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#33378 July 9th, 2005 at 01:35 AM
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We had a storm that went through our garden like a tornado. It flattened a lot of our corn stalks, laid our tomato cages down, and put our pepper plants horizontal. Jim tried to set some back up, but I am not sure if that is going to work. Has this ever happened to you and what do you do about it? The crops are not ready to pick!

Dianna

#33379 July 9th, 2005 at 07:28 PM
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I quit trying to grow corn because of that problem. After every storm I spent hours resetting my corn stalks and packing soil around the roots and lower parts of the stalks. I discovered 2 things - my beautiful soil was too loose to hold the tall heavy stalks, and watering more than farmers do kept the roots shallow. I also had trouble with smut fungus because I watered with an oscillating sprinkler then. I haven't grown corn since.

I do, however, have a wonderful farmer down the road who sells the most fantastic Indiana corn I've ever tasted. (drool!) They are near retirement, though. They've promised to give me a year's warning, so I can make a separate bed just for corn and green bean rotation. They're going to give me all their secrets - seed name, soil and fertilizer coaching, and watering advice.

#33380 July 9th, 2005 at 07:35 PM
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oops! I forgot the tomato cages - do you have a fence around your garden? I run twine from my cages to the fence to keep wind from knocking my tomatoes down. If you don't have a fence, run the twine to steel fence stakes set a few feet away from the cages. You would only need 3 or 4 stakes and then tie the cages together before running the lines to the stakes.

I hope I'm not confusing you! shocked shocked

#33381 July 10th, 2005 at 02:32 AM
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I have had that happen the last two years. On the corn I just it alone and most of the time it will stand back up on it's own.

As for the tomatoes, I use cages but I drive a t-post down through the cages to hold they up.

Next year I plan to use cattle panels and t-posts on the tomatoes.

#33382 July 13th, 2005 at 10:45 PM
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Thanks for the advice, Stormy and Amigatec.

We do use cages on the tomatoes, but haven't thought about anchoring them down somehow. Will try that next year.

As for the corn, it has been a while but the corn hasn't stood back up by itself yet. We have just given up on it and will be tilling the stalks in when the rest of the garden is through after we pick what is salvageable. We haven't had good luck with corn yet in the two years we have had a garden. They say that "third time is the charm". We'll see....

Dianna


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