What is the best way to support tomatoes?
 

"AriesVal" wrote in message
o.uk...
On 16/04/2011 15:57, Janet wrote:
In article0cf8c7aa-7ad3-491b-b893-5b80cb224741
@a11g2000pro.googlegroups.com, says...

On Apr 16, 1:16 pm, wrote:
wrote in news:c669daa2-9cb3-4a2d-ab20-
:

On Apr 15, 9:19 pm, wrote:
Should one use dozens of canes or is there a simple and cheap way to
do
this?

Alan

If they are in a greenhouse you need dangling strings. Wind the string
round the plant as it grows. Obviously you need a substantial place
to attach the strings to.
Outdoors you need canes or grow bush varieties.

I have used dangling strings outside next to my fence and on the wall
ever
since I started gardening a few years ago. It works perfectly and you
can
adjust them very easily.
You can use this method for runner beans too, but early in the season
the
string has to be anchored to floor/soil to enable the beans to grab the
string and start climbing. At the end of the season throw the lot on
the
compost heap, the string will rot too. Not of course synthetics, it has
to
be degradable string(very easy to obtain)

If you have open ground and want to use this method please tell me. I
have
an answer, a bit long winded and pricey (£15ish)but will pay for its
self
over and over.

Baz

In the US they use tomato cages, Google tomato cages in Images for
ideas.

You can improvise a US-style outdoor tomato cage with lengths of
rylock stock fence tied into a circle with a ziptie.


what a good idea, I'll be trying that this year.

Is anyone going to tell me what rylock stock fence is and where I can buy
it?

Alan




--
Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well
tried before you give them your confidence.
George Washington
http://ariesval.wordpress.com/

What is the best way to support tomatoes?
 

In message , alan.holmes
writes

"AriesVal" wrote in message
news:1cudnc9HDKhPqzHQnZ2dnUVZ8nudnZ2d@brightview. co.uk...
On 16/04/2011 15:57, Janet wrote:
In article0cf8c7aa-7ad3-491b-b893-5b80cb224741
@a11g2000pro.googlegroups.com, says...

On Apr 16, 1:16 pm, wrote:

In the US they use tomato cages, Google tomato cages in Images for
ideas.

You can improvise a US-style outdoor tomato cage with lengths of
rylock stock fence tied into a circle with a ziptie.


what a good idea, I'll be trying that this year.

Is anyone going to tell me what rylock stock fence is and where I can buy
it?


Stock fencing is the large meshed fencing used for fences for stock
(surprise!) - cows, horses, sheep etc. Rylock is presumably a brandname.

e.g.

http://www.jacksons-fencing.co.uk/fe...cing/wire-fenc
ingstock/agricultural-fencing-wire-fencing-stock.aspx

Agricultural merchants, and fencing suppliers will sell it but you'd
probably have to buy a big roll
--
Chris French

What is the best way to support tomatoes?
 

On 19/04/2011 23:33, alan.holmes wrote:
Is anyone going to tell me what rylock stock fence is and where I can buy
it?

Google is your friend ;-)

--
Be courteous to all, but intimate with few,
and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence.
George Washington
http://www.ariesval.co.uk/vals.page/

What is the best way to support tomatoes?
 

harry wrote:
If they are in a greenhouse you need dangling strings. Wind the string
round the plant as it grows. Obviously you need a substantial place
to attach the strings to.
Outdoors you need canes or grow bush varieties.

I have used string for melons in the greenhouse, but the tomatoes I tend to
stick with canes. Is there any reason for using string over canes other
than it's a bit cheaper? (Although the number of times we've reused the
canes, even with 'free' bits of string I don't think there's much in it any
more .. especially compared to the price of the grow-bags!)

What is the best way to support tomatoes?
 

In message ,
writes
harry wrote:
If they are in a greenhouse you need dangling strings. Wind the string
round the plant as it grows. Obviously you need a substantial place
to attach the strings to.
Outdoors you need canes or grow bush varieties.

I have used string for melons in the greenhouse, but the tomatoes I tend to
stick with canes. Is there any reason for using string over canes other
than it's a bit cheaper?

Commercially I've seen them lower the plants on the strings, lying down
the lower part of the plant as they grow to get a bigger harvest (I
think Sacha mentioned this)

Maybe also a bit quicker as you don't need to tie them in, you just need
to twist the string round.

--
Chris French

What is the best way to support tomatoes?
 

chris French wrote:
I have used string for melons in the greenhouse, but the tomatoes I tend to
stick with canes. Is there any reason for using string over canes other
than it's a bit cheaper?
Commercially I've seen them lower the plants on the strings, lying down
the lower part of the plant as they grow to get a bigger harvest (I
think Sacha mentioned this)

Interesting. Does the lower part of the plant form roots on the ground? I
know Nick was talking about slicing open grow-bags and lying the tomatoes
along them to give them more rooting space, then letting them grow upwards
from the end of the growbag.

Although I'm not sure with your* method how you could lie down the bottom
of the plant and then have it going up the string without damaging the stem
at the 'fold'. (* yes, I know it wasn't /your/ method as such)

Maybe also a bit quicker as you don't need to tie them in, you just need
to twist the string round.

True. But that's one of the jobs I actually enjoy. :-)

What is the best way to support tomatoes?
 

In message ,
writes
chris French wrote:
I have used string for melons in the greenhouse, but the tomatoes I tend to
stick with canes. Is there any reason for using string over canes other
than it's a bit cheaper?
Commercially I've seen them lower the plants on the strings, lying down
the lower part of the plant as they grow to get a bigger harvest (I
think Sacha mentioned this)

Interesting. Does the lower part of the plant form roots on the ground?

Dunno. I guess it would though knowing tomato plants. It was a long time
ago I saw this. I don't think that was the point though, and the plants
I saw might have been growing through some sort of plastic sheet mulch
anyway. I think it's just to keep them growing longer and so producing
more trusses and tomatoes for longer.


Although I'm not sure with your* method how you could lie down the bottom
of the plant and then have it going up the string without damaging the stem
at the 'fold'. (* yes, I know it wasn't /your/ method as such)


It's a gradual lowering process, with the plant curving up, rather than
a bend
--
Chris French

What is the best way to support tomatoes?
 

chris French wrote:
Interesting. Does the lower part of the plant form roots on the ground?
Dunno. I guess it would though knowing tomato plants. It was a long time
ago I saw this. I don't think that was the point though, and the plants
I saw might have been growing through some sort of plastic sheet mulch
anyway. I think it's just to keep them growing longer and so producing
more trusses and tomatoes for longer.

*nod* But Nick already had something kind of similar planned, and the idea
/was/ to get more roots in, to make up for the main ball of roots being
quite shallow, so I thought it might combine ideas well. :-)
Bit of a win-win, will have to try it.

Although I'm not sure with your* method how you could lie down the bottom
of the plant and then have it going up the string without damaging the stem
at the 'fold'. (* yes, I know it wasn't /your/ method as such)
It's a gradual lowering process, with the plant curving up, rather than
a bend

Yeah, fair enough, i can see that working. But will make it a lot more time
consuming, which was what the original point was to avoid, cos it would need
doing every day or couple of days, I guess, where tying in would only be
once or twice a month.

What is the best way to support tomatoes?
 

On May 4, 9:51*am, wrote:
chris French wrote:
Interesting. *Does the lower part of the plant form roots on the ground?
Dunno. I guess it would though knowing tomato plants. It was a long time
ago I saw this. I don't think that was the point though, and the plants
I saw might have been growing through some sort of plastic sheet mulch
anyway. I think it's just to keep them growing *longer and so producing
more trusses and tomatoes for longer.

*nod* *But Nick already had something kind of similar planned, and the idea
/was/ to get more roots in, to make up for the main ball of roots being
quite shallow, so I thought it might combine ideas well. *:-)
Bit of a win-win, will have to try it.

Although I'm not sure with your* method how you could lie down the bottom
of the plant and then have it going up the string without damaging the stem
at the 'fold'. *(* yes, I know it wasn't /your/ method as such)
It's a gradual lowering process, with the plant curving up, rather than
a bend

Yeah, fair enough, i can see that working. *But will make it a lot more time
consuming, which was what the original point was to avoid, cos it would need
doing every day or couple of days, I guess, where tying in would only be
once or twice a month.

you only need to twist your tomatoes round the string every week or so
when you go through taking out sie shoots, time taken is seconds, a
lot less than tying plants onto a cane.