You guys are MUCH more ambitious than I am! I invested in the square metal, collapsible (for storage) cages years ago and I never looked back. They run about $8 a piece (probably more now) but they are sturdy and are a god-send!
I have 4’ x 8’ raised beds. I do three Indeterminate tomatoes in each bed, or four if they are Determinate and don’t get as big. Staggered, for good airflow. I then use bungee cords between the cages in all directions and they help support one another through the growing season.
They work equally as well with a stake/fence post in one corner in an open-row garden situation too, as I did at my other farm, pre-raised beds. At the end of the season, I just let everything go to crispy brown and with a little pruning or bigger branches, the cages just pull up and off the plants. (Sometimes I’m lazy about pruning.)
This year I am giving myself a break. I planted 36 tomatoes last year - this year only 24. ;) All I need to can this season is Salsa and Dilly Beans. I am still good on everything else, after nearly killing myself with the canning LAST year - which was a stellar growing year, compared to the one I’m having now.
There are some things I don’t mind spending money on for the garden. Those square cages have become one of them. :)
Pounding in a couple of t-posts and weaving a few rows of twine between the plants sounds pretty easy to me and I already have everything here to do it. My plants are pretty close together so it should work well.
Putting in posts, running a wire across the top with twine hanging down and hanging each plant with clips and then leaning and lowering does seem too much like work. Better suited for high production in a high tunnel that is built with framework already there to hang the twine on.
I hear you. I just wanted to try the weave process and it was so adaptable and simple, I saw no reason to get the cages.
Right now, my 3 large (flowering/bearing) plants are doing great with one stake/no ties, even with the strong winds we had last week. The starts aren’t tall enough yet to worry about. I crowd my plants because I am short on space and then prune severely, especially after it sets fruit. I leave the feeder leaves, but being on flat land in the middle of an oak barren, I don’t worry about sun scald and as soon as the fruit is a couple inches across, I prune the shade leaves. So my plants (also pruned totally for 12”-18” at the bottom) grow straight up with more room for more plants...maybe a foot between them. The weave method means I don’t give space to the cages, I can selectively/easily support fruit-bearing branches selectively, and I get good airflow. Lost one tomato to a bug last year. Crows and blue jays are a worry, but we’re fenced for 4’ in front of netting and by the time I set out plants on 5/23—5/28, bunnies have other grazing choices. Our raccoons are more interested in how to get into the garage. We can tell, because they set off the motion-sensor lights, which freaks them out. We only partially mow in the back area, trying to let the soil build up on our *sandlot*. Seems to be working as we have wildflowers (some sort of Indian Paintbrush) this year.
Everyone I know cut back this year because they had so much left over. I used my last frozen tomatoes a few months ago and I still have dried....but I do buy/use commercial canned sauce/tomatoes. I have shelves full plus homemade spaghetti sauce in the freezer from 2 months ago.
The main reason I planted 18 plants (down from 24) this year is I am trying out several new (for me) varieties. I have 2-3 Siberians and a couple of Stupice, both short season, cold hardy. We’ve had some cool nights. They are doing well.
I also have some drought-resistant varieties...don’t recall offhand which ones....as we regularly get 30% humidity days. Temps over 85 mean no growth for tomatoes, too.
Haven’t set up drip bottles yet....just no need, but I may for the last 6 weeks.
We’ve had crazy temps: from over 85-95 to under 50 at night within a week and from ultra-low humidity to drenching rains and high winds. The rains mean I need to make sure the watering stays consistent to avoid BER (my bete-noir...hate to see that lovely ripe fruit and then find the bottom all brown and mushy.) Had it happen to one red pepper last year, too.
I think I love growing tomatoes because they are such survivors. And they do well with and without fussing, altho usually I like to fuss. I see farmers just letting them fall over and leaving them there, but somehow, I don’t like to do that. Takes too much room and can mean bugs get the fruit or it rots.
It’s so different up here compared to SW WI clay, hills and thick weeds. Both have their problems, but gardening on Glacial Lake Wisconsin is almost like figuring out how to terraform another planet.