Can the Man
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My wife was watching a program on tv about Brits living in France restoring or renovating chateaus. One of the gardens was planting tomatoes and had these very clever supports. Anybody ever use these ?
Thought they were a great idea
Coffee keeps me busy until it’s acceptable to drink whiskey.
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Veggie
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Never seen them before but there are lots for sale on the usual internet sites.
I have something similar with a small loop at the top but they weren't very stable as you had to push them in deep to keep them upright. If the plants were a bit top heavy, they'd topple over in the wind.
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Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.
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Mark_Riga
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We got something like them from Aldi years ago - still got them somewhere I think. They were unstable and were sold in 4's I think to form a pyramid for sweet peas and the like. They were finicky to put up and not very good as needed string or something tying round for whatever to grow up and would be very unstable by themselves.
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SarrissUK
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I've found about ten of those in the garden since we moved in, but haven't seen anything indicating how to use them. I think they'd be better for climbing flowers or beans in a teepee.
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Small chilli
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I’ve seen them for sale from time to time. Never used them.
I do something similar in the tunnel with string. Tied to a bar of the tunnel. Other end with a knotted loop.
That the tomato gets planted on top of. So it’s own roots hold it in place. Then just twist the tomato round the string as it growing. Obviously that’s wouldn’t work outside.
Builder that would like to go play in the garden.
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Roitelet
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I have used them for outside Tomatoes. They are OK but tend to wave about in high wind they were never tall enough to support the plant to allow enough trusses to form. Don’t use them anymore I do SC’s trick in the tunnel.
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Veggie
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(15-10-2022, 02:43 PM)Small chilli Wrote: I’ve seen them for sale from time to time. Never used them.
I do something similar in the tunnel with string. Tied to a bar of the tunnel. Other end with a knotted loop.
That the tomato gets planted on top of. So it’s own roots hold it in place. Then just twist the tomato round the string as it growing. Obviously that’s wouldn’t work outside. I used to use string, tying the bottom end of the string to a heavy metal washer or a stone to weight it down while I filled the pot with compost and planted the tomato.
I reused these strings for a couple of years but they string had perished this year so they had to be replaced and I've used canes in the pot attached to another cane which follows the roof line to the apex. Because I use open bottomed pots I'll be able to lift them up around the cane to remove the old compost without disturbing the canes. That's the plan anyway.
The Moneyless Chicken says:-
Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.
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toomanytommytoes
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Suppose they might work if you have a giant wall as a windbreak, but here they'd get hammered when the tomatoes get top heavy. This year I've had several bamboo canes snap and a metal fencing pin bend after some 40mph winds.
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Small chilli
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(15-10-2022, 08:36 PM)Veggie Wrote: (15-10-2022, 02:43 PM)Small chilli Wrote: I’ve seen them for sale from time to time. Never used them.
I do something similar in the tunnel with string. Tied to a bar of the tunnel. Other end with a knotted loop.
That the tomato gets planted on top of. So it’s own roots hold it in place. Then just twist the tomato round the string as it growing. Obviously that’s wouldn’t work outside. I used to use string, tying the bottom end of the string to a heavy metal washer or a stone to weight it down while I filled the pot with compost and planted the tomato.
I reused these strings for a couple of years but they string had perished this year so they had to be replaced and I've used canes in the pot attached to another cane which follows the roof line to the apex. Because I use open bottomed pots I'll be able to lift them up around the cane to remove the old compost without disturbing the canes. That's the plan anyway. I reuse the same string year after year as well. But I don’t use gardening string. I’ve got a few different ones. The starter pull cord works very well. I’ve also used electric fencing cord. That’s a little tricky to tie. ( this one won’t surprise you) builders string line. All of which last much longer than garden string.
Builder that would like to go play in the garden.
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JJB
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Here it's a combination of canes and string both in and outside. Reusing the twine each year until it gives up the ghost. Like TMTT some of the outside canes got blown over this year. In the gh I've suspended horizontal canes from the eaves at about 5ft and the upright canes get stuffed in the border soil at planting times then tied to the horizontal for extra support. I did try the vertical twine approach but got in a bit of a pickle. I either tie into the canes with twine (also reused each year) or velcro, or those new round plastic clippy things. Seems to work for me.
Gardening is an excuse not to do housework
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