Wrought iron will last for 100 years if you keep it painted ! However, the comparable price versus treated pine will probably be a 'shocker'.

This Forum is primarily for IDing sources for heirloom flowers and veggies, etc., and not for culture, growing methods, etc., which occurs in the Forums devoted to them. Is what I wrote above and in no way was I being mean or nasty or contrary, as has been suggested, but not in so many words. I was making a suggestion that I thought would give maximum input to the poster, which I see as being paramount. Those of you who know me know that I spend untold hours answering questions in the tomato forum as well as here and almost alone I answer the disease questions in the tomato pest and disease forum. When I first got to GW I too came here to this Forum since my major interest was heirloom veggies. But when I came here I looked at the kind of threads being posted and saw that none were about culture of heirlooms. I was also told that culture questions were handled in the various forums and I found that to be true. Yes, for discussion of heirloom plants as cited above, as in where can I find seeds for this or that variety, or where can I find plants of this or that Dianthus or whatever. And since I knew there were several threads about staking/supporting tomatoes already in the tomato forum I thought, and still think, it was the place to refer someone to before those threads scrolled off. Any person posting deserves to get the most input possible about questions, and many more toamto growers post in the tomato forum than read/post here, for over time, and before I came to GW, heirloom tomatoes, and now I mean ALL aspects, have been discussed in the main Forum. And maximum input means that when someone e-mails me directly for information I ask them to post publically. That's b/c GW is a public message forum and all questions and answers should be posted publically. No one person knows everything, so the goal is to get as many responses/thread as possible. I haven't felt very good reading the criticism that some of you have directed my way, but so be it. plsgorw, it seems to me I've answered some stuff for you in the Tomato Forum already, or perhaps you did e-mail me at home and I suggested you post publically for greater input. Yes? And I will continue to help you and other folks as I already have when I feel I have something to add that hasn't been already said. After posting here at GW for several years I've been able to transmit a lot of what I know about heirloom tomatoes and I see that others to whom I passed on that info are now using it in answering others. And that's the way it should be. So each year now, I expect to post less and less and let information be continued to be passed on. if growing about 2000 varieties of heirloom tomatoes has taught me anything, it's taught me that the best thing I can do with that info is to continue with my SSE membership to distribute new varieties, I don't know if I'll continue with my seed distributions here at GW where I've already distributed over 300 varieties, and most importantly, to pass along information on all aspects of tomatoes that I've learned from my research and my growing of them. Carolyn, who has been growing tomatoes for about 55 years, was raised on a farm and still grows the majority of her tomatoes by sprawling except when she's waiting for a quad muscle tear to heal and expecting a hip replacement will be necessary for her to walk again. And I'm waiting now and going on month six in the walker with possible surgery in the Fall.

I've used metal pipe to stake tomatoes for five years and never had any problems. It lasts forever and is fairly inexpensive, in fact it's downright cheap when compared with having to replace wooden stakes every year or two. It never splits when you're pounding it into the ground, a couple of pushes back and forth to loosen it in the fall doesn't break it, and it doesn't rot away at ground level. All in all, I much prefer it to any other stakes I've used over the years.

Alamo5000, I like majac777's idea which is a variation of your idea. The one trouble with trying to lift the panels after the tomato plants are already growing in them besides being awkward to do would be that a lot of the branches would get broken. My idea would be a variation of both of your ideas. Instead of using posts I would use 8x8x16 inch cement blocks stood on end to raise the concrete reinforcing mesh 16 inches above the ground. Let the tomatoes grow up to it and then just let them sprawl on top of the mat 16 inches above the ground. You would have the ease and higher production of sprawling tomatoes without the rot and insect damage you get if tomatoes touch the ground. At the end of the season just roll the mesh up and stack the cement blocks in the corner.