Choosing
Determinate or indeterminate: matching the support to the plant
Bush tomatoes stop at a set height; vines keep climbing until frost. How to read the plant tag and pick a cage, ladder, stake or weave to match each type.
Tomato support articles
Longer notes than the guide on the homepage: how to match a frame to the variety, tie and prune, grow in pots, string a row and look after supports over winter.
Choosing
Determinate or indeterminate: matching the support to the plant
Bush tomatoes stop at a set height; vines keep climbing until frost. How to read the plant tag and pick a cage, ladder, stake or weave to match each type.
Stakes
How to tie and prune a tomato on a single stake
Setting the stake, tying a loose figure-eight with soft ties every 8 to 12 inches, and pinching out suckers to keep a vining tomato to one or two stems.
Timing
When to put tomato supports in, and what to do if you’re late
Why planting day is the best time to set stakes, cages and ladders, the order to do things on the day, and how to add a support later without harming roots.
Containers
Supporting tomatoes in containers and grow bags
Pot size, which support suits bush and vining types in a container, why to set it before filling the pot, and simple ways to keep a tall plant from tipping.
End of season
Cleaning and storing tomato supports at the end of the season
Taking supports out without snapping them, cleaning off soil and spores, checking wood, metal and plastic for wear, and storing frames dry until spring.
Methods
The Florida weave: holding up a row of tomatoes with string
What you need for the Florida weave, how far apart to set the posts, how to run the twine along both sides of the row, and when to add each new line.
Ready for planting day?
Gardener's Supply sells tomato ladders and stakes in several heights. This guide is independent and not affiliated with any maker of garden supports. About this site
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