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Thu, May 29, 14 at 12:59
| Just put the tomatoes in today, many of them heirlooms which typically set huge fruits: brandywine, pineapple, prudens, boxcar, etc...I trellis them on raised beds, building the trellis fresh on a new site each year. Am including a pic taken yesterday before the tomatoes were planted, just so you know what I'm talking about. But with all that preparation, I still end up late in the season, scrambling around when the fruit has set and is threatening to break the vine. I generally come up with some half-baked sling scheme that only works half the time. Anyone have a tried and true method for dealing with this problem? |
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| Well I can tell you what I use when needed but fair warning it isn't going to be all that attractive - knee-high hose. Wife saves all her old ones for me or you can buy an egg full of them (she tells me) for a few $. Cut one in half length wise to make 2 slings. Flexible enough you can tie each end to the cage or panel with a simple twist and support the fruit with no damage. Strips if inexpensive muslin will work too if you run out of nylon stockings. :) Dave |
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- Posted by sleevendog 5-6 (My Page) on Thu, May 29, 14 at 17:33
| I keep a box of 24 pairs in the shed for filtering spray mixes. White...the 'nude' flavor is kinda weird in the garden. I have a bolt of tule for row covering and some tule bags for fruit trees and grapes. Comes in colors....i chose an olive green. The big bolt was just 9 bucks. The hose are so flexible and accommodating to the fruit...though strange looking. Some have posted that they dyed them green. And can be reused so 24 pairs for a few buck will last a while... I used a wide strip of t-shirt once for a climbing pumpkin i'd not planned on 'climbing'....just worry about the damp absorbent fabric on a tomato....keeping it so wet. |
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| You can also use French/nylon tulle. They also have gift bags made of them. Use Onion bags ... |
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| Pantyhose - yeah, I sort of remember those. I bet I've still got some from back when I actually used to wear skirts! :) The t-shirt idea I did try at some point, but maybe I didn't make my slings wide enough. Thanks, guys for the suggestions. I'll look into the tulle idea, too. There's a fabric store I pass by occasionally, that I could go in and buy some yards worth. |
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