Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Tomato Cages

market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Market Farming

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "MAsteveINE" <MAsteveINE AT 207me.com>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Tomato Cages
  • Date: Sat, 5 Mar 2011 09:59:18 -0500

 
I removed the center wire (cutting against that wire) from the roll of re-wire leaving two foot strips wirh
 
the stubs attached. Then cut pieces at the 14 th wire with stubs left to lock it into a circle, the stubs left
 
at the bottom make excellent anchors into the ground.
 
Then with 3" wide 4 mil poly and 6d box mails used just like common pins in sewing we covered the
 
cages leaving the excess poly at the top. Like "cloches" these went out with early tuffies
 
like broccoli and cabbage, until time to set tomatoes and peppers. (Mostly 2 plants per cage)
 
The extra poly can be opened and closedas the weather warrents, poly was removed
 
entirely +- mid June.
 
 
Experience here was that support for tomatoes was only to keep fruits from touching the ground
 
and these 2 foot higth cages  did that very well, much sturdier than the garden store cages.
 
 
Five foot high tomato cages were a horrible PITA , most were choped in half right there in the middle of their
 
maiden season. Here at 45 north our season was short enough that a tomato blossom was useless
 
after early August  so I used to do a severe pruning then just to make harvest easier, the only vine
 
management we did all season.
 
 
Those 40 acres of new glass house near here are making an almost good fruit which is the
 
markets retailing below the wholesale I was getting; so I am mostly happy I did not put in the
 
co-generation facility that was looking so promising 10 years ago.
 
 
MAsteveINE
 
 
 
 
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
 
 
 

>To: "market-farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
>
>I am going to make some new cages for indeterminate tomatoes out of concrete wire.  If you use cages, what diameter are you using?
>Mac
>_______________________________________________



Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page