Cage 'em or Stake 'em

Tomatoes, do you use cages or do you stake them? I've mostly used the round wire cages out of convenience. 2 years ago I staked for the first time. With my soil, it didn't work all that well, they just fell over. I have raised beds now, so I don't think that will happen.

I really don't want to buy a bunch of cages. Not quite sure when/how to tie to stakes.

Last time I grew tomatoes, I had just read a book about square foot gardening. So I wrapped some stucco wire around stakes...building the cage (not the commercial type) around 3 tomato indeterminate vine plants.

Wow,did they fight it out and I had skedoodles of tomatoes.

Only thing, I had watered from the top and sporadically and my tomatoes split.

Now, I finally have a veggie garden and I threw 3 plants in, unstaked and uncaged.

The deer gave them a haircut.

I have to get to the hardware store for stucco wire, soon! (stucco wire as the grids are larger and you can fit your hand through)

So, right now, I'll stay a fan of caging.

caging seems to work better for us.

Ours are caged.  I don't have enough faith in my fabrication skills to believe I can build something worthwhile from scratch.

Why would you cage them?  Are they trying to get away?

Last year my indeterminate tomatoes grew to about 6 feet. I have raised beds and use cages and a HUGE stake per cage, to keep them from toppling the cages.

Cages.  Build your own.  Look for materials at hardware store, cheaper and sturdier and will last longer.

I use both, like buggy mine get pretty big in the raised beds. I cage and stake the cage with a really tall 'grade stake' to tie these monsters up with as they grow taller than the cage. I use cut up panty hose to tie with, They have a bit of give and are gentle on the plants.

I built a trellis over the bed and staked a length of twine vertically for each plant.  As the plants grow I wrap the plants around the twine.  2 x 2's work great for the trellis- and it only costs a few bucks to make. 

Try a nylon trellis net - I have a 8'x5' frame made of electrical conduit with the net tied across it - someone else mentioned Mel Bartholomew's "Square Foot Gardening," it is the type of trellis described in the book (there's great directions for building one).  Works like a charm.  I have 8 tomato plants on it this year, and I'm building a second one for cucumbers, gourds and mini-pumpkins.

I let mine roam.  They always come back.

(The pumpkins, obviously, were a different story.)

Original Post by feralfern:

I use both, like buggy mine get pretty big in the raised beds. I cage and stake the cage with a really tall 'grade stake' to tie these monsters up with as they grow taller than the cage. I use cut up panty hose to tie with, They have a bit of give and are gentle on the plants.

I always used to do that. Now I never use panty hose, but I might still have some old ones in a drawer.

Original Post by luzd:

I built a trellis over the bed and staked a length of twine vertically for each plant.  As the plants grow I wrap the plants around the twine.  2 x 2's work great for the trellis- and it only costs a few bucks to make. 

This would be very easy for me to do. I made my raised beds out of stacked concrete blocks, 2 high. So the posts of the trellis could easily fit in the holes. Two of the beds are dedicated to tomatoes.

Original Post by lostpumpkins:

I let mine roam.  They always come back.

 

 

 

(The pumpkins, obviously, were a different story.)

Ha!=)

Original Post by lostpumpkins:

I let mine roam.  They always come back.

 

 

 

(The pumpkins, obviously, were a different story.)

Yep, if you really love them then you'll set them free.

I'm staking them this year. I already have the stakes. It's a frugal year. I'll report back later.