Re: Adventures in Table Top

**trolleydriver** 3/28/2016, 4:33 pm

ralitaco ... That certainly is a very nice setup you have created.

cheers

**Scorpio Rising** 3/28/2016, 6:59 pm

Nice!

ralitaco 3/29/2016, 12:19 am

Thank you everyone, but wait...There's more.

I finally added some trim around the top of one of my 2x8's. Now I can set down a can, a bowl, shears, etc...plus my wife wanted it I love you

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Of course, I still need to sand them down some, prime them, paint them, OH and do the other boxes too. But at least I know what I'm doing now...well sorta.

ralitaco 3/30/2016, 8:11 pm

Here are some more pictures of the ledge I put around my Table Tops.
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ralitaco 3/30/2016, 8:37 pm

Got the ledges and the other set of tall legs done. Now I needed to do something across the top that I could use to cover the bed and also attach verticals to in order to make tomato cages since last year my maters got so tall and the store bought cages kept falling over. Now, I'm not sure just what I will do, but I am thinking whatever I come up with will need to be secured up top.

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What I used was a 2x4 that I cut in half. Here is the guide I made to use with my circular saw. Can I tell you, I just LOVE those clamps
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**sanderson** 3/31/2016, 3:27 pm

Super nice. Have you ever supported tomatoes from overhead? I think Kate ?? does that, and I do.

yolos 3/31/2016, 5:54 pm

sanderson wrote:Super nice. Have you ever supported tomatoes from overhead? I think Kate ?? does that, and I do.

I tried it last year. One thing I learned was that you have to mostly sucker all available suckers. I stopped midway thru the season and had a gazillion lines hanging down from overhead trying to support all the many producing branches. This year I am going to try harder and see if that helps. I will have eight tomatoes in cages and 8 tomatoes supported from overhead.

ralitaco 3/31/2016, 8:47 pm

sanderson wrote:Super nice. Have you ever supported tomatoes from overhead? I think Kate ?? does that, and I do.

yolos wrote:I tried it last year. One thing I learned was that you have to mostly sucker all available suckers. I stopped midway thru the season and had a gazillion lines hanging down from overhead trying to support all the many producing branches. This year I am going to try harder and see if that helps. I will have eight tomatoes in cages and 8 tomatoes supported from overhead.

I have not tried that unless you are talking about those upside down bucket-bags (Topsy-Turvy)

yolos 3/31/2016, 11:04 pm

This is the best video I have seen that explains suckering and using a string to hold the tomato. She is winding the string around the stem of the tomato plant. Last year I tried that and didn't like doing that. So I purchased some tomato clips and just clipped the tomato stem to the string. My overhead supports were 8 feet above ground. Then I tied strings to the overhead support above each tomato.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJgA4n-sCE8&feature=endscreen&NR=1

Here is what I mean when I say tomato clip.
http://www.amazon.com/Vegetable-Garden-Tomato-Trellis-Clips/dp/B00579X2HC/ref=sr_1_2?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1459479913&sr=1-2&keywords=tomato+clips
There are a lot of different varieties of these clips. I have no idea which one I purchased so can't recommend any particular clip.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_12?url=search-alias%3Dlawngarden&field-keywords=tomato+clips&sprefix=tomato+clips%2Caps%2C146

**sanderson** 4/1/2016, 4:19 am

Nice videos, Yolos. I like to use the stretchy green gardening tape instead of string. I bought some green clamps from the Dollar Store. Used the big ones for winter squash and tomatoes, the smaller for cucumber and melons.

ralitaco 4/1/2016, 10:41 pm

yolos wrote:This is the best video I have seen that explains suckering and using a string to hold the tomato. She is winding the string around the stem of the tomato plant. Last year I tried that and didn't like doing that. So I purchased some tomato clips and just clipped the tomato stem to the string. My overhead supports were 8 feet above ground. Then I tied strings to the overhead support above each tomato.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJgA4n-sCE8&feature=endscreen&NR=1

Thanks for the video link. That was very informative. I knew Mel said to pop off the suckers but she was a bit more specific regarding trying to make a single stem.

Here's a link to their video with those plants when they were at full maturity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QFQqPbIFlM

yolos wrote:Here is what I mean when I say tomato clip.
http://www.amazon.com/Vegetable-Garden-Tomato-Trellis-Clips/dp/B00579X2HC/ref=sr_1_2?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1459479913&sr=1-2&keywords=tomato+clips
There are a lot of different varieties of these clips. I have no idea which one I purchased so can't recommend any particular clip.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_12?url=search-alias%3Dlawngarden&field-keywords=tomato+clips&sprefix=tomato+clips%2Caps%2C146

I saw somewhere, here perhaps, where someone used the small hair clips to secure the stems to a post

ralitaco 4/1/2016, 10:48 pm

I finally made a decision, for now, on my grid...I put in a 1/2" PVC grid. I was able to find the Crosses at a local plumbing supply shop for $0.97 vs $1.28. Unfortunately they only had 10 left but are getting more in on Wednesday...
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My beds actually were 22"x101.5". So I ended up with 16 full squares and two 1/2 squares...I will probably put in some lettuce there or something smaller like that.

Also decided that for now, the hose and wand will be my irrigation system.

countrynaturals 5/4/2016, 7:54 pm

Gorgeous layout. Cool

ralitaco 5/4/2016, 9:17 pm

Thank you Suz.
I have started a new thread for this year: 2016 SFG Adventures in Hampstead, NC
Come check it out, I have a few new photos there, and more on the way.

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Adventures in Table Top