Containers Growing ?

[Tomzhawaii]

Sir,
You have made my day.
Thank you.
Maybe that could make a good thread "Chance 'em ? Yea or nay ? "
Aloha

[Nan_PA_6b]

I've often used too-short cages. Vines grow up & out & down the outside.
Nan

[AlittleSalt]

Originally Posted by Tomzhawaii

Sir,
You have made my day.
Thank you.
Maybe that could make a good thread "Chance 'em ? Yea or nay ? "
Aloha

Absolutely "YEA" Aloha.

[Worth1]

Not to distract from Salt's containers thread.
Here is a tomato sliced from a container grown tomato with a modified cheap knife.
All hand cut serrations and very time consuming.
Worth
IMG_20180601_23823.jpg

[AlittleSalt]

Here are the pictures I promised. The first picture is of a cage that is exactly like the ones in use. Being cut like that makes it difficult to level them. The garden is on a slight slope. It drops 2" per 4'.

The second picture shows new larger cages waiting on me and time to put them to use. I will be adding 20" of caging to make up for the 15" tall buckets.

[Worth1]

How are you going to get your hands through the holes to collect tomatoes?

Worth

[mobiledynamics]

The reachover of course. One by one hand, until the tomato reaches the top of the container.

[AlittleSalt]

lol, you squeeeeeeeeeeze your hand in there and hope to get it back out

I haven't cut the picking holes yet. You clip the bars to the size opening you want and then file or grind the sharp edges.

[mobiledynamics]

ALS. I would clip as minimal as you can. Just cause the way those things are built, when you clip it, you may find the run is not as sound...can't find the right words on what I mean, but you're see what I mean when you say how it's laced ..

And or don't clip, and just get real good at the in/out/under/and over until you get each tomato past the top

[eyegrotom]

ALS I have used the same type of cages for a couple of years,I cut in the middle of the square and bent th 2 halfs in one down one up that way no need to grind or file. Mike

[mobiledynamics]

Bending won't run the integrity as much. But just be careful to not snag your self...

Off topic but I was stuggling with Feral Cats and their nightly popping. I got 1" chicken wire and every other vertical wire, I snipped and bent upwards. I did that on every alternating edge. I literally spent total of 20 hrs doing this very tedious process. OCD got the best of me.

When I laid it out, eventually the cats got the point.

[AlittleSalt]

Originally Posted by eyegrotom

ALS I have used the same type of cages for a couple of years,I cut in the middle of the square and bent th 2 halfs in one down one up that way no need to grind or file. Mike

I have used the cages for years too. Bending would be easier than grinding. Good idea, thank you.

[HudsonValley]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

Early Prolific Straightneck Squash. Here's a link with a little info and a picture https://www.rareseeds.com/early-prol...ghtneck-squas/

Thanks; that'll go at the top of my 2019 list!

[AlittleSalt]

We have some squash that will be ready to pick soon. I'll let you know our opinions of it.

[AlittleSalt]

There is something about the container garden that I find kind of different. I haven't sprayed bug control (Garden Safe) mostly because there are a lot of Daddy Long Legs spiders on the plants. (Pholcus phalangioides) I haven't seen any signs of any type of bug damage on the plants. I'm wondering if the spiders are keeping them under control? What is really odd is so far no squash bugs. We usually have them by the hundreds it seems. If the spiders are keeping the bugs at bay, I don't want to spray and kill the spiders too.

Then again, maybe the 4-18-38 / 15.5-0-0 Calcium Nitrate / Magnesium Sulfate mix puts off a smell that bugs don't like? That would be excellent. If it does, I can't smell it.

__________________________________________________ _________________________

The in-ground garden is a different story altogether. There's bug damage, and several of the non-super hybrids are about to die. I noticed while watering tonight that one tomato plant already has. Tomorrow is forecasted to be the hottest day of the year so far 104F with the heat index above 110F.