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alwayssunshine_gw

Your success story's with Trellis', cages, ect this year?

alwayssunshine
14 years ago

Ok what really worked for you this year? I am looking to grow some heirlooms here shortly (yes, I know it is late but I am in 10b and sunset zone 25, I think they will grow ok, but we will see, fingers crossed!) Wondering what worked best for you? Since it is early, I still have time to decide would be best for these super tall varieties, would love any advice you have on how to prop them up with the least amount of tie-ing!

Thanks in advance!

Comments (44)

  • bigdaddyj
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Texas cages work great for me. I forgot to supplement stake my homemade CRW cages and a couple storms flattened them and I lost many branches and tomatoes on those plants. My Texas cages withstood the storms easily. Texas Cages, set em and forget em....:)

  • rocky_acres
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    OMG, I used those silly round things you can pick up at Wal Mart or your local hardware store...forgetaboutit! My Brandywines got so massive they just pulled the cages up out of the ground and flopped on over. EVERY SINGLE TOMATO VARIETY I had outgrew those cages VERY quickly. So, I did some brutal pruning (bug issues, another story) and my plants are now happily enjoying their t-post and string trellises. And they look SO much nicer this way. Never again will I use a cage.....

  • mojavebob
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Rocky, my experience was the exact opposite, but I took Raybo's advice and doubled up my Wal Mart cages by stacking one right on top of the other attached with zip ties and wire. This gave me six foot tall cages that could be extended a little more when needed. I staked each cage with rebar driven down a good 18" and attached all the rebar together with heavy wire so the row became self supporting. This set up has outperformed everything else I tried and is my plan for most plants going forward. Very low maintenance and trouble free.

    On to my failures. I tried a Florida weave, skimped by placing posts every three plants instead of two and tried to save space by using diagonals. It's okay if that made some of you laugh. I'd photograph it so everyone could laugh but I set it on fire a week ago. This is where I had 8 Celebrities (among others), so it was a very productive sprawling tangled mess.

    I also staked two 5'x8' CRW sheets as a simple trellis/fence about three feet from my actual fence and then ran wire back and forth from fence to CRW for makeshift cages. This was okay, but 5' wasn't high enough and I've removed many of the plants to make room for the ones that want to keep producing.

    My pruning experiment was done with t-posts and string trellising. This does look lovely for awhile, but it's a lot of work, requires pruning of too many suckers or they start flopping without much support (unless you drop a dozen strings per plant) and breaking (whereas flopping over cages is no problem). In the end I need as much leaf cover as I can get in the desert and training heavily pruned plants to a few strings just kills total production and becomes unruly when SS100s get over ten feet and start coming back down.

    So one vote here for heavy duty, heavily reinforced, extended or tall cages.

  • missingtheobvious
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'm using a cattle panel trellis for the first time. The tomatoes are planted on alternate sides in a zig-zag pattern, about 8-12" from the trellis.

    This year's tomatoes had to be planted more closely than I'd planned, resulting in much more pruning than expected. But because of disease and pest issues, it's obvious that even with spacing them farther apart next year, I'll still either need to do more pruning than I'd prefer, or use additional methods of fastening the vines to the trellis.

    I'm using the round plastic tomato clips to fasten them to the trellis; I've used them before (with Florida weave) and very much like them. However, the additional ones I bought this year are different; I don't know if they're a different manufacturer, or if they've been changed. Slightly smaller diameter (not a problem), but the tab that has to be pushed down to unlatch them is only about half the size as on the older ones, and unlatching them can be quite difficult. That's a pity, as moveability is one of their best features.

    [A common tactic of Chinese plastics manufacturers is to get the first batch approved by the buyer/importer, then alter the design to save costs by using less plastic, hoping no one will notice. You liked the ones you bought last year, so you buy more -- unfortunately the new ones aren't the same as the ones you'd liked originally. Since the tabs are not only shorter than last year's, but also only half as thick, I won't be surprised if they start breaking off after more UV exposure.... And while I was willing to invest in the cost of these things, it was with the expectation that they'd last several years; not sure about that now.]

    At the end of last year's season, it wasn't difficult to remove the clips from the Florida weave after frost had killed everything. However, this year I'm faced with removing clips from (mostly) living vines as they catch Late Blight. Not fun!

    And no, I won't go with the Texas cages or large CRW tubes: I don't know how you guys manage to see what's growing inside of them! Or how you see what's eating the center of the vines, or what diseases there are. In a year that not only ended our epic drought but suddenly turned wet, wet, wet, WET, I wouldn't want my plants to be crowded inside a cage, where growth is so thick there can't be any appreciable air circulation!

    I thought I'd successfully gotten away from my tomato-pruning family heritage, but it looks like there will still be pruning in my future.

  • platys
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I can't talk, because my tomato support system is more like a shanty town - I just keep piling stuff on top of stuff and hoping it stays up.

    At this point, I have more bamboo than tomato :)

  • taz6122
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I use two posts, one on each end of the garden and one long piece of 2" pvc across the top of the posts. I notch the pvc so that a lip stays on top of the posts and the notch keeps the posts from being pulled closer together at the top. I drill a hole in each lip and drive a nail to keep the pvc from sliding off the top. I then tie all tomato plants to the pvc with yarn. One time around the pvc and tie off to the rabbit wire that goes around my garden. As they grow I take the slack out of the yarn and occasionally tie the new growth. I also have yarn tied to both side posts every 6-8 inches on both sides of the plants to keep them from blowing around in wind. It works well and is much cheaper than cages. I've never had a wind damaged plant and we get some bad thunderstorms and an occasional tornado here. I'm sure a tornado would do them in but if one hits that close the plants would be the least of my worries.

  • lazy_gardens
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I re-used the 3-wire cheap things that had been used for protecting chilis and eggplants ... the Romas have lifted the cages out of the ground, and the Matt's Wild cherry went over the top of the cage and sprawled 8 feet in all directions.

    Next year we are going to use several remesh panels and make a "wall" to grow the tomatoes between.

  • rocky_acres
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Taz, I would love to see pics of your set-up....

  • tammysf
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    1st year gardener and I was pregnant so I wanted something easy and reliable. Got texas tomato cages and they did great. No hassle at all and some of my plants were quite big and dense.

  • compost_pete-grower
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have great luck with CRW with a 30" diameter although the branches get heavy with fruit and snap at the wire. Next year I am going to try a 2 cage system with a 50" outer cage and 30" inner cage. I drive a tee post in every 3 cages and run a wire across the top and fasten the wire to side of the cage with a hog nose ring- very quick and sturdy. The plants always get too tall- over 6 feet and I don't know how to train them to grow out and down better.

  • engineeredgarden
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    If using swc's, raybo's cage design works perfect.

    EG

  • daveinco
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'm using Texas Tomato cages and they are working great. I am supporting each one with a length of rebar driven about ~12-18 inches deep due to winds we get here. I have a huge plant that has overgrown the top and draping down on all sides and the cages are supporting the plant just fine.

  • Chemocurl zn5b/6a Indiana
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Every year I intend to use some sort of support...tied to rebar, CRW cages, something fancy, and every year they end up just sprawling. This year they got planted out unseasonably late, so I am just now getting a small harvest, but the plants look very healthy, and I believe I will have lots and lots of nice tomatoes clear up until frost. I was worried there for a while that they might not have time to produce and ripen, but see I worried foolishly, as usual.

    Sue

  • tn_veggie_gardner
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The little 4 ft cheapie bendable cages don't work well unless you have a deep container and a good way to double them up securely. =)

  • kudzu9
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I use 4-sided, hinged tomato cages, but if the plants get too heavy for those I use bamboo poles that I tie to several cages and that helps prevent them from falling over.

  • dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    A system which I have been using for the past four seasons.
    I developed this system to deal with the following issues:

    1. I need a system which will need minimum work to install and take down.
    2. I need a system which will require very little space to store.
    3. I need a system which will support up to 10 tall plants.
    4. I need a system which will resist high wind force.
    5. I need a system which will give the plants plenty of good air circulation.
    6. I need a system which will allow good spray coverage of the leaves.
    7. I need a system which will be very inexpensive (I have not needed to buy anything for all these years.)
    8. Most importantly, I hate the look of a forest of stakes and cages. I need a system which will not be visually offensive to neighbors. As you can see (or cannot see) the support system is essentially invisible.

    Principally the system design is based on the structural concepts of a suspension bridge, so it is very efficient.

    I have posted a lot more details in a few other tomato forums.

    dcarch































  • star_stuff
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Has anyone ordered less than the '6-pack' of Texas Tomato Cages? I am hoping they will cut me a deal on 3 cages, and logically the $32.70 shipping as well.

  • brownthumb65
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    WOW!!!!
    That is a very beautiful set up. I am impressed. Thanks for the beautiful pictures. My mouth is watering!

  • mojavebob
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    dcarch, more details please. Why not four posts instead of the spacers? How are you attaching the spacers? Cages do a nice job of isolating plants that are spaced a little to close, this just allows them to fall into each other. In fact that seems to be the plan. Right? What spacing do you use? How many plants between posts? Are you just tucking growth between the lines? Pruning? What material is used for the lines? This does look affordable. It also works like a Florida weave with less posts (which was my big failure). I don't trust it though. Help me.

  • rocky_acres
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    mojavebob, I would think the spacers instead of four posts would mean less t-posts to drive into the ground yet getting the same results as having 4 posts. It seems the plants would be a little easier to contain than a single-line-wide trellis yet would probably function the same.

    I am quite impressed with dcarch's trellis and will probably try it myself in the spring. Looks very functional yet easier to maintain.....

    Thank you, dcarch, for the pictures and illustrations!

  • austinnhanasmom
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    My vote is for the Florida Weave.

    This is my first year trying this but I'll use it again.

    My posts are 6' and are maybe 6' too short...
    Two plants between posts is the MAX - trust me...
    The initial maintenance becomes overwhelming but my plants are so grateful. I now have more fruit then I can use.

    I have never had such healthy plants. I also mulched heavily so I can't separate the results from the changes I made. We have had a cool, wet summer and I have had to water rarely.

    People are absolutely amazed at the set up and I have to say, 2 rows of the Florida Weaved heirlooms, 5' apart, creates another world, almost a micro climate.

    My only complaint is that fruit in the middle of the row hard to extract.

  • natal
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Another one thrilled with the performance of Texas Tomato Cages. I planted 20 tomatoes in two 3'x9' beds. Used 3 Texas cages in each and staked the remaining plants with 8' tall plastic-coated metal stakes. Next year I'll order another six Texas cages. They rusted a little at the weld points, but otherwise looked good after a season in the garden.

  • natal
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    And no, I won't go with the Texas cages or large CRW tubes: I don't know how you guys manage to see what's growing inside of them! Or how you see what's eating the center of the vines, or what diseases there are. In a year that not only ended our epic drought but suddenly turned wet, wet, wet, WET, I wouldn't want my plants to be crowded inside a cage, where growth is so thick there can't be any appreciable air circulation!

    Missingtheobvious, I'd have to say the name fits.

  • missingtheobvious
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Me: And no, I won't go with the Texas cages or large CRW tubes: I don't know how you guys manage to see what's growing inside of them! Or how you see what's eating the center of the vines, or what diseases there are. In a year that not only ended our epic drought but suddenly turned wet, wet, wet, WET, I wouldn't want my plants to be crowded inside a cage, where growth is so thick there can't be any appreciable air circulation!

    natal: Missingtheobvious, I'd have to say the name fits.

    Me: That's why I chose it. It only took 30 years to recognize it as a personality trait, but I did eventually. 8-)

    But if you think what I said is silly, it would be helpful if you'd point out why. Words of one syllable are fine. Because at this point, all but 4 of the 50+ tomato plants that actually made it into the ground this year have succumbed to Late Blight, and several had Bacterial Spot/Speck (one of those is still living, so I may eventually figure out which disease it is). So as humidity is a factor in these diseases, I am in favor of good air circulation.

  • natal
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I live in the deep south ... a very humid environment. The cages don't inhibit air circulation. If anything, they force me to plant further apart. For years I used homemade CRW cages. They worked great too, but storage was a pain.

  • dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    My system is not a variation of Florida weave. Florida Weave is mostly used for determinates. If you look at the first picture, by the scale of the step ladder, you will see that my system is supporting plants to about 10 feet. This is way beyond cages and stakes and Florida Weave..
    Yes, the concept is also to improve air circulation as well as allowing better penetration for spraying, as you can see from the picture of the top view. Better penetrations of sunlight UV perhaps also help kill pathogens.

    The poles are sleeved into concrete footing in the ground and the entire system can be easily removed and reinstalled in a few minutes. Everything is reusable. The entire sytem takes very little room to be stored away.

    The poles are spaced about 33 apart. I have very high density planting. By alternating green yellow, black and red varieties, even the branches are intertwined, it wouldnt be a problem to tell what is what.

    Again, in addition to address all the problems with all other support systems, I also want the entire system to be nearly invisible. Note the poles are also disguised in camo paint.

    BTW, the strings are 2.2 mm braided nylon cords (3,000 feet for $20.00 on eBay) Very strong and durable. Poles were $12.00 each when I bought them from HD.

    dcarch
















    {{gwi:1380775}}

  • rocky_acres
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    dcarch, is there anything special you have to do to train the plants to go up inside? Do you trim the suckers? Am I correct in assuming you grow the tomatoes in this same spot every year? If not, how to do move the concrete sleeve the posts go down in to?

    I like your design very much but may have to adjust a bit if the way you do it requires putting this up in the same place every time....

    BTW, thank you for sharing this!

  • dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Let me first state that I am not recommending to anyone to do what I do. What I do is because of my own special conditions and what works for me, and some of my practices can be controversial.

    My special growing conditions:
    1. No sun.
    2. No room.
    3. Zone 6.
    4. I am greedy; want lots of tomatoes very early.
    5. I am very busy and very lazy :-).

    Five years ago, before I developed my comprehensive system, I was totally wiped out by blights (see pic #4). Crop rotation was not an option because of lack of space. I have been growing in the same space every year since. I did not do any sanitizing or anything special chemical treatment of the area.

    My system:

    1. Powerful lights to start seeds early (2/01)
    2. With a removable greenhouse, which is also why the removable support system, I can plant as early as 4/01 with no need for multiple transplanting and the labor of hardening. This allows very good root development.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzDqDBw_F54&feature=channel_page

    3. Alum reflectors (see pic #3) for stepping to avoid compacting the soil and to reflect UV light from the bottom up.
    4. Some spraying whenever I have time.
    5. All dead diseased infected leaves, plants are just thrown under the plants (pic #1 & #2, shocking?).
    6. At the end of the season, all plants are tilted into the soil without composting (shocking?)

    So far, the past few years, I have just some disease problems, but the plants somehow always seem to outpace the pathogens. I have LB showing up this year, so far so good.
    Regarding maintenance, I dont sucker. Initial I have to tie the seedlings to the support system, after the plants are grown, the branches kind of support each other, a little tie back here and there still would be needed just like any other system.

    Have fun.

    dcarch
    {{gwi:1380776}}





    {{gwi:288419}}




  • star_stuff
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Very impressive, dcarch! You are very creative and handy! Will have to remember this one for the future...

  • kompressor
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Vining tomato plants don't need any support at all. They got along just fine for who knows how many hundreds of years by sprawling all over the ground, growing fruit and then reproducing the next generation from the seeds that eminated from the unharvested fruit.

    However, unsupported plants are difficult to harvest so mankind has found all sorts of ways to make them grow vertically. I began using cages constructed from concrete reinforcing mesh (11 guage 6x6 squares, 6 feet wide rolls) back in the mid 70's and I still use such cages today.

    After much experimentation with cage size, I've found that for most OP varieties, a 24" diameter cage works well. I believe it was Amish Paste that probably could have used a 36" diameter cage. I grew that variety one year and was staggered by the size of them.

    While I really enjoy growing tomatoes to get the end result, I am essentially a person who prefers to spend as little time as possible in caring for the plants. So.....in the springtime, I disregard all the naysayers that are against mechanical devices and I fire up my trusty Honda rear-tine tiller and I run it through the soil just as soon as it's dry enough to do so. More often then not, I till my garden at least three times as deep as the tiller will go.

    The garden is then left to settle a bit for a day or two before I use a regular bow rake to level out any high or low spots. At that point, I unroll a five foot wide strip of 4 mil black plastic and hold it down with old bricks along the edges. Using a long metal spike, I secure my 200 foot measuring tape at one end of the roll of plastic and walk to the other end where I place a brick on it to hold it down.

    Using a nice sharp utility knife (box cutter), I slit the plastic sheeting in an X pattern in the middle of the five foot width. A 4" X is all that's needed and I begin 2 feet in from the end and put an X every 4 feet after that until I reach the other end of the strip. Planting in 2 foot diameter cages, 4 feet on center, leaves me with 2 foot spacing between the cages. No problems are encountered in looking after the plants. I can pick hornworms off and harvest ripe fruit with ease through the 6 inch square openings.

    Once the slits are done, I use my 18 volt drill with a bulb auger to bore the planting holes. I do my own starts and I like leggy plants because I strip off all the leaves except for a few at the top and then drop the plant into a hole deep enough to just allow those leaves to be above the surface. I put nothing in the holes except for the plants and I use a watering can immediately to thoroughly drench the planting hole full depth.

    Surrounding soil can quickly rob the plant of any moisture that is in the planting mix around the roots so watering is imperative to prevent the starts from wilting. With the plants all in the ground, the cages are inspected for bent wires or any remnants of last year's vines still clinging to them. Once the cages are ready, I push them through the plastic into the soil below. The cages help hold the plastic to the ground.

    From this point on, care of the plants is minimal. A daily inspection (at minimum) is needed to make sure nothing is suffering from drought or any other problems. As the plants grow, I tuck the vines back inside the cages as whenever they try to escape. The objective is to keep all vines growing vertical and inside the cage. I find this process to be much faster than tying, untying, retying but that's a personal choice.

    Once the plants are up to about three feet or better seems to co-incide with the annual hornworm attack. Due to the weather this season, I haven't seen a hornworm so far. Once I kill off all the hornworms, I usually encounter no other problems such as disease. This year, I have about 66 plants in the ground and I believe I have 20 varieties.

    Just like last year, this year is shaping up to be another disaster thanks to incessant rain. I am just getting ripe tomatoes now. Three years ago, I was swimming in tomatoes to the point of giving many away. No complaints about that. You can never have too many tomatoes.

    I like my method because I only have to deal with the odd weed that sprouts next to the tomato plants or forces its way through the plastic next to where a cage spike goes through. I detest weeding and this method solves that problem for me. Having a large property also solves the cage storage issue. I just stack them horizontally on some wood skids between T-bars pounded in the ground and they spend the winter there.

    I recognize that not everyone has a large property that can host a garden large enough to allow for 2 foot cages on 4 foot centers. I have never had an air circulation problem using this method and I have always managed to find fruit with BER and discard it. BER has also never been much of a problem. I see a bit of it on the odd plant early in the season and that's it.

    Aside from the weed control, I believe that the plastic helps warm the soil a little faster, holds that heat in when the sun goes down and keeps moisture that is in the soil from escaping. The moisture is drawn to the surface, condenses on the plastic and then drips back into the soil. It is my belief that I get a much more even watering of the plants this way.

    I don't grow tomatoes to save money. In fact, I try not to think about what I spend each year to grow my tomatoes. To me, that's irrelevant. I grow them because there isn't any other alternative to obtain tomatoes that actually taste the way I believe tomatoes should taste. Even the tomatoes you find at fruit and veggie stands are often hybrids that have been chosen more for visual appeal and other traits then for flavour.

    This is not to say that all hybrids are flavourless because I have grown some great tasting hybrids. However, experience has shown me that I've had better tasting fruit from OP varieties than with hybrids.

    I can't think of any other plant that one would find in a home garden that is as interesting and sometimes as frustrating to grow as the tomato. And I guess that's one of the reasons that makes me look forward to springtime every year. The fact that I have gone through two bad years is annoying but in no way discouraging to the point of quitting. Farmers....even wannabe farmers like me... are eternal optomists. We shrug off the bad times in the knowledge that the odds are on our side for next year or the year after that.

  • sue_ct
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I used the Florida weave, not realizing it was primarily for determinate varieties. I liked it better than previous tries with small cages (I think I only tried that once) or bamboo poles. It worked best with 8 foot T posts, the 6 foot were too small. I didn't like the twine I used, the branches rubbed and it caused a little damage. It also required repeated tying as the plants grew, and I broke a few large branches the growing tip on Kelloggs Breakfast trying to get the vine back inside the strings when I didn't get out there often enough to keep up with the rapid growth. I found that the twine, when stretched on each side tight enough to keep the plants upright sometimes did not allow tomatoes to grow nicely. More than one cluster of fruit grew together because they were restricted by the twine. The vines tended to fall to the side. All in all, it worked better than the couple of other things I had tried for a modest investment, but not perfect. I think if I used one 8 foot T post for each plant and the Florida weave between them, I could easily tie the plants up in a couple of places to prevent the falling to the side. That would run less than 10.00 per plant, maybe 7.50. Using a thicker rope or covered wire would add a little to the cost but I don't think it would hurt the vines rubbing on it as much.

    My other option is to invest in the Texas cages, and it will probably largely depend on budget and planning next year. I don't HAVE to take down the T posts if I don't want to so the set up time in future years would be negligible if I left them up and they are certainly sturdy enough. If I take them down they take up little space to store and store very flat.

    Since I usually only plant 6-8 plants the Texas cages could be done with one order of 6 and a different method used for the smallest two I plant. This year my plants, all planted at the time, ended up ranging from 4.5-5 feet to over 6 feet. This year Brandwine is the tallest.

    Some additional 8 foot bamboo poles will always be kept around for backup and additional quick staking if/where needed. They are light, cheap and handy.

    Sue

  • dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Couple of things I did not mention in my system:

    1. The nylon cords are hooked to the holes in the Unistud posts, they are easily removed and re-installed. They can also be re-adjusted higher and lower as the plants grow.

    2. The posts are in sleeves in ground and requiring no effort to pull out and re-install. The concept does not require the posts to be in ground very deep. 6" may be sufficient.

    dcarch

  • rj_hythloday
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I used bamboo tripods for 9 plants, worked ok - not great. Lots of work to keep them tied up. Some of them are really unruly and I'm not going to try and get them under control.

    I used florida weave for 6 plants. They weren't doing any thing at first and I got behind. Now a few of them are really unruly and I don't think any chance of getting them under control.

    I'm getting Texas cages next year. I needed a season to justify to the wife. CRW are not all that cheap and don't store. I'm moving after next years season so the Texas make alot of sense.

  • jmwolff
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I got some Texas Tomato Cages and plunked them on when my plants were about 3 feet tall...These are the best supports I've had especially since I am really lazy. Vut I've had no problems getting to my fruit, and my plants are easily 8-10 feet tall now.

    So for me...what was important was...easy to install, takes up little space for storage and is easy to "uninstall", requires little maintenence, keep my tomatoes up right. I planted them 3 feet apart in a single row, and I have the 24 inch cages

  • dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    jmwolff,

    What do you do to prevent the cages from tipping over by wind?
    Don't you have to buy extensions because the cages are only 6 feet tall?

    dcarch

  • rj_hythloday
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Jim, I was going to ask if you're using the extenstions also.

    Dcarch, some folks let them drape back over and down, I'm planning on purchasing 18 of the 24" next year, but am still trying to figure out if the extensions on top are at all necessary.

  • dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Draping branches is not ideal.

    If maximum sunlight, air circulation, making most leaves reachable for spraying are important considerations, than whichever system can give you the most will be what's best for tomatoes.

    Then, there is economics, aesthetics, durability, storability, maintainability ------- to be considered.

    I try to include all the above in my system.

    dcarch

  • natal
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    If you use the extensions you'll need a ladder to pick tomatoes. I let my tall vines drape. Makes it easier to pick.

    None of my Texas cages budged in any storm this year. I was using an obelisk for one of my Sun Golds and had to anchor it down when it started to lean, but that was never an issue with the Texas cages.

  • jmwolff
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    No extensions...
    So..the ones that are 10 ft are the matts wild cherry...the have stasrted to drape over...luckly I didn't feed them enough so I killed off alot of the lower leave which I have pruned out since the were dead...so no real problem now with air flow.

    So far the other ones are still kinda popped up in the air...my planting bed is along the side of the house to I probably get less wind...but the last big storm was was caused the MWC to droop over the sides.

    I have been trimming out the lower branches as spots, yellowing has occurred since I am in blight land. But so far so good.

  • baxter_md
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Dcarch -

    You said - "I have posted a lot more details in a few other tomato forums."

    I'd like more info on your system, which looks fabulous and meets all of my requirements, so where can I look for more info?

    Thanks,

    Baxter

    dcarch

  • dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    No problem of reaching ten-foot tall plants. I have two grabbers. One you can get cheap from many places, the other is custom made by me. It cuts and holds on to the fruit.

    I cant tell you the other forums where I do a lot of postings; it is against the rules here to do so.

    However, if you Google " dcarch+tomato ", you may find me there.

    dcarch












  • dancinglemons
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    dcarch,

    Thanks for posting that diagram of your 'suspension bridge' tomato support system. We already have the poles in the ground and DH will rig the 'suspension' for 2010. Finally we have a tomato support that will work AND give air circulation to the plants. BTW we grow in EarthBox and will set the EB's right down the middle of the suspension supports - I can see it now.......... Thanks!!

    natal,
    Thanks for that photo of your garden. I have wanted DH to put more of my garden in the front yard and after he saw your photo he said "We can do that - easy" We are off to get the fencing in a few days. We downloaded your photo for reference. Thanks!!

    DL

  • natal
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I cant tell you the other forums where I do a lot of postings; it is against the rules here to do so.

    What? I've participated in a number of threads where that question was asked.

    DL, we bought the fencing at Lowe's. Went together real easy! Took less than a couple hours.

  • rj_hythloday
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Actually I tried posting a link to dcarch's thread at the other place and it was blocked. It's a tomato forum that sprang up out of member's here who got fed up when ivillage took over. There's another from the vermicomposting forum, and one from the soil/compost/mulch forum.

    send me an email rj_loyATYAhooDOTcom and I'll send you links to what you like.

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