Hi em, did you search here? Lots of discussions about stakes.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: Stakes discussions

I garden about 1 mile from the Ohio River with zero hills between it and me. So we get big winds but not tornado strength. I walked next door and looked at my neighbors garden at least ten times last yr where he had 175 plants. I also saw his other patch where he has 200 or more. I don't remember seeing any thet were down even tho we had a very very wet summer. He uses five and a half ft stakes. He had one helper last yr so I figure in about three days he staked 150 himself and he is 75 yrs young. I buy 6ft pre-sharpened stakes at the local Southern States for a dollar ea. I store approx. one hundred in a small utility buildind with room left over. Cages are not an option for me.

What are your stakes made of, bigpinks?

Stakes can be made from a variety of things:

--- LUMBER ...I make mine from cedar.
--- REBAR ... 1/2" to 3/4"... They last for ever
--- EMT .(3/4" dia)..... I have not used them but I will try this yeat.
--- PVC ... I think need to use 1" dia to be sturdy. Difficulty is driving it down. You have to prime a hole with something first. But I think it is more costly.

I think the Southern States stakes are oak but am not positive. They are in bundles of twelve and are very heavy so def not pine or poplar. Neighbor has a couple hundred re-bar and uses maybe that many that are wooden. Because of the re-bar he prob only has to use a hammer on half. Behind his home the soil is very sandy. Across the road next to me its all clay as is mine. At seasons end they are easy to pull if the ground is wet but it took me a few yrs of breaking them off in the ground to learn that simple fact..lol. Largest size green yarn to tie them is great but a little expensive even at Wal-Mart.

Have always used stakes.......non-treated........but they all rot after 3 years. Now use what lasts many years......METAL ones from Home Depot. All plants are indeterminate, so we use 10-footers, pulled into ground at least 12 16 inches.

Thanks, bigpinks. My wooden stakes either break or rot by the end of the season so I think I'll try rebar.

Wooden stakes ,other than cedar, will rot. And any wooden stake can break easily, IF they are not thick enough or if you force them . Rebar is a good choice, I think. I am also going to try 3/4" EMT (electrical metal tubing ?). They come in 10ft length and cost about $3.50(I think). So 2 stakes is made out of each costing about $1.80. Not a bad deal. Considering they are stronger than wood, and should last longer.