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You are here: Home / Garden Chats / Open Thread

Open Thread

by John Cole|  May 13, 20119:25 pm| 60 Comments

This post is in: Garden Chats

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Last year, one of you posted in the comments the most amazing set of tomato stakes/cage/teepee and for the life of me, I can not find them. They were wood, and they sort of fit together to form rows of angular cages. Anyone remember what I am talking about?

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60Comments

  1. 1.

    arguingwithsignposts

    May 13, 2011 at 9:28 pm

    The Somebody suggested this might be post-worthy: Koch Bros. pwned by the Yes Men and others at the Lincoln Center.

    I have no tomato-related advice.

  2. 2.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    May 13, 2011 at 9:29 pm

    Drawing a blank.

  3. 3.

    scav

    May 13, 2011 at 9:35 pm

    @Just Some Fuckhead: Anything like drawing a muchness?

  4. 4.

    srv

    May 13, 2011 at 9:36 pm

    The definition of obscura is…

  5. 5.

    jibeaux

    May 13, 2011 at 9:36 pm

    No idea. But Gardener’s Supply Co. is a good place for that kind of thing. I like their tomato ladders, because they’re sturdy as all hell and will probably outlive me, but they have a lot of trellis options. I’ve never found anything like the choices in any stores.

  6. 6.

    Zam

    May 13, 2011 at 9:37 pm

    Was it a stick?

  7. 7.

    Nutella

    May 13, 2011 at 9:38 pm

    I have no tomato-related advice either but since this is an open thread: McArdle opines on Groupon. She does not approve of their discount deals on Lasik surgery. Commercial competition for medical services? That’s crazy!

    She likes commercial competition when it comes to talk about HCR or the public option, though, doesn’t she?

  8. 8.

    Anne Laurie

    May 13, 2011 at 9:40 pm

    Willow trellises? Garden maypole?

    I’ve decided I really like these, with late-season assistance from these, but my ‘garden’ (random variety of planters, mostly standing on/around a strip of asphalt) is a lot more, shall we say, shabby-chic than your Germanic sense of order can probably tolerate, John…

  9. 9.

    rikyrah

    May 13, 2011 at 9:41 pm

    anyone watching the Smallville finale?

  10. 10.

    Klaus

    May 13, 2011 at 9:43 pm

    In other news, Jane Hamsher calls someone a sexist and misogynist for no sound reason.

  11. 11.

    Maude

    May 13, 2011 at 9:47 pm

    woodtomatocages.com has a hollow square tallish cage made out of cedar.
    There are a lot of sites on how to make your own, I didn’t include any for obvious reasons.

  12. 12.

    Peter

    May 13, 2011 at 9:50 pm

    FWIW, here’s what I do:

    Drive tall (8′) stakes (I use 2x4s ripped down the middle and sharpened at one end) into each corner of the bed. Screw shorter lengths across the two short sides of the bed up as high as you can reach. Lie longer pieces lengthwise on top of those, making a rectangle about 7′ high that mimics the outline of your bed. Tie twine to each long piece over every tomato plant, letting it dangle down to roughly ground level. As the tomatoes grow, wind the main stalk (pinching suckers) around the string. Just keep winding as they grow and you’ll have them trained straight up for easy access and great ventilation. And it’s essentially free if you have any scrap lumber in your garage.

  13. 13.

    Cassidy

    May 13, 2011 at 9:50 pm

    Ooh ooh ooh….can we see some more self important fucker’s bitch and moan about ABL because she won’t validate them!

  14. 14.

    opal

    May 13, 2011 at 9:54 pm

    Somewhere in here.

    I’ve been meaning to do porch tomatoes, but The Man* won’t let me.

    *Condo Association

  15. 15.

    Maude

    May 13, 2011 at 9:56 pm

    @Peter:
    Sharp objects are not recommended in this case. Mops are on the no no list as well.

  16. 16.

    Narcissus

    May 13, 2011 at 9:56 pm

    I like ABL.

  17. 17.

    Peter

    May 13, 2011 at 9:58 pm

    @Maude: So don’t sharpen them, and just bang harder. Use duct tape instead of screws. Wear a helmet.

  18. 18.

    Joel

    May 13, 2011 at 9:59 pm

    Hey, good faith. Imagine that.

  19. 19.

    hilts

    May 13, 2011 at 9:59 pm

    Bob Dylan: China Didn’t Censor My Set List
    h/t http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/bob-dylan-refutes-china-concert-allegations-in-unprecedented-letter-to-fans-20110513

  20. 20.

    I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet

    May 13, 2011 at 10:01 pm

    Was this it? Freestanding Tomato Trellis via cathaireverywhere.

    HTH.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  21. 21.

    piratedan

    May 13, 2011 at 10:01 pm

    lovin’ TRMS and her expose on all things Coburn

  22. 22.

    bkny

    May 13, 2011 at 10:03 pm

    another reason to despise goldman sachs. you don’t need another one to hate the cowboys and yankees:

    Legends Hospitality, the concessionaire co-owned by the New York Yankees, the Dallas Cowboys, and Goldman Sachs, allegedly pockets the 20 percent service fee attached to food and drink in violation of New York law, according to a class-action lawsuit filed against the company by three Yankee Stadium servers this week.

  23. 23.

    KANFSU

    May 13, 2011 at 10:06 pm

    @I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet: Ah, scott beat me to it. But also on that thread, Jeffrey had these: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffreyww/4753180036/

    …which I also liked a lot.

  24. 24.

    Roger Moore

    May 13, 2011 at 10:06 pm

    @Peter:

    Use duct tape instead of screws.

    Somehow, I’m imagining John trying this and having no hair left on his arms or legs by the time he was finished. I’m thinking he should lash the thing together with bailing wire and twine.

  25. 25.

    srv

    May 13, 2011 at 10:09 pm

    I got nothin in wood.

    http://www.tomatohelpers.com/

  26. 26.

    pattonbt

    May 13, 2011 at 10:09 pm

    Blog overlord, quick favor to ask. Is there a point to having posts on this site where comments are barred? The comments (including some of the bitching back and forth) are a large part of what makes this site great (at least in my opinion). But it gets diminished when posts are made with comments closed like “LA LA LA LA LA LA LA I’m not listening to you. I’m rubber and I’m glue”, etc.

    EDIT – this comment has nothing to do with the posters content or the current blog meltdown with it, just that closed comments are really a drag and detract greatly from the site. If the post isn’t worth comments it’s not worth posting.

  27. 27.

    pattonbt

    May 13, 2011 at 10:12 pm

    Oh, obligatory “I hate ABL”. Or was that “I love ABL”? I can’t remember what day it is so I don’t know if it’s love or hate day.

  28. 28.

    KANFSU

    May 13, 2011 at 10:15 pm

    @KANFSU: And the best part about JeffreyW’s flikr is no matter if you go forward or back, it’s an amazing trip through food, kitties, puppies, hummingbird moths… and hummingbirds!!

    Thanks jeff!

  29. 29.

    MattMinus

    May 13, 2011 at 10:15 pm

    @Klaus:

    That could never happen here.

  30. 30.

    pattonbt

    May 13, 2011 at 10:15 pm

    And it is glorious day here in Perth. Unfortunately it will be spent inside cat sitting our two new kitteh adoptees Puffin and Flounder.

  31. 31.

    kdaug

    May 13, 2011 at 10:17 pm

    Stay away from the saws, Cole. We know how you are.

    Instead, I recommend splitting your logs into trellis-sized twigs with grenades or a high-caliber rifle, and wrap the whole thing with razor wire.

    Make sure you put it on your roof, too. Tomatoes love that.

  32. 32.

    Lurleen

    May 13, 2011 at 10:21 pm

    Don’t buy the cages. They are made by people who jump off of buildings.

    Make your own — c’mon Cole it ain’t so hard.

    After weathering the total scourge of stink bugs last summer, nice red tomatoes here we come! this summer.

    Don’t buy those damned Chinese cages. Build your own and use your own damn mind.

  33. 33.

    BR

    May 13, 2011 at 10:21 pm

    OT: In other news, the second and third reactors at Fukushima may have melted down. So not one, but three plants are likely to have a glob of melted/melting radioactive fuel at the bottom of their containment structures. Oh, and the building for reactor four is in bad enough shape that they think it might collapse.

  34. 34.

    Lurleen

    May 13, 2011 at 10:25 pm

    Oh and love ABL. Always have always will.

    Funny, I have always thought she was quite clever in her writing. But then again, I am someone who thought GG was on to something until I realized he was in it for the money.

    I generally don’t have much patiences for converts, except for John. He’s made the real conversion — except that I wish he would retract some of the things he said about John Walker.

  35. 35.

    Valdivia

    May 13, 2011 at 10:26 pm

    @arguingwithsignposts:

    that is all sorts of awesome. Thanks for the link.

    I am a veritable black thumb around all plants so no tips from me for John and his tomatoes.

  36. 36.

    Peter

    May 13, 2011 at 10:28 pm

    @Roger Moore: Last year I put mine together mostly with twine. It worked great, though a screw or two in the right place can sure help, amirite?

  37. 37.

    General Stuck

    May 13, 2011 at 10:29 pm

    Maybe we should only have garden threads, that seem to have flummoxed the trolls on how to destroy it. We could mix it up some maybe with art threads, underwater basketweaving, etc….. To keep a step ahead of the zombie borg recalibrating to our Phaser frequencies.

  38. 38.

    MattMinus

    May 13, 2011 at 10:30 pm

    @Lurleen:

    Are you talking about GG Allin? Because I agree, he completely sold out. I liked the Murder Junkies, but the Texas Nazis were totally commercial.

  39. 39.

    Narcissus

    May 13, 2011 at 10:32 pm

    Does anyone know what kind of porn UBL liked? I need to know this.

  40. 40.

    jeffreyw

    May 13, 2011 at 10:35 pm

    @KANFSU:
    [Ducks a bit, blushes, shuffles feets, mumbles.]

  41. 41.

    MattMinus

    May 13, 2011 at 10:37 pm

    @Narcissus:

    I’m sure we’re working our way up to the leak that it was gay-scat-bukkake.

  42. 42.

    CatHairEverywhere

    May 13, 2011 at 10:43 pm

    @I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet: Hey, Thanks! I forgot that I posted this! I was just thinking that I should post a picture of my vertical trellises, but I am too lazy to open an account at Flickr or someplace. I have raised beds (2x10s) with the metal corners from Gardener’s Supply. I have tried other methods, and those corners are excellent. The vertical supports are just 2x4s scewed together to form basically a square, upside-down U. I used 2x4x8 for the side supports, so they go about 2 ft. into the ground. Dearest Hub cut a couple of 1x6s with an angle at each end to cover the top decoratively (because I am anal-retentive about stuff like that) and the front of the frame is covered with pig wire. The frames are about 6 ft. wide, and support 3 tomato plants each. I tie the branches to the pig wire with cotton string as needed. The frames stay in year-round and look pretty nice, I think. Last year, I put a path of 12″ cement square pavers all the way around both beds to make access easier (and to make it look prettier)

  43. 43.

    J.W. Hamner

    May 13, 2011 at 10:47 pm

    I’m sort of obsessed with the Modest Mouse song Float On right now. Just thought I’d throw that out there. It’s like a 7 year old song, so I’m not exactly being cutting edge… but I thought I’d share. Yay Internets!

  44. 44.

    Jewish Steel

    May 13, 2011 at 10:52 pm

    @J.W. Hamner: That is one badass song. Great lyrics.

  45. 45.

    Joax

    May 13, 2011 at 10:54 pm

    Best tomato cages evah! Use the re-enforcing screen they use in concrete slabs. Stuff is very heavy duty. It is six feet tall with approx four inch squares so it is easy to stick your hands through to to tie or adjust plants. Just make a cylinder out of the screen with a two or three foot diameter and you are all set. Easy as pie. They last for years.

  46. 46.

    JC

    May 13, 2011 at 10:57 pm

    J.W. Hamner

    Great song, always has been – good album as well.

  47. 47.

    Comrade Mary

    May 13, 2011 at 11:04 pm

    klaatu42, the guy who does those great talking animals videos got his two minutes of fame on The National tonight. Scroll to the 23 minute mark for the feature.

  48. 48.

    eemom

    May 13, 2011 at 11:07 pm

    @Klaus:

    wow. That is a new low even for HER.

  49. 49.

    fasteddie9318

    May 13, 2011 at 11:10 pm

    Cole, I’m disappointed. You had an opportunity here to make a bleg but close the comments, which would have to be some kind of apex for trolling your own blog, and you blew it.

  50. 50.

    maven

    May 13, 2011 at 11:19 pm

    Used to be a CA organic/best practice type. Let ’em vine around on the ground; eat the good ones, give the bad ones to the pigs. Eat the pigs.
    burp.

  51. 51.

    jl

    May 13, 2011 at 11:22 pm

    @fasteddie9318:

    Hey, everyone send Cole an email recommending fasteddie9318 for the next addition to the front posters. FE93 has what it takes fer sher for the front page of this here miserable lefty blog.

  52. 52.

    Rihilism

    May 13, 2011 at 11:48 pm

    OT, I find this priceless…

    “As we stand here on this historic site, where 250 years ago today George Washington filed his papers to form his independent expenditures non-connected political action committee, we are also standing at an American crossroads — not to be confused with American Crossroads, the name of Karl Rove’s ‘Super PAC,” Colbert told the crowd. “I mean a metaphorical crossroads, because the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United has proved that unlimited corporate money equals free speech. But by the transitive property of elections, does it not also follow that no corporate money equals silence?”

    “I want to form Colbert Super PAC for all the PAC-less Americans, to give you a voice in the form of my voice,” Colbert said.

    Colbert told the crowd he’d be offering handshakes at $1 a pop and collected fists full of cash as he darted into an awaiting SUV.

  53. 53.

    Rihilism

    May 13, 2011 at 11:52 pm

    Oops, forgot link/source:

    Stephen Colbert To FEC: I Don’t Want To Be The ‘Chump’ Without Unlimited Corporate Cash

  54. 54.

    DPirate

    May 14, 2011 at 1:14 am

    More statements from the powers that be regarding the terrorist raid.

  55. 55.

    Dave Trowbridge

    May 14, 2011 at 1:59 am

    Just get yourself six feet of foundation wire per tomato plant (7′ high, 6″ mesh). Bend it into a 7-foot high cylinder, and keep it from tipping over with one of those 8-foot, 2-inch diameter garden stakes. As the tomato plant grows up inside it, keep pushing the branches back inside. The big mesh makes it easy to pick tomatoes. Ugly, but incredibly effective. And cheap.

    Bonus: at the end of the season you can cover it with transparent plastic film and extend your tomato harvest.

  56. 56.

    hilzoy

    May 14, 2011 at 2:08 am

    Random link: competitive bunny jumping. With pictures of bunnies looking very determined as they sail over 2′ jumps. Very cute. The video might cause tooth decay. ;)

  57. 57.

    hamletta

    May 14, 2011 at 2:32 am

    Oh, this is rich: The Greenbaggers are jumping all over the darling Slacktvist, Fred Clark.

    Good thing Fred is as tough as he is beatific. And his Judeo-Christian-Muslim-Pagan-Atheist commenters have his back.

  58. 58.

    Yutsano

    May 14, 2011 at 2:50 am

    Storm + high voltage + very dark sky = teh alienz haz landed.

    @hilzoy: WABBIT SEASON!!

  59. 59.

    Jebediah

    May 14, 2011 at 4:14 am

    I have nothing tomato related to offer, but if you look here you can see Otto and Juno enjoying a car ride.

    Having a pretty good night at work, but I’d rather be home with my wife and pups…I’ll have to make do with five balloon juice tabs open.

  60. 60.

    Jo

    May 14, 2011 at 10:14 am

    something like this?:
    http://carletongarden.blogspot.com/2007/06/tomato-tepees.html

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