24 Tomato Cages, 24 Tomatoes to choose from
emmers_m
10 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (9)
labradors_gw
10 years agodigdirt2
10 years agoRelated Discussions
Gurney's Tomato Cages vs. Texas Tomato Cages.
Comments (39)Commercial growers worry about things like ease of harvest and uniformity of fruit size, and they tend to have much more intense disease pressures than hobby growers. People who cage generally just let the plant grow as it will. Pruning is reserved for dying or diseased leaves, aside from aggressive removal of leaves from the bottom of the plant to keep foliage away from the soil. Some people will prune off growing tips once the end of the season gets near in order to try to ripen up the fruits already on the plant before frost. Others don't bother and say it doesn't make much of a difference. Some will cut off the tops once the plant grows as tall as the cage, but others will let the vines flop over the top of the cage and continue to grow and hang down. Regardless, the leaves are where the plant produces the sugars and other nutrients that go into making the fruit, so there's some logic to the idea of keeping as much of the foliage as possible. Disease is what you have to weigh against that, so it's a balancing act. Length of growing season is also a consideration. Is there a point in letting a plant get huge and wild and produce a gazillion flowers and set a ton of fruit if you don't have the time for those fruit to mature before frost? Also, if you want to plant a lot of varieties but have insufficient space to let them all grow into huge, caged plants and are OK with a smaller harvest from each plant, you could prune enthusiastically and grow the plants closer together. It's really a matter of what your goals and needs are....See MoreGardener's 'Tomato Tower' vs. Texas Tomato Cages
Comments (5)Thanks, Johnny... the width is something I hadn't considered. I'm planting with 2' spacing so I think I'm going to get the 18" Texas Cages. I don't mind a little pruning but won't do anything near what i did last year. I was doing SFG and really pruned... didn't work for me so well and my friend in Oakland who just threw some maters in a box of American Soil had 8 foot plants that just produced all season non stop. I'm in Walnut Creek and with our heat out here I expected better results than I had and I was totally jealous of my easy-going friends success and here I was all detailed with the SFG approach and it was a total failure. Are your seedlings in yet? Do you plant anything other than tomatoes? (I'm also struggling a bit with how and when to plant my other veggies like squash, beans, chard, and still leave room in the garden to transition to things like broccoli for fall, etc.) I can't seem to find any reliable date from the master gardener program about when to plant things. Do you go by frost dates? And did you get that crazy hail a couple days ago? We did here, and now I realize why the proverbial "they" tells us not to plant maters too early. thanks for your help! -kmama...See MoreTomato Cage Size
Comments (41)Since we've got CRW cages, and PVC cages here, I was wondering if anyone has tried this: three or four bamboo sticks (say 5-6ft tall above ground) with galvanized steel wire hoops attached to them somehow every 10 or so inches up the poles. The wire would be that heavy guage, rust-free stuff you can buy in coils for like $6 or so. I have a lot of .5 in thick bamboo pools which I got for free. I am only going to plant about 4 or 5 indeterminant plants that would need these tall cages in my limited space, so I figured this was more cost-effective than buying a huge roll of remesh, or concrete remash mats for $7 each. Do you think that bamboo stakes with steel hoops attached would make a decent cage? If tying the hoops would be weak, maybe drilling holes in the bamboo and threading the wire through it? Then again, that might split the bamboo. Whatever, If it works out, I'll try to get some pics of these contraptions....See MoreTexas Tomato Cages: help me decide 20 or 24'
Comments (8)I haven't used the extensions myself but I read on one thread that they make the cage unstable, plus it is hard to reach tomatoes on the top of the cage without a ladder. Since the extensions cost half the price of a full two piece cage, and only add two feet, economically you might be better off buying complete cages and splitting them up and adding the bigger sections onto your existing cages if you really need a taller cage. That way you would be adding three feet instead of two. If you ask them when ordering, they will include a handfull of extra connectors that you could use for this purpose for free in the shipment. They already sent me some extra tubular connectors with my last order. Tell them you need them because the ones you have are getting rusty, and they do rust because they aren't galvanized on the inside....See Moresmithmal
10 years agoseysonn
10 years agoseysonn
10 years agosue_ct
10 years agoemmers_m
10 years agogigielle
8 years ago
Related Stories
EDIBLE GARDENSSummer Crops: How to Grow Tomatoes
Plant tomato seedlings in spring for one of the best tastes of summer, fresh from your backyard
Full StoryDECORATING GUIDESFrom Queasy Colors to Killer Tables: Your Worst Decorating Mistakes
Houzzers spill the beans about buying blunders, painting problems and DIY disasters
Full StoryDECORATING GUIDESStep Away From the Wallpaper: Why Decorating Risks Are Overrated
Want to find your signature style? Try staying inside your comfort zone
Full StoryKITCHEN DESIGNGet Ideas from 10 Kitchen Makeovers
Share your thoughts on gorgeous kitchen transformations from Boston to Bristol. Which is your favorite?
Full StoryFARM YOUR YARDHouzz Call: Home Farmers, Show Us Your Edible Gardens
We want to see where your tomatoes, summer squashes and beautiful berries are growing this summer
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESCalifornia Gardener's June Checklist
Update your hydrangeas, catch up on tomatoes and more ways to enjoy your California garden in June
Full StoryHOLIDAYSMerry Christmas From Homes on Houzz
Enjoy this look at homes decked out for the holidays, from all over the Houzz community
Full StoryEDIBLE GARDENSGarden BFFs? Why Your Vegetables Are Begging for Companion Plants
Foster friendships among plants for protection from pests, pollination support and color camaraderie
Full StoryGARDENING AND LANDSCAPINGWorld of Design: 10 Home Gardeners Show Us Their Sweet Summer Harvests
From New York to Tokyo, these gardeners have turned their yards, terraces and rooftops into places of bounty
Full StorySPRING GARDENINGSummer Crops: How to Grow Strawberries
Pluck your own sweet strawberries right from the garden vine for smoothies, salads or eating then and there
Full StoryColumbus Area's Luxury Design Build Firm | 17x Best of Houzz Winner!
BriAnDaren Ottawa, On Zone 5