How thick are they? How much flex in them? If thick enough I'd think 1 would be enough - assuming you are planning on doing a great deal of pruning. But 2 would allow you to use string between them for a florida weave and would be stronger and require less aggressive pruning. A 3 prong tepee for each plant is even better.

They don't have to be nearly that tall however. ;)

Dave

In my garden, 9-10 feet is barely tall enough to take my indeterminates for the whole season. Last year the vines flopped over the top of my 5-6ft stakes and grew at least 10 feet long.

Last season I tried many different ways to 'stake' my tomatoes, bamboo tripods were one of them and I would rate them at a 5 on a scale of 10. I bought a roll of 6' bamboo fence from OSH and deconstructed it, giving me about 100 poles, cost was I think $17.00, it was a hassle keeping up with tying the vines as they grew up the poles, I did 30 plants, they did flop over from the top somewhat but wasn't a big problem. I tried a Florida weave method with about 6 poles, but the weight of the plants just pulled the strings and eventually the poles apart.

I have about 100 rebar cages which I like and will continue to use but my favorite method was a Florida weave method using some 7' flat steel fence posts I bought from a building site sale for $100.00, I got approx 50 posts and was able hammer them 1.5'to 2' into the ground and incorporate 3 plants between the posts for rows of 15 plants, keeping the vines trained into the weave was simple and fast and picking the fruit easy and safe, unlike the rebar which produced some nasty punctures and scratches.

I too am increasing the size of my garden going from 1/2 an acre to a full acre so I'm hoping to find more metal posts to help with the 600 tomatoes I'm planning on planting this year.

No doubt the cages would be better - no comparison - but as the OP said - cost is prohibitive right now so bamboo it is for her this year. The stakes are a temporary solution and a tripod is the most stable.

catman - of course the plants grow longer than 6 feet - that is true for all of us. But no where is it written that the stakes have to be as tall as the plant, draping back down is perfectly normal. 6-7' stakes is the average.

If seedmama wants to bury her stakes 3' deep then I wish her luck - it would be totally impossible here. But no one uses or wants to have to use a ladder to pick their tomatoes. ;)

Dave

I have tight space, as I mentioned in previous threads, so the vines draping over the top of the stakes will be more of a problem. But I think I have an idea that will keep them from getting too thick.

BTW I get my bamboo from a wild patch of giant cane. We have a lot of bamboo growing in the wild around here, and I can get poles up to 12' high and sometimes even higher.

Thanks for all the input. I've done a search here for Florida Weave, but all the threads seem to be missing. I'll try again in a couple of days. Time seems to fix that sometimes.

The canes range from 1 1/2 inches to 4 inches in diameter, with most of them being about 2 inches. They are sturdy and have little flex.

"If seedmama wants to bury her stakes 3' deep then I wish her luck - it would be totally impossible here. But no one uses or wants to have to use a ladder to pick their tomatoes. ;)

LOL. This gave me a chuckle. Here's how the 12' length came to be. I had cut and stripped a number of canes and had them lying the back of the pickup, extending well beyond the bed extender. The canes averaged 30 feet, with the last 6 feet having noticeably more flex. I could safely and legally haul 16 foot lengths, but I just couldn't imagine needing 16 foot canes. On the other hand, I have some 10' canes that are too short for green bean teepees. Needing to make a decision in the field I concluded that cutting 6 feet off the tip, then cutting the remaining 24 feet in half would give me plenty of length to work with. I could always trim them shorter, but couldn't make them longer. Furthermore, I reasoned if I got some rotting on the end I could trim it off and still use the canes again in the future. I'm not married to 12 feet, and it really didn't seem that long lying in the back of the pickup.

Tripods do seem to make more sense than singles. I'll have to see how much more time I can find to harvest bamboo. Additionally, I'll check further into the Florida weave.

Assuming I go with tripods, does anyone have a favorite knot they use to secure the top?

Thanks for responding to my questions,
Seedmama

I was able to find some info on the Florida weave. Although I think the three cane teepee would be the way to go, I seriously doubt I'll be able to get enough bamboo in time. It is therefore looking like the FV will be the method of choice. Thanks for letting me know about it.

I have some good size sticks of #6 rebar. I think I'll put them outside of the outside canes to help provide further support on the ends.

Now I've got to decide the best option for twine. I have nylon masonry twine which I use for pole beans to climb. I wonder if cotton or jute might be better for the FV. I'm off to look, but please feel free to offer further suggestions. I really appreciate the wisdom.

The real upside to the FV is that after a spring of using the post hole diggers, I won't need an upper body work out at the gym. And while I don't have a stairmaster, trips up and down the ladder should eliminate any future need for one. Can you say Sam's Club ibuprofen?

Thanks,
Seedmama

I also wanted to say thanks for addressing a question that doubt has been beaten to death over the years. Unfortunately, when I do a search all relevant threads show up as Missing File. It's a real shame, as the first sentence of each thread leads me to believe there's some good information in there. Thanks for the patience.

You might want to try the following approach I developed for staking with bamboo poles. Using a fine drill bit, drill five or six holes spaced down one side of each pole in a straight line. Now, screw regular cup hooks in each hole. Set up/install bamboo tripods, cup hook sides to the outside, wiring the three poles together at the top. Secure a light weight roping to the top of each tripod and then work the rope around each tripod twisting it around each cup hook to the bottom, tying the rope to the a bottom cup hook. This takes a few minutes to assemble, but makes a secure cage that lasts for several years and is easy to store. Errant branches are then easy to control by securing them to the rope with single wrap velcro. I have used this method for years.

nandina,
any pics? I think i have the idea but would like to be sure.

Dave? Nandina?

I put my tripods in place a few weeks ago, but am still unsure how I'm going to support the main stem. Can you offer any pics of using tripods?

For main stem support, I like to use those metal things (dunno what they're called) that are about 2 feet long and have a ring on top with a space in it for you to slide stem into. Not the best description, I know. lol...here's a pic of one. You can see the end of them (ring or whatever) about even with the first circle on the cages. Of course, with these, you need to get them in place as soon as viable so you don't damage roots, as the closer you can put the soil end to the stem, the better the support. These plants, once they start to exceed the top of the cages, will also get some type of additional support (probably via more bamboo stakes...not sure yet).

Still hoping for a pic of tripods.

I'm wondering if I'm going to be able to start tieing off to all 3 legs in a while, or hang a string from the top like my beans?