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Boulder County Colorado USA planet Earth

So for yrs i have been doing cages but i was wondering what some other growers us to grow their tomatos in?

If u use stakes any advice on how to train and grow em on stakes?

5/14/2008 11:02:34 AM

Windsor, Ontario, Canada

I tried cages a couple years, but always fall over. Not just a stake with the biggest part of the bush tied to it with a strip of cloth.

5/14/2008 11:21:44 AM

Cincinnati,OH

I use 5' high cages and tie the cages to stakes.

5/14/2008 12:35:51 PM

canal winchester ohio

I've always used rebar for my tomatoes. I take 10' poles & drive them about 2 to 2 1/2 feet in the ground.

5/14/2008 12:51:19 PM

California High Desert CinnamintStick@msn.com

I live in a windy area. Cages and stakes do not work so well for large tomato plants in the wind. I found it works best for me to just let them spral on the ground. I will put a rock and straw here and there to prop the fruit off the ground. I grow 50 or more heirloom tomatoes that way. My soil is sand based so they don't rot easy if a few are on the ground.

5/14/2008 4:18:30 PM

San Jose garysand@pacbell.net

i made some custom cages from 3/4 pvc, and i just stake two sides of the cages, they last 4 ever, they are expandable and versatile if anyone wants pics email me

garysand@pacbell.net

5/14/2008 8:45:20 PM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

I set my cages in a row, then set sturdy posts 4 or 6 cages apart. Then I string a piece of electric fence wire between the posts at the top of the cages. Then I use string to tie the cages to the wire. It keeps things from falling over.

5/14/2008 11:08:16 PM

Windsor, Ontario, Canada

Cages and stakes together sound like a good idea. I think I will try that this year.

5/14/2008 11:26:24 PM

Ohio

This is the way i do mine. Every 2nd plant i drive a t post,then when i tie the plants up i start at the end post. i then run my string (zig zag) in betwwen each plant. when i reach the end of the row, i (zig zag) on the other oppsite side of the plant till i reach my starting point.
This holds the plant up, and doesnt take many stakes.
I hope you all understand the way i do it lol
I dont like cages, to messy to clean up at the end of the season. Wooden stakes are to easy to break. This way you just cut the string, pull it out, plus the stakes and your done

5/15/2008 11:59:11 AM

Napa Valley, CA

I start out with a medium size tomato cage.
When the plants get bigger I make a cage out of the wire mesh that construction people lay on the ground before pouring concrete. This is heavy duty stuff and the mesh squares are 6 inches, which is large enough to fit your hand through when picking tomatoes.
Its 7 ft. x 3 1/2 ft. when I buy it at home depot. I form a circular cage that is 2 ft. in diameter and 3 1/2 ft. high.
My tomato plants usually grow to about 6 ft. tall, so this year I'm going to stack them 2 high. To make sure that it doesn't tip over, I secure it to some rebar that I drive into the ground.
I use this same stuff on my long gourd tower. Here's a photo of what it looks like
http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=69432

5/15/2008 3:40:08 PM

Long Island,New York

Geo...I understand that you can get your hand in the 6x6 squares but how do you west coasters get the tomatoes out ?....G

5/15/2008 4:21:27 PM

Napa Valley, CA

lol G

5/16/2008 11:18:52 AM

Simi valley, ca

The concrete wire mesh 6x6 inch is great ,I make into round cilenders 6 ft high & 3 ft width ! Only my tomatoes got problems this yr ! Other wise they easly fill up the space !!!

6/1/2008 7:18:01 PM