journey11
Garden Master
I was going to cut hickory saplings for my tomato stakes this year, but my BIL (keeper and protector of the forest!) talked me into using bamboo instead. He's got a lot of bamboo. So far so good, the tomatoes are up to 4 feet and still standing. I couldn't hammer them in, but they are so sharp, if you lean your weight on them, they go right in.
Now for pole beans, I think they are perfect. They are really long and lightweight, so it's easy to make a teepee out of them and poke it in the ground. They also worked out great for my cucumber trellis and I think it's one of the best looking and most functional cucumber trellises I've had.
I really like the hickory saplings for the tomatoes though... We have a big, tight grouping of them on a section of my FIL's woods that was cleared once and came back in hickory seedlings. Close together, they grow straight up, with no side branches, and they don't have enough space or resources to fill out and become a real tree any time soon. I think they need thinned myself!
If you cut them in the fall and let them dry out before you use them in the garden, they become VERY hard and you can't cut the bark with a knife. They'll last through MANY seasons.
I could not bear the thought of spending $50 on 6 ft. tomato stakes at the hardware store. They are soft wood and they break and warp too quickly. Less than 1/3 of what I bought last year survived to be reused this year.
I suppose if you wanted things pretty, you could buy cages. But with 56 tomato plants in the ground, I prefer CHEAP over pretty!!
Cattle panels also make wonderful trellises. And they are so indestructable, I think they are worth the minor investment. They're about 4' x 16', welded steel and cost about $20 each.
You could also make a pole bean teepee out of 1/2" pvc pipe, also very cheap and reusable.
Now for pole beans, I think they are perfect. They are really long and lightweight, so it's easy to make a teepee out of them and poke it in the ground. They also worked out great for my cucumber trellis and I think it's one of the best looking and most functional cucumber trellises I've had.
I really like the hickory saplings for the tomatoes though... We have a big, tight grouping of them on a section of my FIL's woods that was cleared once and came back in hickory seedlings. Close together, they grow straight up, with no side branches, and they don't have enough space or resources to fill out and become a real tree any time soon. I think they need thinned myself!
If you cut them in the fall and let them dry out before you use them in the garden, they become VERY hard and you can't cut the bark with a knife. They'll last through MANY seasons. I could not bear the thought of spending $50 on 6 ft. tomato stakes at the hardware store. They are soft wood and they break and warp too quickly. Less than 1/3 of what I bought last year survived to be reused this year.
I suppose if you wanted things pretty, you could buy cages. But with 56 tomato plants in the ground, I prefer CHEAP over pretty!!
Cattle panels also make wonderful trellises. And they are so indestructable, I think they are worth the minor investment. They're about 4' x 16', welded steel and cost about $20 each.
You could also make a pole bean teepee out of 1/2" pvc pipe, also very cheap and reusable.
) but the tall bamboo doesn't really grow wild much around here. I'll probably go out in the woods and scrounge for what I can....then maybe this fall I can cut and prepare some nicer ones at my friends house...they have a young forest choked with silver maple saplings! 
