Ever searching for ways to tame my wild tomato vines each summer, I stumbled across this unique item while shopping in a most unlikely place, an online closeout site called classiccloseouts.com. The item is called New Revolution Magic Tomato Ties.

Skeptical that the claims of ‘revolutionary’ and ‘magic’ were overblown, I decided that for the meager price of $5.99 for 250 of them, I’d risk losing my money to see if they were indeed revolutionary and magic.

I was pleasantly surprised by the results. These little ties are quite stretchy and handy for staking any plant. They seem to be resistant to mildew as the package proclaims, and they are pre-cut in convenient lengths. I cut a few in half for some smaller staking projects, and I used some to tie around bunches of mint and other herbs for drying. They remind me of those little single use nylon peds you find at the shoe store, except they’re green.

The package includes easy instructions, basically creating a figure 8 around the plant stem and stake and directing you not to tie too tightly. They are pretty sheer when tied, making them virtually undetectable, wish I could say the same for the stakes I used. Are they revolutionary? Perhaps. Are they magic? Perhaps not; but, they work well and they are very convenient.

I purchased a bag last spring and found countless uses for them all summer long and even used some in the fall to bundle twigs. Unfortunately, I misplaced my bag, so I need to purchase more, and luckily, classiccloseouts.com still has them in stock. And, while I am on the subject of this discount site, I also found some other cool gardening necessities â€" sunscreen, sunglasses, a cute manicure/shower kit (for fixing up your hands and skin after a day playing in the dirt) and an insulated water bottle holder that keeps your beverage chilled while you work.

I recommend checking out classiccloseouts.com if only for the tomato ties. Happy Gardening!