OT Six tomato plant cages the CORRECT WAY

[John Kuthe]

Six tomato plants, six tomato plant cages the CORRECT WAY!

https://i.postimg.cc/HWJMTkvH/Six-tomato-cages-2-4-27-2020.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/mDkbNh1r/Six-tomato-cages-1-4-27-2020.jpg

Cage 'em when young, it's much easier :-)

John Kuthe...

[Taxed and Spent]

You leave the labels on, so you can return them to the store after harvest?

[John Kuthe]

No, because there's no REASON to remove them!

John Kuthe...

[Gary]

You planted tomatoes way too close together and they should be
planted in the middle, not so close to the porch wall.
Since you just planted them yesterday, now is the time to
dig them up and replant. What you have there won't produce
much.

You have 6 plants. I suggest 3 on each side of your porch steps.
Or at least use all of one side.

[U.S. Janet B.]

You spent a lot of money on cages that are going to tip over as the
tomatoes grow. The cages are narrower at the bottom. You better run
a stake in the ground to attach to each cage. Those cages are for
lightweights like flowers.
Janet US

[John Kuthe]

They are now in tomato plant cages! My father made chicken wire cages for his tomato plants one year, and we had more tomatoes than we knew what to do with! None birdie or squirrel ate too!

And here's what's across the front!

https://i.postimg.cc/90C3P5tJ/Stage-Right-plantings-4-27-2020.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/LXzKZ6fJ/Stage-Left-Plantings-4-27-2020.jpg

I work WITH Mother Gaia, not against! Unlike most humans!

John Kuthe...

[Dave Smith]

Cages like that work for me. If the plants grow well they tend to spread
out evenly, or you can move the stems and hook then on the other side to
balance them.

[U.S. Janet B.]

I guess I hadn't considered folks that grow small tomato plants. My
plants grow 5 feet then drape over the sides of the cage and back
down. I use concrete reinforcing wire. I grow indeterminate tomato
plants.
Janet US

[graham]

I put cages around my French tarragon plants. This keeps them nicely
bunched even after the hail-storms we always get.

[Gary]

"U.S. Janet B." wrote:
> I guess I hadn't considered folks that grow small tomato plants. My
> plants grow 5 feet then drape over the sides of the cage and back
> down.

True. Last time I grew tomatoes they grew that high. I didn't use
cages but tall stakes and tied off stems with cloth strips. Only
6 plants in a small area but I ended up getting more than we
could eat for a month or two. Roughly about 14 per day.

I really miss a garden. Growing in pots just isn't the same
at all.

[Sheldon Martin]

On Mon, 27 Apr 2020 10:49:22 -0600, U.S. Janet B. <J...@nospam.com>

wrote:

>On Mon, 27 Apr 2020 12:40:38 -0400, Dave Smith
><adavid...@sympatico.ca> wrote:
>
>>On 2020-04-27 12:19 p.m., U.S. Janet B. wrote:
>>> On Mon, 27 Apr 2020 08:24:43 -0700 (PDT), John Kuthe
>>> <johnk...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Six tomato plants, six tomato plant cages the CORRECT WAY!
>>>>
>>>> https://i.postimg.cc/HWJMTkvH/Six-tomato-cages-2-4-27-2020.jpg
>>>>
>>>> https://i.postimg.cc/mDkbNh1r/Six-tomato-cages-1-4-27-2020.jpg
>>>>
>>>> Cage 'em when young, it's much easier :-)
>>>>
>>>> John Kuthe...
>>>
>>> You spent a lot of money on cages that are going to tip over as the
>>> tomatoes grow. The cages are narrower at the bottom. You better run
>>> a stake in the ground to attach to each cage. Those cages are for
>>> lightweights like flowers.
>>
>>Cages like that work for me. If the plants grow well they tend to spread
>>out evenly, or you can move the stems and hook then on the other side to
>>balance them.
>>
>I guess I hadn't considered folks that grow small tomato plants. My
>plants grow 5 feet then drape over the sides of the cage and back
>down. I use concrete reinforcing wire. I grow indeterminate tomato
>plants.
>Janet US

I doubt he needs cages where he lives, if there are no deer around
cages are just a pain to keep rearanging the plants, and make
harvesting more difficult... typically the tomatoes grow too large to
grab and pull your hand and tomato through the cage openings. We have
lots of deer here so our garden is totally fenced, for the tomatoes we
use what are known as grape stakes, a wooden stake that supports the
plant, tied loosely to the stake with strips of cloth. Not expensive
and lasts for maybe 30 years... good for staking all kinds of
plants... perhaps today $5 each, we paid $2 fifteen years ago. They
also have many other uses, we use one in the track to secure our
sliding patio door. They are far easier to store than cages. They
also don't bend out of shape and collapse under the weight of
tomatoes. We got rid of our cages years ago. On a hot sunny day the
metal cages get burning hot and will damage your plants.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Greenes-96-in-x-Wood-Tree-Stake/3341846

[John Kuthe]

I saved them from year to year, so they are reusable. I spread the 3 "legs" of each out and drove them into the Gardenbed 6 or so inches around each of my tomato "staking" them into the dirt, so I do not think they are going anywhere!

And they are Pinkish/Purple and function very well, so well worth the money!

John Kuthe...

[U.S. Janet B.]

On Mon, 27 Apr 2020 14:53:44 -0400, Sheldon Martin <penm...@aol.com>

this is what I use rolled into a 36 inch cylinder.
https://tinyurl.com/y7462kj3
The wire never has a chance to get hot because the wire is shaded by
abundant plant growth. The opening is large enough to pull your hand
and a tomato through the space. No tying of the plants required. It
never has rusted in 20 years. You cut the bottom horizontal wire
between the vertical wire and you have verticals to push into the soil
to stabilize the cage. I use them for tomatoes and cucumbers. Both
kinds of plants fill the cage to overflowing. The cages keep the
fruit from sunburn and keep cucumbers straight and keep the fruit from
laying on the ground and getting dirty and being a taste treat for
insects and worms.
Janet US

[itsjoan...@webtv.net]

I didn't know there was an incorrect way to place them into the ground
unless it was the choice of pink that has me scratching my head.

[GM]

Is THAT where you BURN your RUBBISH...!!!???

GAWD...!!!

--
Best
Greg

[John Kuthe]

I had been using them upside down before! They came with no instructions, so...I learn from my mistakes though! :-)

And my fave colors are pink and purple, as in the many sunrises I saw in the 1980's when I worked in a donut shop and we had a south facing pass thru to the front window I could look East from! :-) Mother Gaia paints with the best colors!

John Kuthe...

[John Kuthe]

It's COMPOST you asshole!

John Kuthe...

[Terry Coombs]

Hey , I do too ! On both counts , rewire cages and indeterminate
tomatoes .  My cages are about 24" diameter and a full 5 feet tall . Did
you cut the wire off one end of yours so you'd have prongs to shove into
the ground ?

--
Snag
Yes , I'm old
and crochety - and armed .
Get outta my woods !

[Terry Coombs]

On 4/27/2020 1:53 PM, Sheldon Martin wrote:
> I doubt he needs cages where he lives, if there are no deer around
> cages are just a pain to keep rearanging the plants, and make
> harvesting more difficult...

  Alright everybody , the great and powerful Sheldumb has spoken ! You
must immediately crush and bury your tomato cages and buy stakes ! Many
stakes , big stakes ! Buy them now , because the cage police will have
drones in the air and they WILL find you ! And BURN you at the ... stake !

[Terry Coombs]

  Damn girl , that's quarter inch steel rod ! Did you have to have a
shop roll it into cylinders ? I sure couldn't do it with what I have in
my shop , and I gots lotsa tools . .

[U.S. Janet B.]

On Mon, 27 Apr 2020 17:29:56 -0500, Terry Coombs <snag...@msn.com>
wrote:

I didn't look at the thickness only at the dimensions of the squares.
Sorry. But you get what I mean. The stuff that I got 20 years ago
doesn't appear to be readily available these days. The cages are
sturdy though. My husband did them for me after we had tried turkey
wire which was too flimsy

[John Kuthe]

No, the tops ARE prongs! I was using them upside down! But I learned!

John Kuthe...

[Terry Coombs]

I see , sometimes the little details escape us . My cages are concrete
re wire with 6" spacing . The wires are less than an eighth inch thick
and it was fun unrolling it and getting it set up to weld . I've had
them for a few years now , looks like they'll outlast me .

[Bruce]

On Mon, 27 Apr 2020 22:30:39 -0500, Sqwertz <sqwe...@gmail.invalid>
wrote:

>He paid $78/each for those custom fuscia tomato cages. Damned right
>he's gonna leave the price tags on them for bragging rights.

Thanks, Sqwertz, that was very informative.

[Cindy Hamilton]

The pink is a requirement. It has to clash badly with the brick.

Cindy Hamilton

[Sheldon Martin]

On Mon, 27 Apr 2020 22:27:43 -0500, Sqwertz <sqwe...@gmail.invalid>
wrote:

>Man, you sure bent the shit out of a couple of those. They really
>kicked your ass, eh? |

They bent because those are the cheapo thin wire ones... and really
too small for tomatoes. Would also be wise to place empty milk
cartons around each plant before the cut worms find them. And those
tomato plants likely won't get full sun all day so close to the house,
plus planted close to masonary the sun will heat the masonary and the
radient heat will cook those tomato plants.

>Wait.. What happened to the $12,899 fushia paint job on the porch -
>Did it wash away already? And why three extension cords running god
>knows where. How much did that "professional" job cost you? Same guy
>that did the paint job?
>
>-sw