Does any one use those for toms

[butterfly]

tall stainless steel spiral pole for toms??

I don't find cages are tall or strong enough

I saw the tall poles in HOmehardware. They are $20 each but seemd to be very strong

But I wondered how I would use them for growing tomatoes. How do you get the plants growing up them?

Does any one use them and how do you like them?

[Mervyn]

I have spirals for my tom plants, and personally I love them , I find them easier and stronger than cages.

They should be inserted into the ground the same time you plant your tomatoes , so you don't have to worry about damaging roots.

As the vine grows upward, you simply "train" it to grow up the middle of the spiral , it means adjust a plant once or twice a week so it stays centered.

When I check for suckers is when I check to make sure the plant is growing up the middle of the spiral.

Unless your soil is very soft and light you should have no problems, I have clay so these things never fall (knock on wood) but if your soil is very light you might be better off with a cage.

[B_BQ]

I also use spirals, and have for many many years.
They do need to be anchored firmly in the ground, so obviously a pot or loose soil is not going to work.
I use a combination of cages and spirals, and find that this works pretty well.
~BBQ

[Lindamct]

Carolyn, Durgan uses those tall metal stakes, and then attaches the branches with pipe cleaners. He did a post way back somewhere. Well written, might be worth a search.

[B_BQ]

The one important thing though, is that whatever one uses to attach the tomato plant, the stake/spiral/cage, it has to be very well anchored into the ground; otherwise the weight of the tomato plant will just topple it over.
I can't be sure, but I think Durgan uses rebar which he put deeply into the ground, and also cages, which he attaches to the rebar. The rebar holds the cage firmly upright. This is what I do with the spirals, and as the tomato plant grows I just gently persuade it to grow around the spiral - no tying is necessary.

[Lindamct]

B_BQ, rebar, that was it!

[Mervyn]

I have never had to use any ties for a tomato plant since I started using spirals.

If you must use ties, old nylons cut up into strips work really well

[butterfly]

Thanks

I thnk it is time to buy them as the weight of my toms even in cages pulled them down in the windd

[butterfly]

I have 8 huge 7 ft plants in cages but I couldnt get them all back up again after their fall

I even tied them up with poles and tied theem to one another.

They are just too heavy with fruit and most of the branches are so thick, 2 inches most of them

Not sure what the cure is

Took off a lot of leaves hoping they would ripen now but.....