beth_patel4•3mo agoMost Upvoted

My balcony tomatoes got a lot happier after a trip to the hardware store

I was at the garden center in town last week, just looking for more pots. A guy working there saw my sad tomato plants in a photo and asked if I was using any support. I told him no, I just let them grow wild. He showed me a simple metal cage for about eight dollars and said to put it in the pot before the plant gets too big. I tried it with my new cherry tomato plant, and it's already standing up straight instead of flopping over. Has anyone else had better luck with cages over stakes for balcony tomatoes?

3 comments

3 Comments

harper2543mo ago

Yeah, "total mess" is right... cages are a total game changer.

evaperez1mo agoTop Commenter

Whoa, hold on, is it really that serious? I mean yeah, a sad tomato plant flopping over doesn't look great, but it's still gonna grow tomatoes, right? I've been growing them on my deck for a few years and I just shove a wooden stake in the dirt and tie the stems to it with some old twine. It works fine, the plant stays up, and I don't have to go buy some special metal contraption. I get that a cage might be easier since you don't have to tie everything, but calling it a "game changer" feels like a stretch. Plants are tough, they'll figure it out even if they're a little messy.

hunt.shane3mo ago

Oh man, I feel that. My balcony plants were a total mess before I tried cages too. It's crazy how much of a difference it makes.