We are already planning next year's garden and are debating whether or not to use Bamboo poles to stake the tomatoes, runner beans, cucumbers. Any ideas would be appreciated. I am tired of the old wire cages and they have to have supports else they fall over.
Well, I can recommend them, GP because I use them every year for toms and runner beans. For the runner beans I build wigwam forms of five "Tonkin Sticks", as we call them, and I join these at the top for stability and to let the 'vines' twirl along. For the tomatos, I make a structure of stronger wood with two end poles and a cross bar at a level of about 6'7" and rest the bamboo poles at an angle on this. Perhaps you have seem some of the fotos that I have posted. These work well for me. --addendum: Another technique I sometimes use is to suspend a strong twine from that sturdy cross bar and wind the growing cordon tom around it so that the tom plant supports itself so to speak. This works good for me as well. Good luck!
