RpR said:
With those large opening cages, I have home made with much smaller opening and the semi-worthless cone shaped ones, while planting that close together how do you stop it from becoming a tangled jungle.
Mine are minimum twice as far apart and they still go sideways, even through the smaller opening, some openings are to small for me to put my fist through, and are doing their best to goose other tomatoes, or it seems any other plant near.by.
At my planting distance when I , for good or not good, reasons did not pay attention to them for sometimes weeks, while even days in weather like this is too long, it becomes one huge massive green mat where you do not not know what branch belong to which plant and the weakest plant truly suffer.
I am not speaking of spindly little branches the size of a woman's pinky finger, these are the size of a man's finger.
I went out today to tie and stake up the branches with wander lust.
I have almost a half dozen volunteers, all looking good but as they are behind those planted I do not know if they will have a long life as I can now see my garden crowding was a major dweeb move with the garden doing as well as it is this year.
Last year I left my squash and mustard plants pretty much go on a unlimited walkabout but those two are in a different league than tomatoes, onions, chiles, corn tomatillos, carrots etc. all about to engage in not in my hood warfare.
Addendum:
One of the branches with wanderlust had already set root in the ground inside the cage of another tomato it was goosing.
PaulF said:I wonder if location makes a difference on how much pruning gets done. It seems like the southern states prune more than us up north folks. Or maybe is it how we learned how to garden from those who taught us. Or is it because we have paid attention to writers who think they know how to garden but may have never been outside their offices.
(Or is it that non-pruners are just better gardeners) Or are we more conceited? Will this get people going?
farmerdill said:Back in the 80's and 90's there were a number of market gardeners( western Carolina) pruning to a single leader and tying the plant to a pole. Twilley sold a variety (Pole King) for that specific purpose. Have not seen any for years
Saltflower said:Carol, it was 112 here on Friday. Thought I'd croak.
ctcarol said:I didn't do anything except water on Fri. Lots of my plants are goners in spite of watering.