
buying it either at the same time and place as they buy their tomato starts, or later on during a routine trip to K-Mart or some other one-stop store that has a garden center I bought stakes because the plants were coming over the top of the cages. I like wood because the ties don't slip. I don't mind throwing away the stakes at the end of the season. Of course, I don't have hundreds of tomato plants. Question: If you buy stakes taller than 6', who pounds them into the ground? I'm 5'3" and shrinking. Marilyn |
tomato stakes
Allview wrote:
...I bought stakes because the plants were coming over the top of the cages. I like wood because the ties don't slip. I don't mind throwing away the stakes at the end of the season. Of course, I don't have hundreds of tomato plants. Question: If you buy stakes taller than 6', who pounds them into the ground? I'm 5'3" and shrinking... The only thing I can suggest for the height issue is a post pounder. It's a pipe with a cap and some weight to it. You slip it over the post at the top, position the post then lift the pipe and push it down onto the post like a pile driver until the post is in deep enough. The only problems are that it may break wood stakes if you are too rough on them, and once the stakes are in, getting the pipe off, but if you pound the post in a foot, it's then 5' high and you should be able to manage it. You can build the thing yourself. Use the largest pipe you can manage. The part of the wood stakes that goes in the ground is usually somewhat punky at the end of the season, so it's not good for another year, but you could take your 6' stakes and make them 5' stakes for next year (then 4' stakes etc.) |
tomato stakes
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tomato stakes
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tomato stakes
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tomato stakes
If you buy stakes taller than 6', who pounds them into the ground?
I'm 5'3" and shrinking. If you buy "rebar," metal rods about 3/8" in diameter made to reinforce concrete, you can push them into the earth very easily. And they will last almost forever. You can get them at building supply centers. Get 20 foot pieces and cut them (or have tghem cut) into thirds, or buy pieces about seven feet long. vince norris |
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