Tomato Stakes?

[SelfSufficientOne]

I just looked at the post on tomatoes we all like and I wonder if you grow indeterminate tomatoes how high do you make your stakes(or whatever you use have ?) and how do you actually stake your tomatoes up? Need ideas. I usually go with the indeterminate/ bush since they are easier but wouldn't mind growing determinate if they didn't grow all over my 4 ft fence, lol.

[SelfSufficientOne]

Sorry that was supposed to read I usually go with "determinate" and want to know how to stake up indeterminate tomatoes.

[lovetogarden]

The tallest indet. tomato in my garden reached about 5 feet. I had a 4 foot stake in and that did just fine. If most of the tomato is supported well, it usually is not an issue.

[SelfSufficientOne]

Well the tomato seeds I recieved(not from Baker Creek by the way) went way beyond 4 ft and didn't produce well. What type are you growing?

[Rockfish]

I grow at least 5 or 6 different varieties of indeterminates every year. I make cages of 47" field fence(some folks call it hog wire) with about a 2 1/2 foot diameter. I will drive 2 stakes into the ground opposite each other inside the cage and tie it down. As the vine grows I train it inside the cage. With this method I usually don't sucker, that way it will be more bushy. If you sucker it, that will cause it to grow taller. With that in mind, you also have to consider what amount of sunlight it will recieve. I've found that here in NC, if you sucker too much in a full sun garden, your tomatoes will suffer alot of sun scald, therefore, I do not sucker.

Last year my tomatoes grew taller than the cage regardless of no suckering, so I have a plan. This year, I will still cage, but, I will also make bamboo tripods over them to conrol higher growth. I will use bailing twine and wrap it around the tripod on the upper portion to continue the cage.

[SelfSufficientOne]

I have some field fence the indeterminate tomatoes went way beyond that. What types did you grow? I never sucker any, I think this is a myth that defeats the productive purpose. My thought is that maybe deterninates aren't worth it if you have to spend so much on staking them(time, supplies and effort)how many tomatoes did you actually get per plant if you know( I wouldn't as I don't keep track of it).
My purpose is to actually get enough out of my small gardens to get enoug for some spaghetti sauce and some canned whole tomatoes. Don't really think that will happen but I am hopeful!

[Rockfish]

The items I use for staking toms, I have been using many years. I still use the same cages and stakes every year. Since I have cages and stakes on hand, it takes me about 2 minutes to put a cage over a newly planted tom.

You didn't say how tall your cages were. If they are out growing the cage and not producing enough toms, perhaps you are over feeding the plant. Too much nitrogen will cause exesive foilage and little fruit.

I feed my toms once a week with an aerated compost tea. It is a balanced mix that yields the maximum benefits. In fact, last year I couldn't pick them fast enough. Truthfully, I only need about three plants, but, I like to experiment with other varieties and give the surplus to my friends.

[Terry B]

I normally grow 10-15 different kinds of tomatos each year, mostly heirloom. I have found that cages made of concrete reinforcing wire work really well. The wire is relatively inexpensive and very durable. My tomatoes will normally get a little taller than the cages and I use bamboo help support the topgrowth. I have been gardening for nearly 25 years now and these are the best thing for tomatoes that I have found. I had seen these cages on PBS's "Victory Garden" a few years ago and thought I would give it a try. Last year, I think. there was an article in "Organic Gardening" magazine on these same cages. The only issue I have is the storage of the cages during winter.

[Rockfish]

Terry B,
The concrete rewire is good stuff. I've never used it because I always have field fence. I store all my stuff outside. Field fence is galvanized, rewire, is not. It is going to rust anyway in the growing season, why would you worry about storing it when you're not using it? I just stack mine in an out of the way place.

[gardengardian]

I use a different method alltogether it is pretty labor intensive but I love to work with my tomatoes. I came up with this idea from seeing how our local university grows their tomatoes in their green house. They use string tied to the rafters and train the plants on them. Well i thought it a good idea and decided to adapt this to outside. I built a beefed up clothes line using cable and some homemade crosses. The crosses are spaced about every 10 to 12 feet apart. the cable has to be fairly tight so it does not sag too much under the weight of the full grown plants. Anyway I then hang a string(bailing twine or a small rope) from the cable about every 2 feet. The string is then ran to the ground and attached to a stake. Leaving alittle slack in the rope. As the plant grows I train it to 1,2, or sometimes 3 leaders adding rope as needed, I pull the rope down and rap it around the leaders and the tension on the cable pulls them up. The cable is about 6 feet from the ground. This method allows the plants to move in the wind and helps prevent damage. It also keeps the fruit well away from the ground.
I grow 4 or five indet varieties around 60 to 70 plants every year. I stay pretty busy trying to keep up with their training but I love it.
Does anyone else have a different or odd way of growing things? I am always ready to try new things.
Jason zone 5 northwest mo.

[Pharmerphil]

Only organic for me, we have 6 ft. cages, made of the 2x4" fencing, with the grid cut out at conveinent locations to access the maters, all the Int. heirloom varieties, grow well past the 6 ft. mark, or at least they do in the rich organic soil, applications of aerated compost tea are added at regular intervals. I will post a pic of the tomato area from last year...but at this time...I am at work! shhhhhh! :p

[redbrick]

I make an A-frame out of saplings with twine hanging from the ridgepole. You can also use an old castoff metal swingset frame. The tag end of the twine gets buried beside the base of the plant, and the plant's leader gets twirled around the twine as it grows. I recommend suckering, only not as agressively as most. My high yielders are Howard's German, a potato-leaf paste type that checks in at 6 feet, and Italian Oxheart, which checks in at 5-6 feet. And yes, I had plenty of tomatoes for sauce, from 18 plants in 100 square feet.

[Pharmerphil]

Redbrick, that is a good method, I have seen it but never tried it, I think I might!
I constructed a "manger" one year out of willow, and planted the tomatoes below it, once thw plants grew up in to the manger, they were able to sprawl, this allowed them to do what comes naturally, and kept them up off the ground, with great air circulation...I have a picture, but it's not made of willow, but you'll get the idea
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v202/Phlaura/Phunny%20Pharm%20Pix/ch6-8.jpg

[Terry B]

Rockfish,
The issue I have with storage of the cages is the amount of room the 40 of these cages takes up. Based on a suggestion of a local gardener, this year I am improving the original design to allow me to store the cages flat during the off season. I may try some of the field fence cages also... In my garden you can never have too many tomatos.

[redbrick]

Pharmerphil, funny you should mention the "manger" trellis! I made two for cukes last year (worked pretty good, too), and thought I'd try them for my San Marzano maters, since they're determinates.

[Pharmerphil]

Great! I had San Marazano and Principe Borghese(sp) in mine!!
I urge everyone to try this, and please, let me annd Redbrick know how you did!

[zebraman]

I use 8 foot poles that are green plastic over metal.I use Bamboo when I can find it but have to put 2 together.Also here in Sunny CA. they must think Bamboo is Extremly rare and charge 6-10 dollars per pole.I have used the wire as well but still tied the main stems to the inside wires.Cages cut Tomato production 10-20 percent.Last year I had huge crops on Russian Rose,Black Prince and Hawaiian Pineapple.

[tomatoman223]

I use the CRW cages and they work great.I also have a cattle panel(I don't know how widely avalible they are)staked in the ground in a arch for my pole beans and cukes.Works well for them,wonder if a person could use something like this for ind.tom's?It would require lots of tying,but using stakes does too.

I think I might try it this summer just for kicks.....anyone had any experience using a similar method?

[Pharmerphil]

tomato man...I had three runs of fence, similar to the panels set up, that I used and moved for three seasons, the moving was the tough part!
They were each 20 ft. long, and I had 20 plants per fence on alternating sides, Worked well, it did require lots of tying, the tomatoes howevr were very easy to harvest, and the plants received good sun, and air circulation :)

[Bluegillman]

Field fence is galvanized,.[/QUOTE]
Being in Tinley Park Illinois, I'm not sure if I have seen those around. What do they look like? What sizes are they?

[wilderness1989]

Bluegillman go to this link and I think this shows the fence you are taking about.
John
http://www.mytscstore.com/detail.asp?pcID=8&paID=1043&sonID=352&productID=1784

[Cliff Timmons]

OK, I'm cheap.
I go around constructions sites and find the 4x4 square wire that looks like fencing. They place it in concrete for stability. Anyway, I take the 4 foot tall section and cut it to where it is the right size around.
The great thing about these is that they are large enough to hold very big plants and you can reach into it to pick, and I simply stack them in the corner of the garden during the winter.

[deb65802]

I use a hay bale to prop my tomatoes up. The tomotes stay clean and do not rot a quickly.
deb

[Jeff_smith13]

I grew Gold Medal, Cherokee Purple , and , Speckeled Roman toms last year using a Florida Weave to tie them. My post are 8 feet tall and they grew over the tops and 3-4 feet down the other side.I havent seen a cage that would be tall enough.I didnt prune suckers and had tons of toms until frost.
Can you pinch the tops off and still get good production,will it grow more side shoots?

[seed_nut zone 8]

what do you do with all those tomatoes if you have 60-70 plants???? just curious...

[Ziffle]

I use the CRW cages and they work great.I also have a cattle panel(I don't know how widely avalible they are)staked in the ground in a arch for my pole beans and cukes.Works well for them,wonder if a person could use something like this for ind.tom's?It would require lots of tying,but using stakes does too.

I think I might try it this summer just for kicks.....anyone had any experience using a similar method?
tomato man,

when you say you place the cattle panel in an arch for you pole beans do you mean that the two short ends are touching the ground instead of the long sides? If so, how tall is the highest point of the arch?

[tomatoman223]

tomato man,

when you say you place the cattle panel in an arch for you pole beans do you mean that the two short ends are touching the ground instead of the long sides? If so, how tall is the highest point of the arch?

Ziffle

Yes,I just laid the panel out flat,staked one end and walked the other end up and then staked that side.At the highest point I can walk under it,so its over 6 ft in the center of the arch.

[Ziffle]

Ziffle

Yes,I just laid the panel out flat,staked one end and walked the other end up and then staked that side.At the highest point I can walk under it,so its over 6 ft in the center of the arch.
Ahhhaaaaaa....thanks tomatoman! I already have one of these built into a donkey shelter. The tarp was starting to get holes in it anyway, so I'll rip it off and plant my beans and maters on it! So here's the other stupid question...do you plant the plants on the short ends of the panel, or run strings down from the middle as well????

[tomatoman223]

Ahhhaaaaaa....thanks tomatoman! I already have one of these built into a donkey shelter. The tarp was starting to get holes in it anyway, so I'll rip it off and plant my beans and maters on it! So here's the other stupid question...do you plant the plants on the short ends of the panel, or run strings down from the middle as well????

Nothing at all stupid about that question Ziffle!As a matter of fact,running string between the two sides in the middle should work great for increasing productivity.Thanks for the idea!!!!:D

[carolg]

I'm a city girl so what's Cattle Pane/

I have started using The Ultomato Staking System and bought about 50 at $3 each. Still many in package to return, but great price regardless. Thoughts as I am not construction oriented and with these it frees me from asking or begging for help from hubby. It would be up to me to do it all. I am using them mainly for containers but surely can branch out and use for garden tomatoes not doing much. I'm hoping more climbing veggies next year too.

carolg z5 c0

[Sandbar]

This is a "cattle panel."

http://tractorsupply.com/detail.asp?pcID=8&paID=1043&sonID=356&page=1&productID=25206

You can use them for a variety of things including trellis', mini-greenhouse, etc.

[carolg]

Sandbar,
Thanks for picture of cattle pane. Never saw one nor do I see cattle near me. Where do you buy the pane? Is it worth the investment as I just bought a whole ton of Ultomato Staking Units at $3 each. So far the garden not showing high hopes yet. Maybe need to do some compost tea which I never heard of till recently. Now I have to plug into some links to help figure out how to make same. Thanks.
carol z5

[Sandbar]

Carolg, at $3 each for the staking kits, I don't think I'd return them. Using cattle panels (sold at any farm supply place, say, Tractor Supply Company here in Ohio) for tomato support requires staking with T-posts.

When did you get your plants in the ground?

Most of mine didn't get in until the first and second week of June. Today, I finally got some tomatoes off of my early varieties (i.e. Early Girl), so that was almost 6 weeks.

[windsng225]

Thanks sandbar for posting that. For some reason I was thinking those things were the things that the cows go in when they get milked. Those big heavy pipy things that hold them there in place. And could not figure out why people were using or for that matter how they were using them. Now it all makes sence, it's like my trellisis only yours look like they are made from stainless steel or aluminium. Better than using plastic like I am doing. Although I love my trellisis, they are working for me. Thanks again.
joyce

[carolg]

Sandbar,
Thanks for my trellis keep information for the staking system I bought at Home Depot for $3 each...50 later too here.

I have tons of green tees here with jagged edges that go into the ground that are heavy. I think they are called "tees". They are about 6'.

I think we are on the same zone, z5, and planted around first week of June too plus maybe a week or two after that for store bought ones. The plants I grew from seed did great indoors with your help but outside nothing is really happening to brag about. Yes, I do have several flowers but I think my big battle this year was aphids.

Are marigolds a deterrent or garlic or onions for the aphid control problem never to strike again?

Thanks Sandbar. You pulled me through this year with lots of our great friends here who I am grateful for.

carolg z5 co

[Eric]

I used stakes and RCW. The wire I put on the outside of the garden between me and the tomato plant which helps to contain the plant, the problem with this method and my brandywines is that they are far to big for me to reach in the space (maybe 4"x4"?) and take the fruit. My black krims have that problem as well.

I tried the sandwich method with the RCW which makes it difficult to reach the fruit no matter the direction.

[windsng225]

Eric, what I did (I have trellisis with plastic netting) and the cuques are growing inbetween the doubled over netting, I cut a hole in the middle of the netting. I can reach in and go either way or up or down to harvest the cuques.
joyce

[cushman350]

My suckered indeterminates are also growing beyond the limits of my 4x8 concrete wire cages but I have a plan for next year. I will train the plants as soon as they reach the bottom of the circular cage to go around the cage in a corkscrew fashion up and around leaving maybe a foot between vines. The circumference of the cage should be about 7' 6" and if you get 3 or 4 circles of vine, that should be close to 30 feet of linear growing space.

It's a plan anyway,
hi carolg, I found ya.
cushman

[Sandbar]

Cushman, nice pics and interesting idea for the caging next year.

Carolg, you're being stalked! :eek: (j/k)

Also, marigolds are a good companion plant. I started about 150 of them but never got them in the garden because of a lack of time. So, they just wilted in the plug trays ...

Met an Amish woman last year who uses marigolds and Zebrina (a malva) for companion plants. She has a very productive garden.

[Tinker Queen]

We have about 300 Romas this year and tried a new method for us.Start with a metal post and skip 2 plants.Because we have an abundance of tobacco sticks in the barn we used these along the row after every 2 plants.We tie a twine called a tomato twine that comes in a 2 pound box,and it doesn't stretch on the end post and weave it in and out to the next stick and hold tight and wrap around the stick to the end of the row.We then come back weave the opposite side back to the other end.It holds the tomatoes up really well and lets some of the branches of the plant to come over the string as it grows. It has worked really well as what falls over has been shading the tomatoes in the 100 degree temps we have been having.And no sun scald on them. You tie them starting about 6-8 inches tall and keep tieing periodically as they grow.One of the local farmers that had tried this fore us called it the Florida Weave. We also planted double rows this year with basil in the middle for insect control. It is working really well,but I believe we should have went a liitle further apart. The plants have been covered but it has been easy to get the fruit off. The beefmasters and cherry plants have all done well this way too. Planting the double row has also kept the weeds down.I though that they would crowd each other and shade too much but We have had a bumper crop. I can usually fill a 5 gallon bucket from one side of the row every 6 feet or so. Once we got the hang of it we could tie a row pretty fast. I plant bee balm at the edges of our garden for bee attractant,but was wondering if anyone had used crimson clover in the rows mingled inbetween the tomatoes? Right now I just mix basil and onions in with the tomatoes. The only pest that I still seem to find is a horn worm every so often,but they are easy to pick off.

[sacratamato]

Tinker Queen,

Where might a person purchase a roll (or) two of this tomato twine? Mine streches to much, under the all the weight on these monster Heirloom tomatoes I've got growing outback. The successful staking system we have been using for seasons now, has been using tensile strength 300lb recyclying twine from the Bevis Rope Company, in Rossville GA. Along with bamboo stakes, 8' long, with two foot of that in the ground, every other plant in our 60' rows. Since I have approx 40' of this bamboo growing along one partial side of my fence line, it's an unlimited supply of free tomato stakes! As for the tieing of the plants, we start @ 12" from the ground, and proceed to "basket-weave" in a criss-cross pattern up and down each individual row. Then we go back and start a second level of "basketweaving
3' from the ground, working our way down the row. And finally, the third (and )top level of this "basketweave" maze, starts @ the 6' level. Yes, I realize that this is a lot of work to do in March, but when August rolls around here and it's over 100 degrees, day (after) day (after) day, the picking of these different juicy heirlooms is now rewarded by all of that tieing.

[Tinker Queen]

Powertomato,
I just have a moment,we picked and put up corn today.I will look tomorrow for the information.OK? The bamboo would be great here,but I guess we all use what we have!
Sandy