Horizontal Tomato Cages

For years, I have been wanting to install horizontal tomato cages, but I never got around to it until now. The basic idea behind horizontal tomato cages is that you place the wire mesh horizontally so you don't have to reach through it to get tomatoes. It also features mesh that can be easily moved for tilling and dead plant removal at the end of the season.

The design is fairly straight-forward. You need a minimum of four posts. Each of the posts should be placed in the ground deep enough to secure them. You can set them in concrete if you so desire. The width should be matched to your tomato plants at full size or to whatever is convenient. I chose a couple inches wider than my rototiller, so I could fit it between the posts. The posts have small pieces of wood screwed on as ledges at each mesh height.

The mesh is put onto frames. I used pressure-treated 2x2s for my frames. Vinyl-coated mesh also is a nice feature.

The frames set on the ledges on the posts and can be secured in place by 4 screws (1 into each ledge on each post). To remove the mesh and till between the posts, you only need to remove these 4 screws in each mesh frame.

Here are some views of the finished product:

Fig. 1 A view of the mesh frame sitting on the post ledge.

Fig 2. A side view of the cage.

Fig. 3. The finished product.

Planting Trees

Well, this weekend turned out to be the great tree planting. We planted three trees -- a Royal Burgundy cherry and two very large river birch. The rootballs on the two river birch weighed in the 300 and 500 pound ranges, which required some help from a neighbor to move.



My poor cart got two flat tires in the process.











Planting the cherry tree was a snap. I carted it around, picked it up, and stuck it in the hole.

Planting the two birch trees required 2 foot deep holes. In our area they were deep enough to have water seeping into them over night.

Placing the birch trees into the holes resulted in both of them falling over. We had to use long 2x4s and landscape timbers to wrestle them back into position. For the large tree this process took an hour. For the smaller one, it only took a few minutes.

In both cases we filled the holes in with alternating layers of the original soil and a mix of top soil, compost, and peat moss. Slight tamping with a 2x4 ensured good contact between the root ball and the new soil. It also got rid of any air pockets.








We finished up with watering and fertilizing. I'll be adding a heft layer of pine mulch after the next set of rain storms pass.












They don't look half bad.

Witch Hazel

I just planted an 18 inch tall witch hazel (HAMAMELIS xintermedia 'Diane') out in front of my house. It's my first purchase from RareFind.

We will see how it does over this summer. This is my first witch hazel and I don't recall ever seeing any grown in this area.

Planning to Prune

My wife adores the red color of a burning bush, so I planted a 'dwarf' variety near my driveway. The 'dwarf' size of a 10 feet high and 10 feet wide is too large for the spot, so I am planning to heavily prune the new plant to keep it in check. We'll see how this strategy is going to work out.

Small Shade Trees

So, due to some recently removed trees, I need to find some small shade trees for our back yard. To avoid power lines, I need something 25 feet or less. The local home and garden show gave me quite a few people to talk to. We also made a trip to a nursery yesterday to get some advice and check out their stock. So far the list of options includes:

• Flowering Crabapple
• Cherry
  
• Lilac
• River Birch
• Hybrid Elms

Most all of these trees are also available for either pickup/ delivery in large burlap bound root balls or pots, or available for direct delivery and planting via truck-mounted spade.

I am tending to lean towards the river birch. They are quoted in most places as being able to grow very large, but the specimen at the nursery was in 25 foot range at an age of 15 years in our climate. Similarly, a grove in Ohio was measured in the 25 to 30 foot range. This makes me think it might stay small in our climate, or at least will grow slowly enough to keep it small enough for long enough. The river birch has a nice coloration, nice open structure, and is just a beautiful tree.

This week I am hoping to make a trip out to the tree farm to get some more ideas and perhaps arrive at a final decision.

(*Make note -- bring camera for pictures of trees.)

Zone 5 Adventures

With so much of gardening centered around the population centers in warmer climates (Texas, Florida, and California) it can be hard to find resources on gardening in zone 5. This blog is dedicated to my gardening adventures in zone 5.

My space isn't very large and it is very urban. I do all of my own landscaping, I plant a vegetable garden, and I love to grow flowers. My wife and I have children and a dog. We have neighbors. All of these play a part in the greater scheme of things.