[QUOTE=Cole_Robbie;602207]I go through one of these every year:
[url]http://www.ruralking.com/country-road-20-000-foot-polypropylene-baler-twine-rbt110.html[/url]

Synthetic is best for long runs because it won't sag. I think next year I am going to use natural twine for my short pieces to tie up vines, because it biodegrades and makes less of a mess. Synthetic never goes anywhere. Every little piece dropped on the ground stays there for years.[/QUOTE]

I experimented with that this year. It worked fine until late season, then likely from sunlight degradation they all started breaking. It was a huge PITA so I'm sticking with evil stuff. :lol:

Wow. Same brand? I am still picking up piles of my stuff from two years ago, and it looks new. The stuff won't go away.

[QUOTE=Cole_Robbie;602256]Wow. Same brand? I am still picking up piles of my stuff from two years ago, and it looks new. The stuff won't go away.[/QUOTE] No, it was whatever my local supplier had.

BVV, you should have a local Tractor Supply there. I just listed the cheapest stuff they carry but they do carry 130 LB test. I used the 65 lb last year and kept the twine to use again. It still looks new and it's been in the sun all year.
[IMG]http://i1116.photobucket.com/albums/k570/robnms/twine%20120.png[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i1116.photobucket.com/albums/k570/robnms/twine%20130.png[/IMG]

There is a store close to you
4.3mi
3985 SOUTH MEMORIAL DR
WINTERVILLE, NC 28590
252-353-7400

Rajun is giving you some good advice on the type twine to use but I would go with the 130 lb stuff as it is easier to work with and less likely to break with a very heavy load of tomatoes. And yes I have used both and the clips hold more firmly on the 130 lb twine and tend to slip sometimes on the lighter one. You can get either one at most tractor or farm supply stores the lighter twine is round bale twine and the heavier one is square bale twine.

Another tip from a few years of using this method of support. Make sure your horizontal bar is strong enough not to bend too much or break with the heavy weight it will be supporting. I use 3/4 inch galvanized tubing for mine. I first used 1/2 inch but it tended to bend with the weight. I would not recommend PVC because it tends to bend and unless you use very thick pipe it will cause too many problems. You can buy galvanized electrical tubing at most good home supply stores for around 2 bucks for a ten foot piece that can be cut easily with a tube cutter. The whole thing can be held together with zip ties. I'll show a picture at the bottom of the page of how mine are set up. I also use this method for peppers but it takes a lot more drop lines for them.

I used the single stem method this year for all of my plants and tomato clips which I get from [url]https://hydro-gardens.com/?s=tomato+clips[/url].

The clips are so cheap that I just cut the lines and pull up the plant and throw the twine, clips and plant away at the end of the season. I found that reusing the clips after exposure to our long hot summers was not the wisest course because about half way through the second season the sun just broke down the plastic too much and I had some plants loaded with tomatoes fall down. It isn't worth the risk for just a few cents.

Oh yeah, another trick I found that I tried this year that really helps is to go ahead and set your drop lines at the angle you will be moving the plants as they grow. This trains the plant early to grow in the direction you will be lowering it so that first time lowering the plants goes much smoother.

Bill

Wow. This has been a great thread. I experimented with a few single stem tomato plants on vertical twine this past year and loved it.

I just picked up some 3/4" metal electrical conduit today. I'll use it as the top rail for a traditional A frame of 2X4s. (The garden is near the house and my wife has much higher standards for how things look than I do! She will go for an A frame but not all conduit.)

I don't think orange or blue baling twine will work either so I will try braided mason's twine or look for white baling twine. We've been happily married for 29 years (out of 31 - the first two years were tough!) Need to keep her happy as I take over the back yard.

I also plan to try out the tomahooks for lean and lower.

Thanks for all the great ideas!

I used Bill's trellis system last year. Works great.

Is that the reflective plastic, how did it work out?

Pros:
Earlier harvest, especially mid-season varieties. Orange Jazz was ready same time as Taxi
Flea beetles/Aphids hate it
Cools soil/slows evap.
Huge +difference in pepper production

Cons:
Very hard to work around/over during mid-day, my face got sunburned with a hat on :evil:
Once plants shade it, it becomes ineffective.
Didn't seem to repel larger insects like squash bugs/SVB or any caterpillars at all.
Back yard resembles a solar array

Van, Where did you get that reflective sheeting? I don't see it at GreenhouseMega.

And yes great thread, loads of good info here.

I got mine from Amazon but Growers Solution sells it direct. I have prime so I went with amazon.
[url]https://www.amazon.com/Silver-Metallic-Plastic-Embossed-Growerssolution/dp/B00BD3W0E2/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1480689875&sr=8-9&keywords=growers+solution+reflective[/url]

Thank you Van. The sheeting will work well for the heat and hopefully deter the psyllids, which became a late season problem last year. Making several modidfications to the layout this year. Got some hail netting from Mega that's pretty neat, sunshades about 15%, which will help also.

I need 40% shade cloth myself, but man is that stuff expensive. I may try using some mesh deer fencing and see if it lowers temps. My little coldframe got up to 120 degrees last year even with the sides up and ends open.

I haven't tried it, but I have wondered if the orange plastic construction fencing would work as shade cloth.

I grow on a much smaller scale but found a number of old window screens for use on my coldframe. I adjust the shade by adding additional screens on top.