Hello, hivers and gardeners!
I use the standard metal tomato cages to support my tomato plants as they grow. All of my tomato cages are the heavier wire ones, I replaced all the cheap ones over the past couple of years. However, even the heavy wire cages don't hold up the plant very well once the plant gets big. The weight of the plant can pull the cage over, especially when it's windy. I've tried a couple of different ways to hold the tomato cages up once the plants get big, with variable results. The method that I use now seems to work the best for me.
I start by pounding a couple of steel T posts into the ground at each end of the row of tomato plants. Since the rows are longer than usual this year, I also put a T post in the middle of the row. I try to line the posts up so that they're at the outer edge of the top of the tomato cages.
The next thing I do is to run a stick, such as a 1" by 2" through the top of the tomato cages. Then I fasten the stick to the T posts with some wire.
This year, I'm using nylon wire ties to hold the tomato cages to the stick. In the past, I've used wire or twine for that. This keeps the tomato cages from falling over.
I didn't have any sticks that were long enough to hold up the entire row, so I had to use a second stick for the row.
I started on second row of tomato plants.
I need another stick to finish this row. I got one cut, but I didn't get it wired in place today. It won't take much work to get it finished tomorrow. I could have finished it today, but I had some other things I wanted to take care of.
That's all I have for this post, I hope you found it interesting!
May I know why its in the bucket? Are they well grown compared to directly plant them on the soil? Thanks.
wow that is a lot of tomato. I like the idea of the extra support across the top. I have yet to decide on a support system for my tomato this season.
2nd the comment about the buckets. Do you have a nice water system under there?
Let us know
I gave up on tomato cages the only year I used them. They not only fell over, but the weight of the plants broke them apart. I just use 2" x 2" x 8' posts and pound them in 18". Then I use baling twine and tie the plants up as they grow, or at least that's usually the plan... :))
The 2 by 2s should work pretty well, I would think.
You must like your tomatoes, I've only planted 5 this year and one cucumber plant.
Last year I had a massive yield from a tomato I was told about by some of the old-timers down the allotment.
The tomato plant is called Shirley F1's, I got that many last years of two plants I was sharing with my mum and my neighbors.
I use canes to hold mine up and like you said the weight has been an issue for me too.
I grow a lot of tomatoes because I can a lot of them for use in the fall and winter. I also make tomato sauce from some of them, and that tends to take a lot of tomatoes. Strangely enough, I don't really eat very many raw tomatoes in the summer, I mostly use them for cooking.