Uncategorized « Nadia Knows Gardens

Windmill Tomato Cage

03 May 2010 5 Comments

by nadiaqh in Garden Design, Garden Projects, Uncategorized, Vegetable/ Herb Garden Tags: garden whimsy, nadia's san diego garden blog, organic gardening, Recycle and Renew, tomato cage

♥ All of us green thumb enthusiasts were no doubt out in the garden this weekend with plans and hoes and seeds playing in the soil. The sun was shining and the night-time temperatures are warming up here in San Diego. In one of my raised planters are tomatoes, peas, carrots, radish, pepper and sweet pea flowers. Each year I use wire tomato cages for support, but this year I wanted to find a tomato cage that was a little funky and unique. After looking through catalogues and photos online I got discouraged with how expensive the really cool tomato cages cost, so I decided to spray paint a metal mini-decorative windmill that has been on my hillside for the past 10 years. For under $4.00 a can of bright red paint was sufficient enough to resurrect a rusted out garden fixture that was getting no attention. I dug it right into the raised bed to support two of the determinate tomato plants. It definitely gave it the unique look I was pining for and will provide a solid structural support as the tomatoes reach full growth.

* Determinate vs. Indeterminate tomato plants: There is a difference between determinate and Indeterminate tomato plants. The determinate tomatoes are an all at once crop bearer and for the most part are a more manageable and compact sized plant.This is a great tomato plant if you plan to do canning and need a batch of tomatoes for a lot of tomato sauce, etc. Indeterminate Tomatoes will bear fruit throughout the growing season, great for picking and eating all summer long.

♥ Happy Gardening ♥