Good cages allow tomato vines to grow vertically, keeping fruit and leaves out of the dirt. The vertical position also provides better air circulation around each plant, helping prevent diseases. There are several ways to provide the support tomatoes need.
Produced by the Department of Communications at Kansas State University. For more information, visit our website at:http://www.kansasgreenyards.org
One important factor when growing tomatoes is that you need to help them to grow vertically. Keep them off the soil. Tomatoes, especially, are one of the vegetable plants that are prone to diseases, and a lot of those diseases originate in the soil. So, if you can keep the plants growing upright, that can help with the disease organisms splashing on them. And, it can also help with air circulation, so the plants dry out after irrigation and after rain.
There are a couple different types of staking methods. These are just some simple tomato cages. The type of tomato cages to use depends on the type of tomato you have. This one you can tell is pretty flimsy. Usually, it’s a little bit more economical cage, but it’s also one that’s not going to last as long. If you have a very large vined tomato – by the end of the season – it can completely push this type of cage over. Sometimes you’ll need, during the growing season, to get an additional stake, just to support the cage and to keep the cage upright.
There are other types of cages that are up to seven or eight feet tall, and they’re a lot stronger. They’re more expensive to start with. But, if you’re going to be an avid tomato grower they’re probably worth the investment. That’s because they really help contain a large vined tomato variety.
You can also stake tomato plants. You have one single pole, stake, or rebar for instance, that’s right next to the plant. And then, as the tomato plant grows, you can tie it off loosely to the stake and encourage it’s upright growth.
There are a couple of different items you can use to tie plants off. There are some Velcro plant ties that you can get at your garden center. These have Velcro on them and you can cut them to different lengths. It comes as a roll. You can easily take them apart, re-velcro it back on, and that way you can change placement throughout the season. This little guy, in a couple of weeks, I’ll be tying the first one around him on the main branch. You just loosely tie them off.
Other items you can use include string or raffia. You don’t have to get too fancy with ties. If you do staking, usually it requires that you pinch off some of the additional arms. Then, you train just one central leader or trunk of the tomato plant.
This feature story prepared with Chelsey Wasem, former Kansas State University Research and Extension Horticulture Agent, Johnson County. For more information, visit your local county extension office or visit our website at KansasGreenYards.org.
FAQs
Vining tomato plants will need as much support as you can give them to keep them from breaking. Bush tomato plants will also need support, especially once they get loaded with heavy fruit. Even tomato plants that have stems that are a couple of inches in diameter can break when loaded with tomatoes.
What support do tomatoes need? ›
Cordon tomatoes can be grown against tall canes or stakes or, in a greenhouse, twisted around string. Firmly secure canes or stakes into the ground so they will be able to support the considerable weight of fruit-laden plants and withstand sudden gusts of wind.
What do tomatoes need most? ›
To grow the juiciest, most flavorful tomatoes, your tomato plants need a steady diet of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, as well as other key nutrients. But you can't just dump fertilizer on tomatoes and expect great results.
How tall should tomato supports be? ›
Indeterminate stakes should be about six to seven feet tall, while determinate stakes can be closer to three feet or so. Either way, you'll need to make sure the stake is sturdy enough to hold the vine and the fruit. Wooden stakes are an affordable and easy-to-find option.
Do indeterminate tomatoes need support? ›
Indeterminate varieties continue to grow and produce tomatoes all along the stems throughout the growing season. Indeterminate plants need extra-tall supports of at least 5 feet.
How to make a support for tomatoes? ›
Just drive a 6-foot redwood or cedar 2×2, a length of sturdy bamboo, or a metal T-post about a foot into the ground and plant your tomato about 6 inches away from the stake. As the vine grows, train it to a single stem by gently breaking off any side shoots that emerge from the main stem.
Do tomatoes have to have support? ›
Vining tomato plants will need as much support as you can give them to keep them from breaking. Bush tomato plants will also need support, especially once they get loaded with heavy fruit. Even tomato plants that have stems that are a couple of inches in diameter can break when loaded with tomatoes.
What is the cheapest way to stake tomatoes? ›
A single stake is a simple, low-cost method for keeping plants upright in small spaces. The best method for how to stake tomatoes this way is to use a 5-foot-tall sturdy wood or metal stake for determinate tomatoes and an 8-foot-tall stake for indeterminate tomatoes.
Is it better to cage or trellis tomatoes? ›
Using a single pole or stake to support the main stem is the best way to keep these plants upright, maintain airflow, and allow for easy access when harvesting. A piece of rebar, a metal stake, or a strong pole will work as vertical support.
How deep should tomato stakes be? ›
The plants will use these upright stakes as supports. Each one is pushed into the ground about eight to 10-inches deep. The important thing is to place them deep enough, so they remain secure for the duration of the season. All the stakes are pounded into the ground at an angle, so they touch each other in the center.
Called "topping," this type of pruning causes the plant to stop flowering and setting new fruit, and instead directs all sugars to the remaining fruit. This way, the fruit will ripen faster, plus it becomes more likely that the green tomatoes you pick before frost will actually ripen when you bring them indoors.
How do I know if my tomato is determinate or indeterminate? ›
Indeterminate tomatoes: These plants give you a slow and steady supply of tomatoes throughout the season. Cherry tomatoes are indeterminate. Determinate tomatoes: These tomatoes quickly mature and then produce a single harvest. Tomatoes grown for making sauces are determinate.
Is it better to stake or cage tomatoes? ›
A better choice is to stake your tomatoes. There are stakes available as long as 10 feet. They come in different materials like wood, bamboo, plastic and metal.
What is the best method of staking tomatoes? ›
Post and Twine Method
A key feature of this method is to “sandwich” the tomato plant between a double-wrap of the twine around each pair of posts. That is, begin and end the first run of the twine on the same side of each post and each plant to be supported.
What kind of stakes to use for tomatoes? ›
Choose Your Stakes
Choose or make a sturdy stake that is at least 7 feet tall and 2 inches x 2 inches across; taller is better. One end of the stake should be pointed to make it easier to drive into the ground. If you buy one without a point, trim off some wood at one end to create a point.
How do farmers support tomato plants? ›
Many large-scale growers use the string-weave system. Sturdy metal stakes are pounded at the ends of the row. Wooden or metal stakes are placed between every other plant. Weather-resistant sisal or nylon twine is tied at the end stake.
