5 gallon buckets - cages or stakes?
 

I bought some galvanized tomato cages for my first bucket-grown tomatoes - two Global Bucket SWC's and some commercial black plastic containers. I'm still figuring out a lot of what I'm doing, and I had pruned the Jaune Flamme and Lollipop cherry plants to one main stem, then let them branch out a little. The Egyptians in the GB's, I initially let grow wild in the cages without pruning. but they didn't seem to grow very straight initially.

I'm finding the JF and Lollipops are climbing well over the tops of the cages and am not sure whether they need different support, how to extend it (put another cage on top?), or should I snip the stem ends? I added some of those 6 ft fiberglass rods I bought at Skycraft, for a little additional support.

I transplanted some of the 'mystery' (Rainbow Beefsteak seed mix) toms into those tall black containers. I did the fiberglass stake for now, but am trying to figure out what works best. That early thunder/wind/hail storm made me realize that the staked plants held up better, and we'll be heading into summer storm season soon.

what are you asking?

Would you go with cages or stakes on toms in 5-gal buckets, and why? Also, what do you do when they grow taller than the supports you have?

[QUOTE]Would you go with cages or stakes on toms in 5-gal buckets, and why?[/QUOTE]

Both, unless you have a fence line. Unless you are growing dwarfs I would go with cages. One, it is easier to support the plants especially if you choose not to trim your plant to a single stem and two if you are unable to secure your container/cage, the cage will offer protection in case the plant falls or is blown over by wind.

This is where the stakes come in. If you don't have a fence line to support your caged plants you will need to drive a stake into the ground to which you can secure the container/plant to.

Also with a cage you can use tie-wraps to help support the plant and fruits to the cage. If you do get an indeterminate that out grows the cage you can get bamboo poles/stakes and tie wrap them to the cage extending 2/3 feet above the cage and tie-wrap the stem to the bamboo poles.

Lastly, Tie-Wraps are one of the most indispensable items to have when growing plants in containers. From securing the cage to the container to securing the plant to the cage you name it. Plus you can daisy chain them to make them longer. Good stuff.

Ami

Use the Big Rolls of Concrete Support Mesh.

Make your own and they will hold up to high winds etc.

You can buy the re-bar stakes to secure the cage to the ground.

Here is a link on here

[url]http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=10839[/url]

It sounds like you already have a cage that your plants are outgrowing. One solution is to get another of the same size, and flip it upside down, and then place it on top of the current one. Secure them together with either zip ties or something similar. As someone else said, adding a stake or tying to a fence post will go a long way toward keeping it upright.

In future years, investigate the concrete mesh. Last year I built PVC cages for my buckets, which worked pretty well (and you can just keep building them taller as needed).

Good luck!l

Thanks to all three of you for the ideas. I had thought of doing that with the upside-down cage on top; glad it's not as silly as I thought it might be.

I will definitely have to consider doing the concrete mesh, though I would definitely need help (and probably a truck) to transport such a large roll, and I hope I'd be strong enough for the cutting and bending part.

So far the winds haven't been strong enough, especially with the containers close to the south side of the house (there's no sunny side backed by a fence), to knock the plants over, but there was some breakage of smaller stems during the storm. But, I'm going to have to have a better plan.

I've used the cages before and let them grow up the inside of the cage, then cascade back down the outside. My plants haven't been super vigorous, though. If you have plants like some of the monsters I've seen here, you may have trouble with the cages.

Last year, in order to keep my cages stable, I fastened two to a fence with zip ties and then zip tied them in a double row that ended with a heavy support to help brace them. The whole structure was very solid, certainly more so than the cages on their own.

[QUOTE=kilroyscarnival;338993]Thanks to all three of you for the ideas. I had thought of doing that with the upside-down cage on top; glad it's not as silly as I thought it might be.

I will definitely have to consider doing the concrete mesh, though I would definitely need help (and probably a truck) to transport such a large roll, and I hope I'd be strong enough for the cutting and bending part.

So far the winds haven't been strong enough, especially with the containers close to the south side of the house (there's no sunny side backed by a fence), to knock the plants over, but there was some breakage of smaller stems during the storm. But, I'm going to have to have a better plan.[/QUOTE]

Cut the concrete wire with a grinding disk.

I grow my tomatoes in bags propped up against the poles that hold up the patio roof, and tie them to the pole as they grow.

We use the cone like metal cages that they sell at Home Depot

You can find that concrete mesh at any big box store, I think the smallest they come is 50' sections($35). I've bought them and just thrown them in the backseat of my car, no truck needed. Going to need a good pair of wire cutters or a hacksaw to cut through the mesh. Once you got the cages cut you can just zip tie them on top of each other to get the height you wanted. I usually just let them fall over the top, I don't think there is anything wrong with that.