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Staking tomatoes brings benefits, responsibilities |
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TasunkaWitko
Admin Group Joined: 25 January 2010 Location: Chinook, MT Status: Offline Points: 9356 |
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Posted: 29 May 2013 at 10:47 |
Found this article this morning, and thought it would make an interesting post....
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HistoricFoodie
Admin Group Joined: 21 February 2012 Location: Kentucky Status: Offline Points: 4940 |
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Hmmmmmmm?
The best way to grow tomatoes, as my friend Roger always tells folks, is the way that works for you. But what works for me is the antithesis of this article. FWIW, staking is the least effective, most labor-intensive method of supporting tomato vines. For small numbers, I use cages. Not those flimsy, over-priced cages sold everywhere. I make my own out of remesh. That supports them better, and, long-term, is inexpensive. For larger numbers I use what's variously called the Florida weave or the Georgia weave. This is the best way when you have longish rows, such as the 14 DePintos I have going this year. Suckering is the most controversial subject in the tomato-growing world. There are pros and cons on both sides. But I feel the cons far outweigh the benefits of doing it. But each to his own. |
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TasunkaWitko
Admin Group Joined: 25 January 2010 Location: Chinook, MT Status: Offline Points: 9356 |
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Hi, Brook -
I was hoping you would weigh in on this, and am appreciative of the information. Could you give a summary of the Florida/Georgia weave? I'm pretty sure that the mental image I'm getting is far from reality. My dad gave me a bunch of cages, so I'l using those, with no complaints; however, if I ever need more than I have, the information on making one from remesh would be good. |
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HistoricFoodie
Admin Group Joined: 21 February 2012 Location: Kentucky Status: Offline Points: 4940 |
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The weave system is fairly simple, Ron. I use T-poles for this, but any solid post will work.
Plant the post as if you were building a fence. Space three to four (no more) tomato plants in a straight line, and plant another post. Continue in that manner for as long as the row will be. Next take some strong twine. This is one of the few places where synthetics work better, because natural fibers like jute have too much give. Tie the twine off on the first post then pass it in front of the first plant, behind the second, etc., anchoring it around the next post. Continue the length of the row, then return back to the beginning, this time passing the twine on the opposite sides of the plants. Net result: Each plant is enclosed in a string cage. You have to run a new line of twine about every six inches as the tomato plants grow. But that certainly takes less time than tying each plant to a stake. |
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HistoricFoodie
Admin Group Joined: 21 February 2012 Location: Kentucky Status: Offline Points: 4940 |
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Remesh cages are easy to make. There are slight variations, depending on one's needs.
Start with a roll of remesh. Unroll the amount you need to produce a tower the diameter you want. Five feet, iirc, produces an 18 inch tube. Cut the mesh to the inside of the last row. This will give you a series of fingers. Bend them into hooks, roll the mesh towards them, and squeeze them around the upright wire at the end. Alternatively, particularly if you want to store them flat, is to cut both ends smooth, then use cable ties to connect them. At season's end, cut the ties and you're good to go. You can leave the bottom row of wire in place, and use wire staples to anchor the tower. I prefer cutting it off. This gives me 11 or 12 six-inch legs, which I push into the ground. Where I live no other support is needed. If you have high winds, additional wire staples (which can be made from the bottom ring) may be necessary. Or even a length or rebar, hammered into the ground, and the tower wired to it. If you vary the diameters, you can store the towers by inserting them into each other, telescope fashion, then lay them flat on the ground. At one point, when I was using more than 30 of these, I'd have a pyramid of them over-wintering. |
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AK1
Master Chef Joined: 10 April 2012 Location: Ontario, Canada Status: Offline Points: 1081 |
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Thing to remember; there are various methods that work.
But, what works for a backyard gardener growing less than 20 plants is different from what works for someone growing 100+ plants, is different from a larger scale grower. Even between those various segments, people have different preferences, methods of working... I would say this, try staking a few, try caging a few, try weaving a few, try... see what works best for you.
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