Okay, so I wanted to share my little adventure with these things called whitmore stakes. Heard about them from a neighbor, actually. My tomato plants were going wild last year, just flopping all over the place, a real mess. Regular flimsy stakes weren’t cutting it. He swore by these ‘whitmore’ ones, said they were tougher.
Getting Started
So, I went looking for them. Found a pack at the local garden center. They looked kinda different, thicker than the usual green sticks, with a sort of textured grip part. Didn’t cost too much more, so I figured, why not? Grabbed a bundle of ten to start with.
Got home, unpacked them. First impression? Definitely sturdier than the cheap ones I usually get. Had a bit of weight to them, which felt promising.
The Actual Work
The next Saturday, I decided it was time. Went out to the garden patch. The plan was simple: replace the bent, useless stakes with these new whitmore ones.
- First, I pulled out the old stakes. Easy enough, they practically fell over.
- Then, I grabbed the first whitmore stake. Lined it up next to the biggest tomato plant.
- Tried pushing it into the ground. Okay, this took more effort. The soil was a bit compact, and these stakes are thicker. Had to put some real shoulder into it.
- Wiggled it back and forth a bit, pushed down hard, and finally got it sunk in deep enough. Felt much more solid.
- Repeated this for the other plants that needed support. Took longer than usual, mostly because pushing them in required more muscle.
- Once the stakes were in, I used some garden twine to gently tie the main stems to the stakes. The textured surface on the stakes actually helped grip the twine a little, which was nice.
Observations Along the Way
Took a break midway. Stood back and looked. The whitmore stakes definitely looked more serious, more professional maybe? They stood straight and didn’t bend when I tied the plants to them. Even the really heavy branches seemed secure. I did hit a rock trying to position one stake, had to pull it out and try a spot a few inches over. Annoying, but that happens with any stake, I guess.
End Result?
Well, it’s been a few weeks now. We had some strong wind and rain last week, the kind that usually leaves my tomatoes looking sad. But checking them this morning? They’re holding up great! The whitmore stakes didn’t budge. The plants are supported, growing upwards instead of outwards onto the path. Honestly, quite impressed.
So yeah, bit more work to get them in the ground initially, but the payoff seems worth it so far. They feel like they’ll last longer too. I’ll probably grab another pack for the rest of the garden next time I’m at the store. Solid C+ for effort, solid A for results.
