On Tue, 29 Jun 2010 10:02:39 -0700
"Ivan Vegvary" wrote:

I own about 80 tomato baskets. These are the conical wire supports that
hold up the plants as they hopefully grow. Every year about a dozen baskets
experience failure by having one of their welds break. I segragate them and
eventually they meet with my OA welding torch and get a new lease on life.
SWMBO says I should simply buy new baskets. Most of them are at least 20
years old, back when you could buy them for $ 0.50 each. I refuse to pay
$1.79 and up for new ones. Cheap? I would rather spend the money on
welding gas.


I bought the heaviest ones I could find, using four verticals, three
hoops and probably nine gauge wire. Still need to pound in a 6 ft
T-post and wire it to the cage to keep the wimpy things from falling
over towards the end of the season. Huge mess when one goes over...

I've had much better luck with 2" x 4" square four foot tall wire
fence. Cut to length so you end up with maybe a three foot diameter
circle when wired together. Set them over the tomato plant, pound in
adjacent six foot T-post, wire to post. Cut tomato "extraction holes"
here and there as needed. This has handled 60mph winds without any
significant damage.

--
Leon Fisk
Grand Rapids MI/Zone 5b
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