I have been looking at staking options for this year. I have used 5/8" hollow metal stakes, 6' long, in the past. While they work perfectly for the most part, they don't afford me any protection against my dogs when the plants are smaller.

So I thought about tomato cages, or similar cage devices. However, I worried that once a branch goes through a particular space, it will be broken as the plant grows and moves the branch higher up.

Or am I mistaken? If a branch grows at, say, 12" above the ground level, does it stay there the rest of its life?

I've never paid enough attention to know...;-]

Cheers,

Russ