I'm no expert, but last year a lot of my toms toppled their cages.

This year, I'm topping them when they get to the top of the cages and also pinching some suckers.

The fruit looks good and lots of it, but none yet ripe. I can't wait. :)

Yet another reason why I gave up using stakes years ago and use CRW and 6' fencing cages. Then they can grow as tall as they want, drape back down over the tops of the cages and no problems even with tall plants. With them you can still prune - if you want to, I don't. Florida weave and draping is the next best option I have ever found.

Dave

I've had some luck placing another stake a few inches away and training the vines to wind down that second stake. This works better with cherries and spindly-vined varieties, not with the thicker ones like brandywine or big boy. They did grow fast this year!

I'm so jealous. I've never had a tomato plant outgrow a 5-foot stake driven a foot into the ground. I'm in Maine (zone 5) and got my seedlings in the ground a month before frost date - still they are only about 3 feet tall at best.

You are in Toronto (zone 5-6) and you already have huge plants overgrowing their stakes. I'm very impressed. Please, PLEASE, tell me what is the secret of your amazing success? Fred

Here in Loveland, OH I have 6 foot cages with all my tomatoes, heirlooms and hybrids, at the top of the wire by the 4th of July. The heirlooms are currently at at ~7.5 feet and with the first heavy rain will fall back to the height of the cage. As long as the tomatoes are spaced adequately there will be no problem. Spacing is the key to this issue!

I use Texas Tomato Cages which are five feet when all-the-way into the ground.

I add two (2) two foot extensions when required.

That is a NINE foot tall cage.

John

I think that Craig Lehoullier said that he just lets his fall back down once they outgrow the top of the stakes. I top mine off when fruit get as high as I can tie them off, and I let a lower sucker develop, but the ones I grow staked are close together and not for high production, so they are heavily pruned.

"8-foot bamboo"

1. How much of that 8 ft is underground?

2. Use 10 ft rebar which has a sales price around $2.50 each.

You already answered 1.

I know it's been discussed before, but I don't think there was ever any real resolution; does the rebar leach anything into the soil once it starts to rust?

Yes it has been discussed before and the consistent response was it poses no threat. Rebar is composed of carbon, iron, and iron oxide (rust) - all normal elements found in the soil.

If rust were a threat then all of us who have used our rusty old CRW cages for so many years have a real problem. ;)

Dave

Yeah, I was noticing the rusty CRW too. :P Next year, I think I may go that route. Stakes are too much of a pain in my a*s, rebar or not.

I am trying something different this year. dont know if this method has a "name" or not. I have stout stakes at the ends of each row, long rows would also require one or more stakes in the middle. I tie twine onto each end, and weeave it around the plants, tying tightly to the other end. Then I weave another string going the opposite way around the plants. As they grow, more strings are added higher up, "fencing" in the plants. It's working so far, but my plants are only about 4' tall now, as I got a real late start.

Yep, it has a name - Florida Weave. Used by many and generally works well. There are some great pics of it in some of the posts here. Search 'florida weave' if you want to take a look at them.

You are right, in long rows additional poles are needed. ;) I had some 20 left-over plants and not enough cages for them this year so I rigged up a long FW row for them and set 6' T-posts every 3rd plant (every 6' or so). Working great so far but like yours, mine are still only about 3-4' tall. I think I still prefer my CRW cages though. ;)

Dave