Looks terrific! I'll bet they hold up well. Do let us know.

Jean L.

fearlessem

That is certainly a neat system! The pole across the top with the crossed poles resting on the earth will keep everything stable and strong if they're set well in and secured, which you said you did. I think that support will be very attractive when the tomatoes cover it, and it's kinda' cute right now.

Next, ya gotta' mulch, and you'll be all set. Sit back and watch 'em grow!

how do you tie them up.

This is a very beautiful staking idea. Looks good and functional.

Not meaning to rain on your parade. I think there may be a structural issue you need to consider. I cannot see too clearly from your pictures; but it seems to me that the row of stakes is lacking stability lengthwise. In a high wind the entire row may collapse. It is not difficult to cross-brace the stakes along the longitudinally to avoid this possibility.

dcarch

Thanks for the pictures. How deep are the poles set into the ground? I would think that they should be at least a foot deep or a high wind may blow your contraption over. From your pcture, I don't see the "fence wire to tie it all together".

It doesn't look like the poles are set in the ground at all. I can't imagine them holding up in 50+mph winds.

Is this the first year doing it?

Hard to believe that the tomatoes will evenly and equally grow on the poles for weight. I just see one leaning and the rest following.

very interesting though for sure. Thanks for sharing!

Please update us with pics when maters grow!!

Hi folks -

The stakes are set into the ground around 8 inches, and the cross piece running the length on the top makes the whole thing feel very sturdy -- certainly *much* more sturdy than my single stakes were last year, so I figure it has to be an improvement, wind or not. Our soil is so rocky that I can't get things down much deeper than that without great effort, and the 8-10 inches just isn't nearly deep enough for single stakes, as I found out last year!

The fence wire is what I used to tie the poles together -- If you look at the top picture all the way on the right, you can just make out the wire wrapped around the bundles of poles keeping them cinched in.

As for tying them up, when the plants get larger the main stem will be getting closer to the two poles -- I am planning on tying the main stem to each of the poles (sort of the way people have two stakes to the side of young trees and tie them around each to hold them straight), and then using the poles to tie up major stems as well. Again, last year my stakes never wound up being right next to the main stem, so I don't think this should be any worse, and with more branch available to tie things to, figure it should be better for supporting branches that are heavy with fruit!

This is my first year with this method, and I'll be sure to take more pictures as the season progresses!

Emily

That is what I have been trying to figure out how to do so I can have taller stakes. That way I can keep the bottoms of the plants bare and not have to pinch out tops as soon. It would also shade the ground and give me a place on north side for summer lettuce. Maybe you should put up a tall fence post at each end. This looks like you could cover for the early frosts in winter.

This is what my grandfather used to do.

If you whack down plants like willow in mid May and allow them to grow back out over the summer, they will get nice straight shoots one can use next year.

I have been thinking about planting bamboo along the banks downstream from my house. The problem is bamboo is expensive here. Been trying to find someone I can get a few shoots for them.

I used to see large fields of these in the mountains of NC for pole beans (greasy beans).

I consider cages are the only way...

fearlessem Quote:
"Our soil is so rocky that I can't get things down much deeper than that without great effort, and the 8-10 inches just isn't nearly deep enough for single stakes, as I found out last year!"

If digging down 8 inches is such a task I'm curious how your tomato and pepper plants grow?

5 years ago we grew beans and cucumbers on a trellis like that using bamboo stakes and my son lashed them together at the top with string and just run a string instead of poles across the top of them.

You can see it in this photo: 2 bare ones next to one that is green right up to the top. As you can see they climb up the teepees pretty good.

Sunsi -- Actually, I was amazed -- I really didn't think anything was going to grow in our rocky soil last year, but with a scoop of well rotted manure in each tomato planting hole, I got gobs and gobs and gobs of tomatoes -- almost all heirloom varieties, and huge plants that toppled many of the single stakes I put in.

Kubota -- yup -- I have bean teepees made with these sumac poles I'm using for the tomatoes -- I just use slightly thinner ones for the bean poles and stronger ones for the tomatoes. They work great -- have never tried growing cukes up a trellis though!

Emily