# Plant supports - tomatoes, spaghetti squash, beans



## KC8QVO (Mar 22, 2011)

I am curious what some of you have done to support plants that like to SPREAD OUT. I don't have a whole lot of garden space and in past years half of it has been swallowed up by tomatoes. I never did support them though. 

I am thinking either cages or a few posts to tie the tomato plants to. I also could do a couple of strips of garden fence to sandwitch a couple plants between. Although, I don't think the fence will be high enough with full plant growth. 

I am planting sweet corn again this year and someone here suggested I try the 3 sisters or some other combo where my pole beans grow up the corn stalks. The corn is planted in a circle surrounding a squash plant in the middle. This seems like something neat to try. 

Although, another idea I had for the pole beans is to tie up a few feet of fencing between a couple stakes and let the beans go crazy on that. The wires would give the beans all kinds of things to latch on to. 

Now for the spaghetti squash. Those of you that have grown this stuff can probably attest to the fact that these plants like to GROW in a big way. That is something I need to be very careful about as, again, space is at a premium. I have heard of people growing this up instead of out. However, I am not sure how to go about growing them up. I can't use a cage like a tomato cage. The plant will be way too big. I'm thinking something made out of wood that is able to support the load and size of the plant. Should I grow it straight up or let it grow up several feet and then crawl across the top like a table with the squash hanging through? The other issue this presents is shading on the other plants. Should I be worried about that at all? I may also be able to plant the beans around the vertical portion of the stand rather than their own separate spot. 

My plants have been growing since the end of February. My pepper plants already have flowers on them and I haven't put any of my plants in the ground yet! I'm getting excited. I haven't started my plants so early before, I've always had a late crop with everything. This year should be a good year! 

My strawberry patch bounced back pretty quick after the winter. Theres a gazillion flowers out there but no fruit yet. I'm curious how well they will do. I haven't had many good strawberries in the past - the patch was put in with 3 plants about 4 years ago. It finally looks like a patch after last year.


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## Our Little Farm (Apr 26, 2010)

do you have cattle panels? They would work for your spaghetti squash with something to 'nest' the squash as it grows. 

As for pole beans, mine are on a cattle panel. You can use a wigwam style circle with branches or bamboo.

This year I am going to go with just stakes for my tomatoes. I hate the tomato cages with a passion. 

OLF


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

what OLF said - cattle panels can be used in the garden in many ways. Put a T-post in a square and attach the ends of the panels up and over in an unside-down "U" shape for beans or squash. I grow pole beans up strings on a trellis. I use compostable string so I cut it all down and compost the whole thing at the end of the season. I have also used welded wire fencing that has 4 inch squares in it. Squash can climb up an old ladder. You can also keep squash in bounds by pruning. Let 2-3 fruits ripen on each vine rather than just letting each vine run rampant. I do that for melons and cukes also.


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## edjewcollins (Jun 20, 2003)

4' tall Rebar mesh comes in rolls and is cheap. I've cut off about 4 foot pieces and made them in to cages that were fantastic. If you cut off the bottom wire you can stick the remaining spikes in the ground to hold it down and it won't budge.


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## oldasrocks (Oct 27, 2006)

Cattle panels is the only way to go. I put up a 16 ft panel with 3 T posts. Then space it by tying on something about 8 inches out and then attach another cattle panel about 8 inches out making a cage. I use an old piece of cattle panel cut in sections one bar out for spacers. I've used these panels for 15 yrs plus. They never wear out.

I also use panels for beans, peas and cukes.


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## Sonshine (Jul 27, 2007)

We have a few cattle panels that we have our butter beans on. The other beans and peas we make a teepee out of bamboo. Tomatoes we use a tomato cage because we had several that were given to us.


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## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

I use metal electrical conduit to make the trellis support and then either 4x4 mesh wire or cut cattle panels for the plants to climb. I had a bumper crop of spaghetti squash growing on these trellises last year. 
Also canteloupe. The cukes didn't do very well on a trellis so this year I'm letting them spread over the sides of the garden bed into the path.


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Having never touched a cattle panels but loving the idea, how hard are they to bend into the "U" shape?


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## happydog (May 7, 2008)

I'm having a hard time visualizing this. I can get cattle panels but don't know how to use them. Are you bending them into cages or, if you bend it into a U shape where do you plant the beans or whatever?

Sorry, I know this sounds like I'm an idiot but I've always just used string trellis and can't envision how you're using bent wire panels.


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

I get the impression that some people are bending them into a inverted "U". This should make a tunnel one could walk through with plants growing on the outside (like an arbor). My goal is to bend one to go from the one bed to the other (an arbor over the 3' path between them) giving my kids and dog a shady spot to hang out in the hot summer sun since we have few shade trees.


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## taylorlambert (Jul 4, 2010)

ONe of my friends grew some spaghetti squash I had some large retangulare pallets at work. they didnt have alot of cross sections and we bolted some cross beams across the bottoms to make it look like an upside down T He then took some sections of old hog wire and cattle fencing he was removing from his old animal pens. He planted his acorn and spaghetti squash plants at hthe bottom and let them go up. But the vines were snapping off when the plants fruited. He took some old twine netting he had on an old fish net. He made little net baskets with a hook on each one to hang on the wire. It did great each fruit gets it own little hammock.


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## HillBunker (Jul 26, 2010)

So glad I found this thread. I was just organizing all my cages, hardware cloth, wire mesh, etc. and was thinking I should probably build some heavy duty ones. Here's a couple links on bent cattle panels and reinforcing mesh:
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/lab/msg0417535712432.html?7
http://yourhomegardenblog.com/vegetable-gardening/constructing-tomato-cages-using-wire-mesh


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## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

Here is an idea for cattle panels:










And another trellis idea using wood support and wire:









Neither of these are in my garden, but I plan on making the trellis arbour next week to bridge two raised beds. The cattle panel is attached to four t-post (two to a side). Easy peasy to make.


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

I plant my spagetti squash between the rows of corn and just keep them running down the row, not spread out. I don't worry about the plants when I pick the corn as there are so many. I had 25 squash off 1 plant, it trailed 25'. I make my tomatoe cages out of 4"x6" wire, 3' tall. My tomatoes are in big black tree pots. I trim them as they want to get 6 across and 8' tall. Beans were grown on wire fence with T posts 4' apart but I like bush beans better....James


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## frankva (May 21, 2009)

Belfrybat said:


> Here is an idea for cattle panels:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You could post up after you do this. I have thought about the arbor for a couple years, but never pulled the trigger.


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## Kstornado11 (Mar 17, 2006)

I love the pics, keep em coming! :bouncy:
I turned my old dog pen that we never use cuz my dog is too spoiled into a giant tomato cage! Planting tomatoes inside along w/ herbs & etc, & have snow peas growing up the sides. Had 2 extra panels, leaned them up alongside the pen, growing beans, cucumbers,melons up those. potatoes coming along nicely under the lean-to panels. Plan on harvesting them early, don't want them messing with my tomatoes (trying companion planting). Hoping it will work out, at least I know the dog pen will stand up to the Kansas winds! I have twine I plan on stringing across the top, as I think the beans will grow way higher than the dog pen, if anything like last year. Will take pics when it gets better established.


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## Forester Phil (Jun 28, 2011)

I love my tomato cages made from lighter duty cattle panels cut up into 16 inch widths (each square is 8" wide by 6" in ht.), so two squares wide = 16". Each cattle panel is 16 feet long so you can get 8 cage panels making 2 square cages which cost about 10 bucks @ for material alone. You have to cut out every third 8" column,(i use a bolt cutters). Then assemble in square cage and wire 3 corners around a half or 3/4 inch rod to make room for collapsing. Leave one corner free for unwrapping plant in fall. Step on bottom wrung to insert 6 inches in ground. Will not topple over in strong winds. These will last for years and years as they are galvanized coated. They should be the Last Tomato Cage you should ever make.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

I use to hate tomato cages too. Then I learned to drive a stake next to each. Now tomatoes are well supported and the cages do not blow over in strong winds.

I placed metal T-posts in for the pea trellis this year and used left-over field fencing. (Will move it next year when I organize the raised beds I am planning.)

Cow panels are great! You can bend them into most any shape you want and they last forever. I have 4 placed around my small vineyard that kept the deer out; but will be moving those to the garden soon. (Have a 9 ft. high fence around entire L-shaped garden area now, which includes the vineyard; so don't need to worry about deer.)

Ohio Dreamer, love the idea of using panels for a shade between rows for your kids and dogs.

Hillbunker, thanks for those links. Nice ideas there.

KC8QVO, you can plant vegies that need shading during hottest part of day along side some vegies growing up your trellises.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

motdaugrnds said:


> I use to hate tomato cages too. Then I learned to drive a stake next to each. Now tomatoes are well supported and the cages do not blow over in strong winds.


Indeed, that works quite well. You can plant a pair of tomato plants side-by-side with the top of the 2 cages tied to one stake. Or, 3 plants in a triangle with the 3 cages supported by one stake. 

Martin


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## willow_girl (Dec 7, 2002)

Keep an eye out on trash day! Often people will throw away trellises that aren't so pretty anymore, but still are perfectly serviceable.

I nabbed this baker's rack out of the trash, too! I plant my pole beans in big pots on the backside. There's a trellis wired up to it, too, to give them more room to spread out.


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