Trem, Chris wrote: >Will try Charles Wilber's method of growing tomatoes next year, my cages won't be >more than 8 feet tall though. > I came across an idea in an Australian magazine (Grass Roots, I think) for growing tomatoes. Materials needed are six empty 20 litre (5 gallon) drums (like the ones motor oil comes in), three pieces of steel concrete mesh 2.4m (8 feet) long by 1.2m wide and six steel star pickets (posts). Of course the mesh can be as long as needed.
Prepare the bed. Place the drums in position so a piece of mesh will lay flat on top with two drums at each end and two in the middle set back from the edges of the mesh a bit. Drive steel posts well into into the ground on the inside of the four corners and on the inside of the middle section aligned with the others. Securely wire the mesh to the posts. Pull the drums out and reposition then on the mesh. Lay another piece on the drums, fitting it over the posts. Wire it to the posts. Repeat the process with the third piece. Take the drums away and use them for something else. Plant seeds/seedlings. As plants develop they will grow up through the holes and the fruit will lay on the mesh. I would also put a 50-75mm layer of hay-type mulch on the bed before seedlings are planted. Trials in vineyards in South Australia and Victoria a few years ago showed 75mm (3") as optimum depth, anything over that being a waste and in fact too much of a block. The advantages of mulch over no mulch were - 30% increase in yield, thicker stems and bigger grapes, much less watering required. The yield increase was through reduced fruit loss. Worth a thought. roger
