How to support a tomato plant
Seeing red
A rotten fate
Why do we have to support the limbs, you say? One disastrous season will teach you that heavier fruits weigh the limbs down and end up maturing on the ground and rotting. Anywhere from 15 to 50 percent of your yield could be lost if left to support itself.
A grown tomato, can’t even support himself
First, try the simple stake method. Get a one-inch square stake and drive it 1 and 1/2 feet into the ground. Each stake can support one plant, so keep them about 2 feet apart in each row with about 3 feet distance between rows. Plant your seedling a few inches from the stake and prune it regularly, letting a single stem grow tall. Shoots come quickly, so get out there often and prevent a sprawling tomato plant. When it comes time to tie, attach the main stem to the stake with a soft twine, loose enough that it won’t break the stem as it grows.
Wire cages are a bit easier and less time consuming than the labor-intensive stake method. They do, however, require a bit more cash and take up a lot of valuable garden space. Simply purchase or build a tomato support cage and install it around your plant. As the plant grows, pull the shoots through the wires to get the necessary support. You’ll save a ton of time not having to tie or prune – which is nice since the wire plant support is geared toward a more passive gardener not looking to maximize the yield.
You say tomato…
There is a classic way to support a tomato plant, and then there are the novel ways. We like the Topsy Turvy Upside Down Tomato Planter. This method bypasses all the typical hassles of growing a great plant like pests, digging, and setting up stakes or cages. It hangs from wherever you can put a strong hook and is watered and fed via a funnel on the top side. The producers encourage you to buy several and try them on flowers, herbs, peppers and cucumbers. While they are fun and unique, we still suggest starting with one to test your luck.
If the hanging tomato planter is too daring a move for your tastes, the Veggie Cage might be a better bet. A spiral rod encompasses your tomato plant for sturdy support moving side to side. But when the season is over it can collapse into a flat coil. What’s nice is that the spiral provides three dimensional support like a cage, but it is more discreet like a stake or trellis.
