Easy picking tomatoes

[pigletwillie]

For years in my greenhouse and more recently my tunnel I have grown tomatoes up 8' canes plunged straight into the ground. This works fine but you do have to reach right in for some and miss others hidden behing foliage.

A plot neighbour has a great system in that he runs two rows of canes (one would work just the same) but plunges the canes in at an angle of about 30 degrees so that all of the canes lean inwards towards the path down the centre of the tunnel or greenhouse. The bonus of this is that all of the fruit hangs free of the actual vine and are in plain view, get plenty of sunlight and air and are that bit easier to harvest as you can see them easily.

Simple but stunningly effective.

[Snadger]

Sounds good to me PW, I may just give it a try!!!

[JennieAtkinson]

Hmmmmmmmm .. I did a reply to this yesterday, but doesn't seem to have gone on!
I thought this sounded a good idea PW, but how do you stop the canes toppling over later in the season?

[pigletwillie]

I run a wire form one end of the tunnel to the other and the canes are tied onto this Jennie

[JennieAtkinson]

Ah .... wondered that. Think I might try this. What do you plant behind them Piglet? My beds on one side are quite wide.

[roitelet]

I used to grow tomatoes on a small commercial basis YEARS ago. They were trained up strings attached to the roof of the (wooden) house, pegged into the ground and angled much the same as PW suggested. The good part about this was that there was no need to tye in the plants, just twist them round the strings.

I suppose it would work with the strings attached to the wire.

[nick the grief]

Hmmmmmmmm .. I did a reply to this yesterday, but doesn't seem to have gone on!
I thought this sounded a good idea PW, but how do you stop the canes toppling over later in the season?

I've had that happen as well Jennie, I just thought I'd offened LJ

Someone I know Piglet grows his toms in growbags that are put on his staging and he fastens his canes up to the ridge of the greenhouse so this does the samething as your idea.

[pigletwillie]

Thats it Nick but without the staging.

Please Nick sendme an idiots guide on how to get images on my posts aaaaarrrgghhhh

[Lesley Jay]

Piglet go to The Fruit And Vegetable Showcase. Ben has instructions there for sizing and posting images in the first thread Please Read Before Posting.

[pigletwillie]

Right Lesley, call me a fool but I now have a resized picture but cannot find the "attachment" tool to allow me to post it. I know that it is in "advanced" somewhere but cannot find it.

Heeellllpppppppp mmmmeeeeeee

[pigletwillie]

Yes Iam an idiot as I have just found it, doh

[JennieAtkinson]

We await in anticipation Piglet ..........

[pigletwillie]

Dont hold your breath Jenny, I have sussed it out and will post some piccies up soon.

[Mrs Dobby]

Thanks for all the info in this thread, I have a feeling we are going to be using the string at 30 degree method in our greenhouse!

[JennieAtkinson]

I've been trying to plan it out in the tunnel, but think I might lose too much growing space as I'll not be able to walk from one end to the other!