Post your garden pictures and tricks here

[Bird]

I, too, used cages for my tomatoes. The best ones were ones I made with concrete reinforcing wire and I did cut off the bottom horizontal wire so I could push the vertical wires into the ground. That usually worked well enough, but as has been said, a strong wind would push them over unless I added some stakes. I've used wooden stakes, simply because I had a lot of surplus 1 x 2s, and I've used concrete rebar for stakes. I put two stakes just inside each cage 180 degrees apart. And of course the plants grew huge and grew out through the cages. The first Fall, I had quite a time trying to pull the cages loose from the plants to store the cages for the next year, but the second year I found an easy solution to that. I just went around each one with a machete and chopped off the stuff sticking out of the cages, then they were easy to pick straight up off what was left of the plants.

 

[Bird]

I, too, used cages for my tomatoes. The best ones were ones I made with concrete reinforcing wire and I did cut off the bottom horizontal wire so I could push the vertical wires into the ground. That usually worked well enough, but as has been said, a strong wind would push them over unless I added some stakes. I've used wooden stakes, simply because I had a lot of surplus 1 x 2s, and I've used concrete rebar for stakes. I put two stakes just inside each cage 180 degrees apart. And of course the plants grew huge and grew out through the cages. The first Fall, I had quite a time trying to pull the cages loose from the plants to store the cages for the next year, but the second year I found an easy solution to that. I just went around each one with a machete and chopped off the stuff sticking out of the cages, then they were easy to pick straight up off what was left of the plants.

 

[billbill1]

Mike, this is how I do my maters, concrete wire cut and tied on the 13th square. Has always worked good for me and it holds the plants up nicely. I use 3 J-stakes about a foot long shoved into the ground in 3 evenly spaced areas around the cage. and I mulch the ground with grass clippings to keep moisture in and weeds down.

 

[billbill1]

Mike, this is how I do my maters, concrete wire cut and tied on the 13th square. Has always worked good for me and it holds the plants up nicely. I use 3 J-stakes about a foot long shoved into the ground in 3 evenly spaced areas around the cage. and I mulch the ground with grass clippings to keep moisture in and weeds down.

 

[Bird]

I cut my roll of wire in two, so my cages were only half as tall as yours. And I never used grass clippings for a couple of reasons; didn't have a grass catcher or need or want one for my lawn mower, and didn't want to get any grass seeds in the garden. But I had a couple of farmer friends who gave me big round bales of oat straw; made great mulch around the plants, and of course got tilled in at the end of the season.

 

[Bird]

I cut my roll of wire in two, so my cages were only half as tall as yours. And I never used grass clippings for a couple of reasons; didn't have a grass catcher or need or want one for my lawn mower, and didn't want to get any grass seeds in the garden. But I had a couple of farmer friends who gave me big round bales of oat straw; made great mulch around the plants, and of course got tilled in at the end of the season.

 

[PineRidge]

Glad this thread was started, I've already learned a new trick. Think I'm going to use the concrete wire cages and since I already have rebar, I'll use it for anchoring the cages.

When you guys use this cage method do you still spend the time to pull the suckers or let the plants grow as is, training them up the cages all the while?

 

[PineRidge]

Glad this thread was started, I've already learned a new trick. Think I'm going to use the concrete wire cages and since I already have rebar, I'll use it for anchoring the cages.

When you guys use this cage method do you still spend the time to pull the suckers or let the plants grow as is, training them up the cages all the while?

 

[DocHeb]

I've used concrete reinforcement wire cages for five years and have had great success with them. For the determinate tomatoes do not pinch off any suckers - you want to have as many buds set as the plant will try to develop all at one time. For indeterminate tomatoes sucker control will give larger, better shaped fruits.

The CRW can also be used to support cucumbers - it keeps the fruit cleaner, keeps the slugs away, and makes it easier to pick. I just lean the wire cage back about 15 degrees and the cukes just hang down.

 

[DocHeb]

I've used concrete reinforcement wire cages for five years and have had great success with them. For the determinate tomatoes do not pinch off any suckers - you want to have as many buds set as the plant will try to develop all at one time. For indeterminate tomatoes sucker control will give larger, better shaped fruits.

The CRW can also be used to support cucumbers - it keeps the fruit cleaner, keeps the slugs away, and makes it easier to pick. I just lean the wire cage back about 15 degrees and the cukes just hang down.