problems and solutions
I love watching little dogs tear the place up.
Several years I got a couple of rolls of concrete reinforcing mesh to make cages that were four feet tall and about 20 inches in diameter. The first ones I made are one-piece cages, but my second ones I made in two halves, like clam shells that I tie together when I put them up and when taken apart, they take up much less space in the barn over the winter. I garden on 4' X 20' raised beds and I space nine cages down the center of each bed, with a thick straw mulch. I usually plant beets and carrots in the space at the edges of the tomato beds. I always start out pruning my tomato plants to a set number of vines per plant, but that's something I never keep up with, and by the end of the season, it gets away from me.I'm really looking forward to the new growing season. Fresh tomatoes are my candy. Many years, I have a large tomato as my birthday cake and we plop a candle in it for good measure.
Speaking of tomatoes, what methods do you all use to hold them up? Cages, Florida weave, etc? Do you prune or not?
Pictures?!?!Several years I got a couple of rolls of concrete reinforcing mesh to make cages that were four feet tall and about 20 inches in diameter. The first ones I made are one-piece cages, but my second ones I made in two halves, like clam shells that I tie together when I put them up and when taken apart, they take up much less space in the barn over the winter. I garden on 4' X 20' raised beds and I space nine cages down the center of each bed, with a thick straw mulch. I usually plant beets and carrots in the space at the edges of the tomato beds. I always start out pruning my tomato plants to a set number of vines per plant, but that's something I never keep up with, and by the end of the season, it gets away from me.
Thrown her on some Jordan Peterson and have her face her dragon!She needs to face her fears. Just ask any therapist?
Win, win, win is her getting over the fear.
Pictures?!?!
I have used the re-mesh as cages but I like the idea of tying w/ twine. I just bend free ends over the opposite end to close it off. would make storing easier each fall. Wife is asking for raised beds and this might be a "this spring" project. ThanksLike I had said, my cages are made of concrete re-mesh, in two halves that I tie together for use, and cut apart for easier storage. Below you can see where two tomato cage halves are tied together. You can see that after I cut the wires from the roll, I left enough on each cut end to wrap around the edge wire. I figured that would be stronger than just the welds as they get banged around over the years. Also, each half is 6 squares wide. The squares are 6" X 6", making the finished cage about 24" diameter when two halves are tied together.
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Below you can see my cages still set up from last year, since I left them up all winter (ha, don't judge). Instead of staking each cage, I slide lengths of conduit through the cages, tie them up with baler twine, and then use two T-posts to hold all of them up. I put a thick straw mulch on the bottom. My beds are 4' X 20' and I put the cages in the center, and then I plant carrots and/or beets at the edges of the beds. I get the big spools of baler twine from TSC and I also get big spools of the lighter jute twine on Amazon.
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Spinach and lettuce and raab will be fine. Radish and cabbage can be put out now also.I tilled over the whole garden since the soil was dry enough.
figured I might as well plant something, so I made one row of spinach, mixed lettuce and broccoli raab. If I get anything, figured it will be a bonus.
Oh I know the theories. But I have also noticed If they don’t get enough heat to germinate, they can rot in the ground.Spinach and lettuce and raab will be fine. Radish and cabbage can be put out now also.
I am trying not to till like I used to but the row crops still get tilled often. We must have got more rain with the storm the other night as it was wet still.
I planted some marigolds and a single early tomato yesterday. The peppers and paste tomatoes will get seeded In The grow tent soon I would say by the 15 or so of March. Onions seeds popped Up and I seeeded another set of them this week. I have always just purchased the onions (wala wala ) but this year I wanted more of a storage style so most of these are sweet Spanish.
wife wants herbs and flowers so the marigolds went in and she did some herbs. It believe cilantro and a French basil. Cilantro needs to go in early.
looking like maybe an early planting dates as I normally don’t do much till may. The potatoes will be in at the store for me around March 11 and the strawberries should be In . Then also.