• Greetings from SoCal

Posted: **Mon Apr 13, 2020 3:22 pm**

Hi everybody. Just joined today and I look forward to a long and fruitful (pun..sorry) relationship with you all.
I've been growing tomatoes for over 30 years (yeah, I'm old - 73) with great success for the most part.
I grow mine in a dedicated back garden which is solely for tomatoes, cukes and green beans.

Here's a couple of shots not quite showing all the plants. I usually have 10 tomatoes.

Overall 1.JPG

Overall 2.JPG

I also have some citrus trees (lime, orange and lemon) as well as quite a few plumeria.

I enjoy all kinds of gardening. I'm happiest when I'm out digging in the dirt.

Posted: **Mon Apr 13, 2020 3:25 pm**

Welcome, QAGuy! Your setup is both tidy and awesome! Nice cages.

Posted: **Mon Apr 13, 2020 3:39 pm**

Welcome, are you the same QAGuy.

Posted: **Mon Apr 13, 2020 3:40 pm**

Hi Welcome from the Inland Empire

Posted: **Mon Apr 13, 2020 3:54 pm**

Welcome! Very nice cage setup... the plants look well pleased!

Posted: **Mon Apr 13, 2020 6:11 pm**

Welcome to the Junction from Down Under

Posted: **Mon Apr 13, 2020 8:23 pm**

Welcome to the forum! Great looking tomatoes.

Posted: **Mon Apr 13, 2020 8:24 pm**

Welcome to the forum! Great looking tomato plants.

Posted: **Mon Apr 13, 2020 9:25 pm**

[mention]QAGUY[/mention] Welcome to the forum from SoCal. Tomatoes and citrus but no avocados? Tomatoes for only 30 years? I've been at it for 38. Yours look better than mine. I picked up the habit from my dad.

[mention]pepperhead212[/mention] Woodbury? that rings a bell, that's where I was born. I still have family there. We would visit there often as my dad played a saxophone with the Bonsal Blues band. They marched in the 4th of July parade. That was fifty years ago and I see they still exist.

pepperhead212 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 13, 2020 8:23 pm Welcome to the forum! Great looking tomatoes.

Posted: **Mon Apr 13, 2020 9:34 pm**

[mention]QAGUY[/mention] That looks like more than two feet between the horizontal supports. How do you train the plants to go that vertical distance? Is there some kind of internal vertical support? string? Or do you just manually fit the plants in as they grow and the only support the horizontal PVC pipe?

Posted: **Tue Apr 14, 2020 10:49 am**

Welcome to the Junction QAGUY! So glad to have someone with a couple of years of experience here. Your gardens are just beautiful and so very neat and tidy. You sure have put some work into it and it does show.

Posted: **Wed Apr 15, 2020 1:14 pm**

worth1 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 13, 2020 3:39 pm Welcome, are you the same QAGuy.

Yes, I am. Been using that name since before the turn of the century on various boards.

Posted: **Wed Apr 15, 2020 1:20 pm**

zeuspaul wrote: ↑Mon Apr 13, 2020 9:34 pm @QAGUY That looks like more than two feet between the horizontal supports. How do you train the plants to go that vertical distance? Is there some kind of internal vertical support? string? Or do you just manually fit the plants in as they grow and the only support the horizontal PVC pipe?

Yes, I use 3 feet between plants because I have the room and want circulation between the plants. Tried two feet and they all sort of grew together. This way I can get at all of them easily. Or are you talking about within each cage. That's limited due to the area of the garden width. Each horizontal section is 7 1/4 inches, so by the time you add in the fittings, it's around 16 inches for each horizontal section.

I use the stretchy green garden tape (I do reuse it so it doesn't go in the garbage). I limit my plants to four vines, one for each upright. Otherwise it would be a jungle in there. I tried to tape one year and when the plant reached 5 feet, it collapsed upon itself.

Posted: **Wed Apr 15, 2020 1:26 pm**

zeuspaul wrote: ↑Mon Apr 13, 2020 9:25 pm @QAGUY Welcome to the forum from SoCal. Tomatoes and citrus but no avocados? Tomatoes for only 30 years? I've been at it for 38. Yours look better than mine. I picked up the habit from my dad.

@pepperhead212 Woodbury? that rings a bell, that's where I was born. I still have family there. We would visit there often as my dad played a saxophone with the Bonsal Blues band. They marched in the 4th of July parade. That was fifty years ago and I see they still exist.

pepperhead212 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 13, 2020 8:23 pm Welcome to the forum! Great looking tomatoes.

Not sure on the number of years. Just picked 30 for some reason. Thinking back on it, it's about the same as yours. Got the habit from my dad too. Lived in Chicago and he loved his tomatoes! Not enough room for avocados, and if truth be told, I don't like them all that much.

Posted: **Wed Apr 15, 2020 4:47 pm**

Welcome from N. Florida. Nice tomatoes!

Posted: **Wed Apr 15, 2020 8:40 pm**

I am wondering what the vertical spacing is between the layers in the cage. If the horizontal size of the pvc and fittings is 16 inches then judging from the picture the vertical spacing is about 30 inches?

I now see the green tape which explains why the plants are not collapsing. Are you saying there are 4 plants in a cage each one strapped to one of the pvs risers in each corner?

I may have been at tomatoes for 38 years but only 30 actually with plants in the ground.

edit: Now I think I understand. One plant in each cage with 4 stemss each taped to a corner riser?

QAGUY wrote: ↑Wed Apr 15, 2020 1:20 pm
zeuspaul wrote: ↑Mon Apr 13, 2020 9:34 pm @QAGUY That looks like more than two feet between the horizontal supports. How do you train the plants to go that vertical distance? Is there some kind of internal vertical support? string? Or do you just manually fit the plants in as they grow and the only support the horizontal PVC pipe?
Yes, I use 3 feet between plants because I have the room and want circulation between the plants. Tried two feet and they all sort of grew together. This way I can get at all of them easily. Or are you talking about within each cage. That's limited due to the area of the garden width. Each horizontal section is 7 1/4 inches, so by the time you add in the fittings, it's around 16 inches for each horizontal section.

I use the stretchy green garden tape (I do reuse it so it doesn't go in the garbage). I limit my plants to four vines, one for each upright. Otherwise it would be a jungle in there. I tried to tape one year and when the plant reached 5 feet, it collapsed upon itself.

Posted: **Fri Apr 17, 2020 12:14 am**

Welcome to the Junction!

Posted: **Mon Apr 20, 2020 1:01 am**

Welcome and greetings from Rosemead!

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