Staking Tomatoes

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snyder66
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Staking Tomatoes

Post by snyder66 »

Looking for any advice out here on the above subject. Tried the cages last year and did not like it.
bobbun
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Re: Staking Tomatoes

Post by bobbun »

I use steel fence posts, and tie the plants up using twine or strips of old rags. I have had the same posts for many years. They have actually had a lot of other uses around the yard and garden over the years besides staking tomato vines.
RadAudit
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Re: Staking Tomatoes

Post by RadAudit »

Tomato stakes and old neckties
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chaz
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Re: Staking Tomatoes

Post by chaz »

RadAudit wrote:Tomato stakes and old neckties
Sounds strange.
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user5027
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Re: Staking Tomatoes

Post by user5027 »

Must be a formal garden. :D
Austintatious
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Re: Staking Tomatoes

Post by Austintatious »

We gave up on the old style, three wire-legged cage several years ago - way too flimsy. We've been using wire fencing formed into a cylinder, and cut holes as needed in the wire to allow access to the lower branches. They're much stronger. We size the cylinders to fit down inside our Smart Pots, which we've also used for our tomatoes the last several years. They're well suited for tomatoes and the portability is a plus. We place a couple of thin, metal stakes in the ground on opposite sides of the cylinder, for stability. Works well.
ralph124cf
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Re: Staking Tomatoes

Post by ralph124cf »

Most commercial cages are too weak and fall over too easily, both metal and plastic.

It is easy to make your own from readily available concrete reinforcing mesh, sold at your local home center. A roll of six inch mesh (perhaps a little larger than optimum, but it works) 5ft X 50ft costs $40 locally and makes 9 nineteen inch diameter 4 1/2 foot tall cages. If you buy a roll it weighs 50 pounds, so plan accordingly. You can either bend the cut ends to wrap around the uprights, of cut them off and use heavy duty zip ties. Bending the wire allows you to unhook the ends so that you can store the cages flat. This is more inconvenient with the zip ties.

Note: Wear good gloves and a long sleeve shirt when making these, or you WILL cut yourself.

Google home made wire tomato cages for complete discussion. Hundreds of pages of instructions and opinion

Ralph
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Ice-9
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Re: Staking Tomatoes

Post by Ice-9 »

We've really liked the folding style tomato cages, similar to this one: https://www.horseloverz.com/product/oth ... Ogodq0QA_Q

Not only do they serve as more stable tomato cages, but (1) they're easier to store when folded and (2) can be folded in such a shape to serve other purposes, such as a temporary fence to keep the dog from digging up our newly planted roses.
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Kenkat
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Re: Staking Tomatoes

Post by Kenkat »

I use the cages and as the plants get bigger, I also will add those green vinyl covered stakes you see at hardware stores. I use old t-shirts cut into strips to tie the plants to both the cage and the stake. I also will force my plants to grow more vertically when they are small so they stay within the cages better. For example, if you see a branch heading out, pull it back in and support it on the cage ring above. And buy the biggest, most heavy duty cages you can fine. A standard cage with no additional supplemental support doesn't cut it.
lululu
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Re: Staking Tomatoes

Post by lululu »

Those conical or otherwise flimsy cages are worth nothing, imho.

I use these very sturdy cages from gardeners.com. They fold flat for storage. With monster plants like Brandywine, I put one cage on top of another and hold the cages together with plastic hinged clothespins. One cage is fine for most tomatoes. I tie the cages to their neighboring cages with twine, for added stability.

http://www.gardeners.com/buy/single-tom ... to%20cages

It looks like they've changed to coating them with that rubberized stuff since I bought mine.
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Bengineer
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Re: Staking Tomatoes

Post by Bengineer »

I didn't like the cages, which limit access for suckering / pruning / harvest, or single stakes which didn't support more than one "cane" so well.

I rip an 8' 2x4 in half and then another in 4ths to make two posts + 4 8' crossbars for a 6'+ trellis for 3-4 tomato plants, which I tie up to the crossbars as they grow. Cheap, simple, reusable, hold the heavy bearers up well, great access. I use new 2' stakes in the ground and screw the uprights to them each season.

Google "florida weave" for a simple method using stakes at the ends & twine.
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Jay69
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Re: Staking Tomatoes

Post by Jay69 »

lululu wrote:Those conical or otherwise flimsy cages are worth nothing, imho.
I have seen this comment a few times in this thread, I bought 12 of the taller conical ones that are made with about 1/4" steel and they have worked great for the last 4 years, I just installed them again for the 5th season this week.

I had a pile of 1/2" rebar laying around and welded up a cage with it, worked great, I think that cage could make it to the second generation.
"Out of clutter, find simplicity” Albert Einstein
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Frugal Al
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Re: Staking Tomatoes

Post by Frugal Al »

RadAudit wrote:Tomato stakes and old neckties
Half-windsor I presume.:D I suspect the tie material is easy on the plants. Another great tie material that is easy on the plants, easy to tie, and stays tied are cut strips from old nylons/pantyhose.
crake
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Re: Staking Tomatoes

Post by crake »

I'm giving up on cages this year as well. I decided to try a method called the Florida Weave. http://www.foogod.com/~torquill/barefoot/weave.html

It seems to have some advantages over single stakes. You only need half as many stakes and it seems easier to weave than to tie. Hopefully it works out. My tomatoes aren't big enough yet to need support but I've got the stakes in the ground.
rixer
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Re: Staking Tomatoes

Post by rixer »

I use wire fencing to form a sturdy cage and then I take foam pipe insulation which has a slice cut into it for forming around pipes and press it on to the top ring of the cage. this way when the vines get tall and bend over the top, they aren't cut or damaged.
RadAudit
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Re: Staking Tomatoes

Post by RadAudit »

user5027 wrote:Must be a formal garden. :D

Black Tie Required.
FI is the best revenge. LBYM. Invest the rest. Stay the course. Die anyway. - PS: The cavalry isn't coming, kids. You are on your own.
placeholder
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Re: Staking Tomatoes

Post by placeholder »

Frugal Al wrote:Another great tie material that is easy on the plants, easy to tie, and stays tied are cut strips from old nylons/pantyhose.
I use the plastic bags from newspapers.
Woodshark
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Re: Staking Tomatoes

Post by Woodshark »

I use 2x2 stakes, and the wire tomato cages. I've had the cages for at least 15 years and they still work. I tie them up pieces of my wife's old pantyhose. :D If she gets a run in a pair, it goes into the garden area to be used later. I learned this trick from an old farmer back in the 70's. They tie easily and have a little give so it's better for the plant.
peppers
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Re: Staking Tomatoes

Post by peppers »

My neighbor's chain link fence has worked well for years. A lot of his tomato vines like to spend the summer in my yard. And being a gracious host, they are welcome to stay as long as they want. I could even dress them up with some red, white and blue ascots on the 4th of July.
"..the cavalry ain't comin' kid, you're on your own..."
Birdie55
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Re: Staking Tomatoes

Post by Birdie55 »

I use the concrete reinforcing wire cages for my home garden and since I have so many already, I'm not changing that. I have spliced pieces on top so the cages are 6 feet high. My tomatoes have been in the ground for 5 weeks and are already 3 1/2 feet tall. They will probably get 6 - 7 feet tall all together.

At a demonstration garden where I work, we use cattle panel as a trellis. The stakes to support the trellis are pounded in at an angle and the cattle panel ziptied to the stakes starting about 12 inches above the ground. So the trellis is 6 or 7 feet tall. Each tomato is tied to the trellis using the green stretchy plastic tie (or something comparable would be fine). The enables the picking to be done from both sides. It is one piece, instead of individual cages.

Those small tomato cages make great supports for eggplants and peppers. If you get sun scald on peppers as we do here in sunny CA, we can put a piece of row cover over the pepper using a close pin to hold it on the cage.
lululu
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Re: Staking Tomatoes

Post by lululu »

Birdie55 wrote: Those small tomato cages make great supports for eggplants and peppers. If you get sun scald on peppers as we do here in sunny CA, we can put a piece of row cover over the pepper using a close pin to hold it on the cage.
I also use tomato cages for other plants. And wrap them in row covers early in the season, something staking isn't amenable to.

Like a poster above, I push side vines back into the cages.
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