May is tomato month and if you have been setting out tomatoes on schedule your plants are getting tall enough to start staking up to get them off the ground. Most tomato varieties are vines and tying them to stakes is necessary to gain access to the plant.

      There are many ways to stake your tomatoes such as wire cages, wooden stakes and such. I have found the least expensive way to stake up your tomatoes is to use PVC pipe.  

This can be obtained at Home Depot, Ace Hardware, or Lowes. They come in 8 foot lengths and you can easily cut them to fit your needs. Buy the 3/4 inch in diameter for proper strength. You can cut a 45 degree angle on one end for better ground penetration. Use green nylon tape to tie the vines to the pipe. This gardeners tape is available where you purchase the PVC. You can get several years use out of them and they store easily without taking up too much space. The cost of these stakes is less that 1/2 of the other methods available.  

Happy Staking!!

Farmer Darrell