staking tomatoes

[tnassar]

Besides the commercially built tomato cages, are there any other creative inexpensive ways to stake tomatoes?

Tom

[khwoz]

Concrete reinforcing wire works great. You can cut it to length; it is about 5 foot high & lasts forever.

[sandih]

We tend to buy tomatoes that want to be really tall, like Brandy Wine, Golden pear and grape tomatoes. We start them off in regular cages and my husband builds like a scaffolding around them to support the branches that stick out 3 ft or more. The golden pear and grape tomatoes climbed to the top of the 7 ft scaffolding, went over the sides then back down to the ground. As the tomatoes get taller, you can add a level to the scaffolding. I tied the branches to the scaffolding with strips of panty hose. Here's pictures....

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=v3wm5ex.89vee5qx&x=0&y=2w5m44

[tnassar]

Thanks for the great ideas--both of them!

[Tricky Grama]

Sandih-

Wow-great tomatoes!


Patty

[sandih]

I'm going to update the images tonight to show what my husband has built at our new house. The images I showed were from 2 years ago. We moved to Lake Highlands a years and a half ago, finally built or bed at the end of March and he built his "scaffolding" out of cedar this time. The wood is a little thicker than he wanted but it is handsome. We have only 4 toms this year; 2 Roma, 1 Brandywine and 1 Sweet 100. The latter 2 will get over 6 ft. tall.

[sandih]

I have updated the images in the link above. The last 5 images are of the new garden at my new house with the cedar tomato supports.