tomato spirals?

[hasshoes]

Has anyone here used them? I did a search and couldn't find anything

If I tied them up to ensure sturdiness, would they work?

They're 1/4 inch thick green metal, go one foot into the ground and go 5 feet up. I know a lot of 'maters get way taller than five feet, but my soil here is horrid (though I'll try to amend) and I'm a total newbie, so I'm thinking they won't grow too tall. Also, I live in cold New England! And at my first attempt at gardening (last year) I actually killed [the allegedly invasive] morning glories

I'm asking because a nearby closeout store that generally has good stuff has them on sale for only a dollar a piece!!!! Even if I trellis and use more than one a plant, I think this is cheaper than a cage, no?

[MikeInCypress]

I've never used them but at a buck a pop I would try them on some of my determinates.

MikeInCypress

[Rena]

Not good for tomatoes but good for peppers For a dollar I would get some, I have had mine for years and I use them for my pepper plants.

[feldon30]

They're normally $8 a piece. I'd grab a stack of them for $1 each even if they don't do all that well for tomatoes, for peppers they'd be perfect.

[Granny]

Haven't used them, but I saw colored ones in a catalog for $29.95 for a set of 4 or 5.

[gardenmaniac]

I have used them and use them for determinates and indeterminates . I only recommend using them for determinates . Just be diligent about wrapping them before the stems get too stiff. They would be fine for peppers too.

I use the plastic coated rebar found at HD as pepper stakes. So far they have lasted 10 years here in FL. They hold up well during tropical storm force winds. Hope to never give a report on Hurricane force winds.

I'm with everybody else, for a dollar each, they are worth buying. They are pretty too.

Tiffanie

[Tomatovator]

I asked about these on GW a month ago or so. I got several negative responses from people who had used them. As noted above I guess they are Ok for some plants but not real good for tomatoes. I really wanted to make them work but I got enough discouragement to change my support method. If you are getting them real cheap maybe you could use 2 or 3 per plant.

[pooklette]

Originally Posted by hasshoes

...and I'm a total newbie, so I'm thinking they won't grow too tall. Also, I live in cold New England!

I've never tried the tomato spirals but I just wanted to hop in here and say...don't sell yourself short just because you're a newby in a cooler zone. My very first year growing indeterminates (at my zone 5 location, no less), I had no clue what I was doing but those plants got HUGE. They thrived despite me and reached about 8' before the first fall frost set in.

[lumierefrere]

As with most of these questions, it's best if you just try it for yourself. 1 of anything would not hold up any of my indeterminates. Rebar, 2x4s, buckets, everything goes out there to prop up these huge plants bending over from the weight of the fruit.

It all seems so manageable in June. Adorable plants about 2' tall, standing up nice and straight. 6 weeks later you need a machete to get to the end of the rows.

Experience is the best teacher.

[gardenmaniac]

I just let them (determinates) grow to the top and depending on the variety, it might "spill over", but who cares? At that point, most of the plant is off the ground. The big advanatage of cages here is that when there are high winds from severe thunderstorms, the large fruited varieties are less likely to tear themselves up when fruit laden.

Tiffanie

[geol]

Hasshoes, I've never tried them, but at that price, I don't think you could go too far wrong. (know anyone with a welder?)

[hasshoes]

Let me get this straight. . . so now I'm supposed to learn how to grow peppers too?

The only determinate I'm growing is Lime Green Salad and I've only had one seed germinate out of 40, so I'm not holding my breath!

Is there anyway I could make it work for an inderterminate?

Last year I joined a CSA that had pyo sungolds (I lost 15 pounds that summer!) and they were primarily just sprawling on two low strung strands of twine between far apart posts and did not have any production or disease probs. I read a post from Dr Carolyn somewhere that said that you don't have to stake plants to get tomatoes?

I was thinking for my cherries and currant types I could stake the main stem and then the main second and third stems that come out and then let the rest sprawl. . .would that work? (three spirals per plant?)

Could I use tons of heavy duty duct tape to combine two spirals if I taped like a foot's worth? I tried to find regular stakes at my local Home Depot, but they didn't have them or anything simular. . . and then the creepy guy asked me out on a date so I really don't want to go back!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks again!

[sirtanon]

One thing you could try if you can't find any 'proper' stakes would be to get the 1"x2"x8' boards that cost around $1.20 or so each work great. I get mine from Lowe's but Home Depot has them too. Keeps you out of the garden center, too!

[pooklette]

You don't absolutely have to stake or cage your plants but in my own personal experience, it just happens to work better if I do. I have had 2x4 stakes break under the weight of my plants before and just let them sprawl for the rest of the season. They still produced fruits, but the plants were SO massive laying down that they completely took over the garden. (Because I had spaced them for staking, not sprawling.) This resulted in a jungle full of fruits and leaves (many with slug holes, black splotches, etc.) I'm sure most of this could have been avoided if my plants were spaced out more and maybe if I'd used a different mulch that year, but alas...

Anyway, you don't HAVE to stake. Regarding the $1 tomato spirals, I would definitely buy some at that price although based on the fact that I know some of these plants can get huge, I probably would be very selective about which varieties I tried them on. Have you mentioned which varieties you're growing this year? I saw the Lime Green Salad but no mention of the others. Whatcha growing?

[feldon30]

Poor germination on Lime Green Salad could be poor quality seeds or any number of causes. One thing I would try is make sure for any cherry and other small-seeded varieties to drop the seeds on the surface of the soil and then arrange a few strands of peat moss on top of the seed. Just barely covered. Then water with a misting bottle every day or two.

I find cherry tomato seeds don't germinate as well as other tomato seeds if planted at the usual depth of 1/8-1/4".