Homesteaders

[Loc20chick]

for your mater cages you could wrap the round wire cages in the garden netting. It gives the support. Or you could build a tri-pod with a string from the middle to make the plant grow up. Just shorten the string as needed to keep the plant upright.

I had been thinking I could put a pole in the middle of the cage and tie the plant up as it grows, The wire netting around the cage is something I could do to keep the plant and branches in growing upright, thanks.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

I had been thinking I could put a pole in the middle of the cage and tie the plant up as it grows, The wire netting around the cage is something I could do to keep the plant and branches in growing upright, thanks.

make sure to put your pole 12-16 inches deep. Remember mater get heavy. Also make sure to put the pole in before the plant as to not disturb the root system. Oh and put a hole in the top of the pole to put the twine through and tie. That way it's secure to the top and can't slide down. Been there. It sucks.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

Forgot to add. T-posts or bamboo ones from any garden place work great.

 

[Loc20chick]

Someone earlier last year (2015) said one needs a truck as a homesteader, I don't have one n now see how it like be so useful, I keep seeing free pallets but have no way of carrying them, since @Beekissed mentioned the cattle panels, I was searching around and saw one 16ft X 50in that would support several tomato plants or cucumbers over the years. Gotta get friends with pickup trucks lol..

 

[Chicken girl 15]

Someone earlier last year (2015) said one needs a truck as a homesteader, I don't have one n now see how it like be so useful, I keep seeing free pallets but have no way of carrying them, since @Beekissed mentioned the cattle panels, I was searching around and saw one 16ft X 50in that would support several tomato plants or cucumbers over the years. Gotta get friends with pickup trucks lol..

Rancher told us having a truck is nesacery. You could also build v shapes with pallets stacked 2 on top end to end an grow up those.

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

A homestead is a small farm. Hard to run a farm without a work pickup.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

Yes it is. We have been trying to do so for 2 years. Finally we had to swallow our pride and start asking our friends to use their truck for property use.

 

[Beekissed]

Someone earlier last year (2015)

said one needs a truck as a homesteader, I don't have one n now see how it like be so useful, I keep seeing free pallets but have no way of carrying them, since @Beekissed mentioned the cattle panels, I was searching around and saw one 16ft X 50in that would support several tomato plants or cucumbers over the years. Gotta get friends with pickup trucks lol..

That or install a hitch on your car and get a utility trailer. Priceless and so many uses that it will pay for itself over and over before you are through. Got this little 4x6 gem for $320....the fella had added reinforcement to the frame, racks on the sides and modified the hitch to make it more versatile. You can haul many a thing in a good trailer.

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

trailers are nice. but be careful what kind of car you hitch anything too. You can really damage your car pulling a trailer, they are not made for that.

 

[wyoDreamer]

Nice little trailer @Beekissed
I have seen so many people with cars pulling trailers that are overloaded and it is scary watching them going down the road. The trailer swaying from side to side and pulling the car with it. A lot of the new cars are built for gas mileage and not able to safely tow a trailer. They don't have a solid frame to attach the trailer hitch to and the gearing is set up wrong and pulling a trailer will destroy the transmission. That includes a lot of the minivans out there and even a number of the new SUV's.
We rented a 12 foot enclosed U-Haul trailer when we moved to Wyoming. In the paperwork it states that the trailer should not be towed by a Ford Explorer! Probably some lawsuit issue but I found that very funny! I am a Chevy fan myself...

We were in the market for a new vehicle last year. I found a Jeep that I really like, but passed because it is built on a car frame and doesn't have the towing capacity that I need.