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  • From: "Bill Shoemaker" <wshoemak AT inil.com>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Staking Tomatoes
  • Date: Fri, 2 Mar 2001 08:13:36 -0600


Just a comment on the stakes. Many growers are now using 1"x1" wood stakes
of honduran pine. This wood does not rot in the ground. It's very hard so it
hold's up under the pounding very well. I have some that are more than 10
years old and they look like they'll be holding up a lot longer. I believe
they're cheaper than steel and a lot easier to handle. Sourcing them may be
a little difficult but I know they're available from Monte Packaging in
Riverside, Michigan.

Bill Shoemaker
Sr Research Specialist, Food Crops
Univ of Illinois - St Charles Hort Research Center


-----Original Message-----
From: Marlin L Burkholder <gleneco1 AT juno.com>
To: Market Farming <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
Date: Thursday, March 01, 2001 11:02 PM
Subject: [market-farming] Staking Tomatoes


>
>Having read a number of recent posts concerning staking of tomatoes I
>have noted that some of them look like they might be labor intensive to
>set up and use more material than necessary. I have decided to share a
>bit about what works for me.
>
>I use what I call a modified Florida Weave system for my main crop which
>is seeded in mid March and transplanted in mid May. I plant a 2 1/2
>within row spacing and place stakes midway between two plants leaving two
>plants between stakes. This gives me 5' between stakes.
>At the row ends I drive a steel T post with the nubs facing into the row
>and drive another T post with the nubs pointing towards the ground at
>about a 45-60 degree angle so that the top of this post will notch under
>one of the nubs on the end post when the end post is bent back slightly.
>The resulting tension holds them together securely without the need for
>wire or any special connectors. This brace post can be an old broken T
>post that always breaks at ground level and can always be found lying
>around any farm.
>
>Beginning when the transplants are big enough to start falling over, I
>run a sissal baler twine (no plastic) about 6-8" above ground going first
>down one side of the row and then the other looping the twine around the
>stakes and pulling it comfortably tight at each stake. I never could
>make the weave work well so I just go straight from stake to stake making
>the loop so that the string always comes around to the outside of the
>stake on my side of the row. I repeat this process about once weekly
>leaving about 8" between strings until I get about 6 runs on or to the
>tops of the stakes, whichever comes first. I used to use 1" x 1" wooden
>line stakes but I have had trouble with them rotting and getting weak
>enough to break at ground level after a few season's use. All it takes
>is a few weak stakes and a brisk side wind to put a whole row down domino
>fashion. After several seasons running with this problem, I'm shifting
>over to using all steel T posts which can be bought locally for under
>$2.00 per post. With all the posts alike and no problems with bent
>stakes or uneven thicknesses, I can slap them in quickly with one
>homemade driver. When the crop is finished, I go down the rows, shearing
>the strings off the sides of the posts with a few whacks of a sharp
>machete. The essence of this system is the simplicity and speed of
>putting it up and taking it down.
>
>I plant mostly vigorous determinate early varieties seeded in mid
>February and transplant into black plastic a week or two before the
>average last frost date. I cover the row with bent 8' lengths of
>concrete reenforcing metal forming a 4' wide by 2' high tunnel over the
>row. If freezing weather threatens, I cover this with heavy duty
>reenforced row cover. When the danger of frost is past and the plants
>are beginning to push through the wire tunnel, I remove the row cover and
>allow them to grow upwards and to sprawl over the top of the wire. I
>like this system because it goes up fast, requires no mid season
>maintenance (tying and stringing) and the same amount of material
>required to make a tomato cage makes a 5' section of tunnel which
>supports two plants. When taken down the open sided pieces of wire can
>be stacked.
>
>Marlin Burkholder
>Glen Eco Farm
>from the central Shenandoah Valley of Virginia
>
>" Concerning most controversial issues, the truth is to be found
>somewhere between what the extremists on either end are shouting, and is
>usually spoken quietly and with conviction. It is up to us to find that
>truth and to act upon it."
>
>"'Truth' is 'truth' regardless of whether or not you, or I, or anyone
>else, will believe it."
>
>"Do not my friend, apply to me the labels 'conservative', 'moderate', or
>'liberal'. I only ask you to allow me the freedom to be conservative
>when I need to be conservative and to be liberal when I need to be
>liberal."
>
> (authors unknown)
>
>---
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