u/carolineE20

I planted 20 beefsteaks in the ground and my cheap cages just bowed out last year when wind and huge fruit hit. I'm wyeing heavy duty metal rings or spiral stakes but want to know if they actually survive 8 to 12 pound tomatoes without bending. I tried bamboo and basic wire cages, and anchoring to rebar helped a bit but still not enough. If you've used specific brands or DIY rigs that held up, tell me the gauge/height and how you installed them, and drop pics or links if you have them.

I've sprayed every season with fungicide and still get black spot by midsummer, tbh. I'm trying to go chemical free this year and want to rely on cultural fixes like pruning for airflow, stricter leaf cleanup, mulching, and changing watering habits, but not sure which actually make the biggest difference.

My beds are pretty crowded and I water in the morning, so I can thin things out and switch timing, just unsure about frequency and when to cut infected growth. Has anyone actually reduced black spot to almost nothing using only cultural methods, and what exact routines did you stick to all season?