Tomatoes, bell peppers and jalapenos...  Down here in the sultry Texas sun, I find that these plants tend to do really well in my outdoor garden.  As long as they have plenty of water to counteract the scorching heat, they'll produce a delicious and succulent harvest like no other.

But if you're growing any of these plants, especially tomatoes, you'll soon find that the best results come once you begin staking your plants.  Staking plants is a technique whereby you give the growing plant some additional support to help keep their heavy fruit off the ground.  Bugs, birds and squirrels will do their best to harvest your garden for you and if you leave your plants unstaked as well, it's even easier to lose your precious bounty to these critters.  It also makes your plants more susceptible to disease since contact with wet soil can introduce a wide variety of new problems.

There are many ways to stake your garden plants, with one of the more popular being to place a long wooden stake in the ground and tie your plant to it with various pieces of string.

Unfortunately, this method requires a lot of maintenance on  your part for you must constantly check and re-check to make sure that the string isn't confining the plant as it grows.  String can also inadvertently cut into the plant when the wind blows or storms arise, leaving weak spots for disease and bugs to take over.

The best system I've found to stake garden plants isn't the stake and string method, but to use rather more of a cage system.  This offers the plant a type of scaffolding that doesn't hinder growth, doesn't confine the plant and doesn't cause possible injury to the plant either.

A big advantage (and my personal favorite) is that once you have the plant properly caged, you can set it and forget it!  No more checking and re-checking and tying and re-tying throughout the growing season.

The patent pending design of the Stake-It-Easy Plant Staking System from AvantGardenDecor.com grows taller (up to 6 feet) and wider as your plant grows, supporting each new branch.  To assemble, just snap it together.  Then adjust the height and width as the plant grows. Plus the EZ Step Stake Anchors penetrate even hard ground so it's easy to install, even late in the season.  This versatile system can be used with tomatoes or most vine plants that need support.

Compare the tomatoes produced in tomato cages to those staked with other methods, and you will generally find that the caged tomatoes are plumper and juicier than those grown on plants that were staked improperly.  Also remember, that after planting your tomatoes, allow the fruit to fully ripen on the plant – these are the absolute tastiest 'maters you can get.  :thumbs up:

If you'd like to update your patio or backyard or get your outdoor garden to reach its full potential, don't hesitate to shop the large selection of yard decor, planters and gardening tools from AvantGardenDecor.com.  Their vast array of high-quality products coupled with excellent customer service will make you one satisfied customer.