Topic: Cylindrical support

[northener]

I think i've had a brainwave. Supports for peas and beans. I have some wiremesh left over from chicken run. Thinking of forming it into 14" Diameter cylinders and planting around the edges. Anyone tried it? Or am i just a bit giddy.

[allaboutliverpool]

When the plants have grown and filled the centre of the cylinder as well as covering the outside, how are you going to pick the produce in the inside?

You would be better cutting a piece 3 feet wide and threading a cane down either end and securing in the soil.

http://www.allaboutliverpool.com/allaboutallotments2_my_allotment_in_liverpool.html

[natasha]

I saw such support for tomatoes, they made it in a shape of a horseshoe (top view), it's about 3/4 of cylinre, so that you can put your hand inside and collect produce.
I wish I had wire mash.

[jennym]

Save your mesh for your tomatoes: http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joomla/smf/index.php?topic=30131.msg299559#msg299559
(I use canes and string for peas, or twiggy buts of wood cut as hedge prunings in the winter)

[Garjan]

In a charity shop I found a book with 'grandfathers best advice on gardening'.
It says that a cylindrical support is actually a traditional way of supporting peas and beans. They are using the space more efficiently than straight supports.

A mesh cylinder with a diameter of 1 metre supports 3 metres of peas. If you want to be able to enter the circle, you need to make an entrance of about 50 centimetres. That still leaves 2,5 metres of peas supported on a one metre stretch.
The advice is to keep 20 centimetres between the cylinders.

So northerner, you're not giddy at all.

[simon404]

I've done it many years ago with peas but with cylinders about 3 feet wide. Yields were no better than rows but it made a change and planting in circles is supposed to be in tune with cosmic vibes  :) (it was a while back!)

[northener]

Points taken. The mesh is a bit weighty Manics it would need stronger supports then canes. Jenny are you growing the bush type that dont need the side shoots taking off?

[Hyacinth]

I saw such support for tomatoes, they made it in a shape of a horseshoe (top view), it's about 3/4 of cylinre, so that you can put your hand inside and collect produce.
I wish I had wire mash.

You can buy these in the US.....these tomato cages are really popular there. Wilkos sell rolls of wire mesh btw 8) :D