For some people, tomatoes are the pinnacle of summer gardening. Who doesn’t love fresh from the vine juicy tomatoes?
Tomatoes can be easy to grow with some inexpensive equipment and a little know-how about this crop. First, when choosing a tomato variety, recognize there is a distinction between determinate and indeterminate tomato varieties that can make a big difference in your garden.
Determinate varieties are bushy and compact. The standard tomato cages work well for these plants. On the other hand, indeterminate varieties continue to grow throughout the growing season and can easily reach more than seven feet tall!
For indeterminate varieties, consider one of three alternative trellis options for in-ground beds or one alternative for growing tomatoes in containers.
The “Florida Weave” system is foolproof and economical. Basically, twine is used to weave among the tomato plants and the ends are anchored to a set of T-posts.
I recommend seven- to eight-foot T-posts to accommodate indeterminate tomatoes. With this setup, it is important not to mix and match indeterminate and determinate tomatoes because the weave is strongest when wrapped among all the tomatoes in a row.
The “Conduit Trellis” system uses more costly materials but is equally easy to install as the Florida Weave. Two vertical metal conduits and a single horizontal conduit create a tall, anchor point for twine to hang from.
Tomatoes are planted in line with the horizontal conduit and are supported by the twine using tomato clips. As the tomatoes grow, you simply add another clip to the line every foot or so.
Hoop house growers utilize a similar trellis system called the “Lower and Lean” system. This system is unique in that there is no fixed amount of twine between the anchor point on the top and the tomato plant.
Rather, a spool (various options available on the market) feeds out more twine, which causes the stem of the tomato plant to sag. This is useful to keep the top of the tomato plant within easy reach while preventing the tomato from making contact with the soil (where potential soil pathogens exist).
Lastly, for those gardeners growing in containers in small spaces, consider high quality, tall tomato cages on the market that will support tomatoes as they grow tall.
Many are made of durable plastic or steel and come in a variety of aesthetically pleasing shapes and colors. My recommendation for container tomato gardeners is to invest in high quality trellises and consider determinate tomato varieties to avoid the frustration of your tomatoes overgrowing and/or toppling your cages.
With some upfront investment in equipment that can be reused year after year, tomato growing can be an enjoyable and delicious endeavor.
by Benjamin Block, UVM Extension Master Gardener Intern
Featured photo: Indeterminate tomato varieties can grow several feet high so will require staking using one of several trellis options available to support growing plants. Photo by Kathas Fotos
