Saturday, July 19, 2008

Staking Tomatoes

In my 25+ years as a gardener, I believe that I’ve tried every possible way to stake my tomatoes. Wooden stakes eventually break and/or rot, so that’s like throwing money away. My plants get too big for tomato cages and fall over. Bamboo tripods work great and look beautiful, but if you grow as many tomato plants as I do, that can get pretty pricey.
Several years ago I staked my tomatoes with metal fence posts. They are perfect and range in size from four feet (one meter) up. They don’t fall over, not even in August when the plants are heavy with fruit. Plus, they’ll last a lifetime.
Whatever you decide to use, staking tomatoes increases the yield and cuts down on waste. And your local turtles can still reach the lower tomatoes on the plants.
Until next time.....