Show Some Support: How to Use Cages & Stakes

Many plants in our gardens benefit from some sort of support structure. Vining plants usually need something to cling to as they grow, while tall and top-heavy plants may need cages or staking. Plants and trees growing in a windy location often need support as well. 

Vegetables that need support include:

  • Tomatoes
  • Runner beans
  • Peas
  • Cucumbers
  • Pole beans
  • Grapes
  • Winter squash
  • Raspberries

     

Flowers that will benefit from support include: 

 

Type of Cages & Stakes

There are many different structures you can use to support your plants, with options that range from traditional trellises to creative, up-cycled objects! Supports can be made from a variety of materials, from wood to metal to plastic. Some supports are designed with beautiful ornamental motifs, and others are designed to be as minimal and unobtrusive as possible. 

Among the most common supports are cages in varying sizes, usually in the shape of the classic tomato cage. These typically have two circles of wire and 3-4 vertical stakes. These are excellent for the bush type or determinate tomatoes, like cherry tomatoes. The wider and slightly shorter versions of these cages are excellent for peonies that get a little top-heavy with all the rain in Powell River. If you’re an avid DIY-er, you can also create your own cages in this style, with narrow strips of wood-strong wire. 

There are also gridded grow-through cages with stakes on the sides. These are designed for multi-stem plants to grow up and through. They work well for things like daisies, poppies, delphiniums, and asters.

For climbing plants, the possibilities are nearly endless. Lattices, trellises, and obelisks are available in almost any style you can imagine, and there are options to fit every budget. If you prefer to DIY, your choices are as vast as your imagination. Most plants that climb will climb almost anything. You can go super simple with some stakes and chicken wire for your peas. Chicken wire or small stock panels are useful for all sorts of climbing plants. They can be staked in the middle of your garden, attached to walls, or bent to form a self-supporting frame.

Individual stakes are available in many different materials, including plastic, bamboo, and metal. Stakes are great for supporting tall plants like sunflowers. They’re also excellent for pole beans. There are also single stakes that feature a clip secure around the stem of a plant. If you’re going to tie your plant to a single stake, be careful to use something soft and flexible—old pantyhose works great! Ideally, the stem should still be able to move easily, and the tie should not cut into the stem. 

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You can also use string, rope, or twine to give climbing plants some support. This is one of the best options for supporting indeterminate tomatoes if you grow them in a greenhouse. The rope should tie to the greenhouse frame or a sturdy beam above the tomatoes, and reach down to the base of the plant, where it can be secured into the soil with a stake. You’ll need to train the main stem around the rope as it grows. You can also use string or twine with stakes to help hold up rows of smaller plants that are falling over.

 

How to Use Supports

The most important thing about plant supports is to get them in early before the plants get very big. It’s much easier to slip a tomato cage over a tomato that’s less than a few inches tall than it is to shimmy onto a waist-high plant. Before plants start to topple too severely, find a way to secure them. Keep an eye on your plants as they grow; you may need to loosen up ties as stems get larger, raise cages as plants get taller, or tie in new vines that reach away from their support. 

It’s also essential to make sure that your supports are secure. If they have stakes, make sure they’re deep enough into the ground to hold your plant steady when it reaches full height. Make sure the structure is sound enough to hold the weight of the mature plant when it’s time to harvest. You can do this by securing your supports to larger, more permanent structures!

Ready to show your plants some support? Visit us at Mother Nature to pick up cages, stakes, and anything else you might need for a healthy harvest!