I start my plants on a four foot piece of 1/2 inch re-bar and wrap them in Texas Tomato Cages.

John

Check out these previous discussions.

Here is a link that might be useful: Staking/caging discussions

DD

You beat me to it!

GG

If you do a GardenWeb search on your question before posting it, you may find a wealth of information that you won't get from a new post on the same topic that's been discussed many times before unless there's a new angle on it! That's because some people who have developed interesting solutions aren't around when you post your question, or their interests may have moved on and they don't want to retread old ground. Or they may leave it to others to answer your posts.

IOW, there are good reasons the forum instructions advise people to do a search before posting a question to see if it's already been answered. It isn't intended for limiting what you can post, but you'll just get more information that is beneficial to you. And you may find the prior posts very enjoyable, with graphs and pictures, failures and successes, etc.

this is from MU

{{gwi:1310937}}

Yep - cages win! Hands down. ;)

Dave

Digdirt,
Thanks for throwing that link up there for me to look at.

Anney,
If I wanted a lecture on how to use this forum that would've been the title of my post. I know that there is always a wealth of info in past posts and that's great. Do you think a teacher can tell a student that whatever his/her question is has already been answered and just give the student a book or worse yet dewey decimal numbers for books to look the stuff up? Anyways, I went to DD's link and out of the four (4) links I tried to retrieve an answer to my question none worked (whoops!). In probably half the time you spent telling me how I should use this forum you could have told me how you like to stake your tomatoes and that would of been the end of it.

Sorry, GG. It was absolutely not my intention to lecture or embarrass you, and I'm sorry if that was the result.

Yes, this IS a discussion board.

stake or three (one by the main stem) and a cage.

I'm going with the 54" round prefabricated cages. I'm new to gardening and there were so many start up costs my search for a support method ended when I found them for sale used on Craig's list for $1 each. A touch rusty but they'd get that way anyways with all the humidity here in FL. And I just don't have the discipline to prune suckers regularly for stakes or ladders. Or the strength to bend those big ol' CRW panels. Now if I were the hulk with a sugar daddy I would be all about a CRW arch dealio like what tomncath has. His is great- it has the side support like a cage but is open on two sides (seems like it would make harvest easier)and appears to be super sturdy.
Sarah

out of the four (4) links I tried to retrieve an answer to my question none worked (whoops!).

171 discussions that 'staking' pulls up and another 82 that 'caging' pulls up and 4 of them with dead links?

Several of them are very long discussions on cages - clearly the most favorite way by far. 3 that I saw on Texas cages. Lots of "those 3 ring things are junk" comments, details with photos on how to do Florida weave, how to build a tripod of stakes, wood vs. metal stake advice, instructions on how to build CRW cages and photos too, a good discussion with pics on how to build PVC pipe cages, a couple of good ones on cattle panels with photos both as an arch and staked, etc.

Lots of good info, some going back 3 years. Sorry, but I'm with Anney - Does something so basic really have to be re-hashed yet again?

Dave

Yeesh, you could just not reply if you've already done so before in previous threads. Or skip over reading it all together if you're tired of the topic (that's why there is a title to each thread- if it's a repeat or uninteresting to you- don't read it!) And that you would take the time to look up and count posts under different headings just so you have ammo to use against another poster because you think they picked a topic that is boring and old news to you is beyond me. Criminitley she was just starting a conversation about what our favorite methods are. And people change their method's sometimes or come up with something new. And while this may seem like a very basic topic to you that has been rehashed time and again, as a new gardener even basic topics are still fresh and new, occasionally quite confusing, and definitely still interesting to talk about. All she did was give posters who are interested in participating in a current conversation (not a 3 year old one)about staking methods a chance to do so. I would have felt like a ninny adding my two cents about my $1 cages to a thread that was 3 years old! Hints and directions to finding other posts and more information already out there is one thing (and usually super helpful!) But please don't give her a hard time just for the sake of it. If you feel a post like this is a waste of time- then don't waste your time with it! With all due respect.
Sarah

No one is "giving her a hard time just for the sake of it". Merely pointing out that there is a wealth of info on the subject already here for anyone interested in reading it and learning about the various methods of staking tomato plants.

If someone elects to ignore that info or give it only a superficial scan, that's their choice. And if someone elects to ignore the forum guidelines that is also their choice. But there is then no justification to complain when those guidelines are politely pointed out to them as Anney did. Indeed many appreciate when that info is provided to them, not to mention having the search to relevant posts done for them.

Dave

I've noticed that Annie and Dave are usually among the most prompt, helpful and kind in answering the repetitive newbie questions. Anyone is of course free to ask whatever they want, but if they don't get the volume of responses they had hoped for, it might be a clue that the subject has already/recently/frequently/periodically been addressed. Sometimes scanning two or three pages back in the current history can be helpful in seeing if this is the case. Yes, there can sometimes be a new angle or new information from new posters, but on a topic this basic, you might miss really good tips from knowledgeable posters who might pass, on answering something they've chimed in on many times before.

Now to comment on Mulio's chart. Very interesting, but since the figures all deal with acres, it's more geared to the market grower. I think the home grower can have better control over his soil composition, watering, disease control simply because they have a smaller area which they can inspect daily to catch problems in the bud. I'm assuming the results are for determinates which need to be harvested in a short period of time. I cannot imagine ever having 20 to 40 percent culls in my home garden, no matter how I grew them, even sprawling. I'm wondering how these tomatoes were harvested, and if some of the culls were damaged in the collection process (stepping on the sprawlers?) And what specifically would be the difference between a #1 and #2 tomato? And were these picked ripe, or green to be gassed?

There are many factors in deciding which support method is best for any one person. These include production needs, gardening space available, aesthetics, pruning philosophy and off-season storage of supports.

Me? I grow 30-40 varieties a year. I don't need huge production from any one plant since I already can't deal with all the tomatoes I get. I grow my tomatoes close together, only minimally pruned of lower suckers, trellised to one side of a cattle panel in raised beds. Aesthetics and ease of access to the plants and tomatoes is why. I've done the sprawling, staking and cages, and will never go back. But that's me, cages seem to be preferred by many.

Anney,
Sorry, I could have said that nicer. Was just having a bad day.

I'm sorry- I wasn't trying to be offensive or give you all a hard time. I agree completely about the wealth of information already here, and about how kind it is of posters to respond to so many questions.

Ok, I have a question, I don't know if this has been answered or not. There is SO much info on this forum that I'm having a hard time finding everything.

Here's the question, for those of you that stake/string your tomatoes. I need to know for both cherry size and larger sized tomatoes. How far apart do you put the stakes, each plant? every other plant? or what?? I'm thinking of not staking every plant since I will have over 1,000 plants this year. Any help is appreciated.

The commercial growers around here - the ones with 100+ plants or more use either mulched sprawl, cattle panel set-ups, or post and wire set-up like used for grape vines.

Florida weave (using the poles and string) would still require some 250 fence posts. That's a lot of $$$ and you'd kill yourself driving them in. ;) And miles of string/cord.

I honestly can't picture 1000 plants either caged OR staked not to mention all the tying up and pruning that would be involved. Be impossible unless you have lots of employees.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: Photo of commercial field

no employees, just family 5 adults, 2 kids under 8. Last year planted between 400-500 plants and let them go. Hard to pick, especially in the rows that 2 different row decided to mix. We might just cage, wimpy cages, the cherry sized and hope for the best for the others. I don't prune either. Sort of like "free-range" tomatoes. Thanks for the info, tho.

I just spent the last few minutes looking at the link. THANK you so much, it had so much information that I needed.

I tried florida weave last year with great results for 12 plants in one row. I was a little concerned when high winds and storms hit, but the thing was held together like a fence. Easiest and lowest maintenance method I've used yet.

I've used FL weave and the overhead string-up methods to pretty good success...this year I am doing the 54" cages, one fastened upside down to another (like Raybo does for his earthtainers)...trying this method because it seems like less work!

I've only been gardening for 3 years, and with my tomatos I've always just reused my cheap cages. I don't know why - I think my mother in law put cages on the tomatoes she put there the first year.

I must also say - I plant and forget. I don't touch them - they just grow and use the cage as support.

This year I'll be more involved. Maybe :)

I've read many of the previous threads about staking/caging/trellising and have come to the conclusion that my problem is I'm cheap. I need most of my t-post and cattle panel collection for other uses. I have about 18 CAR cages, but I plant many more tomatoes. New t-posts ($4+) and cattle panels ($22) are just too expensive. For that matter, new CAR cages would be expensive, too, and also are a pain to store over the winter. I'm thinking the Florida weave might work if I could use fewer t-posts. Maybe use some rebar, or whatever poles I could find for some of the intermediate supports, with the t-posts spaced close enough in the assembly to provide the major support. Anyway, I bet what many of us need/want is an inexpensive and effective way to support our tomatoes. In the not too distant future, I will no longer need my cattle panels for fencing. At that point, I'll have them for the many uses they can be put to. BTW, a buddy of mine used the concrete reinforcing wire to make a zig-zag assembly. He would stand that up and support it with as many t-posts or other poles as needed, and plant his tomatoes in the resulting V's. The advantage of that was in the storage, because he could fold the whole thing flat....much easier to store than the cages.

Chuck

Last year my 65+ tom's grew too quickly and I was too slow to get them staked, that will NEVER happen again...what a giant mess.

This year I used cattle panel cages, 4 feet tall on most of my plants, problem is I didn't have enough to make a cage for each, so I got creative. I took a 10 foot (or whatever it was) section and wove it in and around a single row with 4 or so plants in the row. The row has stakes in between each plant. The panel is tied/anchored to the post with wire ties and then I've used clothesline rope to support the plants. Cutting individual sections at a time tying the rope from one section of the panel to the other, kind of enclosing the plant. The panel will provide the vertical support, the rope will keep it closer to the panel.

I HOPE IT WORKS :)

In another section, I've done the FL method. I hope it works too. at very least my plants are supported in one way or another, I guess I can report later on which system worked best!

When the commercial growers here (Furmans) used alot of migrants for picking you would drive around and see wooden stakes for acres. I just drove past a few fields of maters and they were just rowed, all the high production guys use mechanical picking machinery now. I am assuming that they are growing bush paste types,that's what they looked like to me driving by at 60MPH.
I was only left with 12 mater plants, oops I gave away too many of the 80 I started from seed. Those, the neighbor made me wooden stakes, I am using the T posts for the dahlia row.