Cleaning and storing tomato supports at the end of the season

When the plants come out in autumn, the supports are easy to leave in the bed or throw in a heap behind the shed. A little care at the end of the season keeps them usable for longer and means you start next spring with clean frames.

Taking supports out

Cut the plants off at the base first, then remove the ties and pull the stems away from the frame. Don't try to drag an entire vine off a cage in one piece; it snags and bends the wire.

Wiggle stakes and ladder legs back and forth to loosen them before you pull. Soil that has packed around them all summer holds tightly, and pulling straight up is how wooden stakes snap at ground level.

Compost healthy plant material. If the plants had a leaf disease such as early blight or septoria, put the foliage in the trash or municipal green waste instead, as home compost piles often don't get hot enough to kill the spores.

Cleaning

Fungal spores and soil can stay on supports over winter. Cleaning is simple:

1. Knock off loose soil and scrape away dried stems and old ties.
2. Scrub with warm, soapy water and a stiff brush.
3. If you had disease problems, follow with a soak or wipe in a diluted disinfectant such as a 1 part bleach to 9 parts water solution, then rinse well.
4. Let everything dry completely before storing.

Wear gloves for the disinfecting step and keep the solution away from lawns and beds.

Care by material

Wood and bamboo

Check the bottom 12 in, which sat in the soil. Soft or crumbling ends can be sawn off; the stake will be shorter but sound. Bamboo that has split along its length is usually done.

Metal and coated steel

Look for chips in the coating, where rust starts. Wire cages that have bent can often be pushed back into shape by hand.

Plastic

Plastic frames and clips get brittle in strong sun. Flex them gently; if they crack, replace them.

Storing

Keep supports somewhere dry and off the ground: a shed, garage rafters or a covered wall rack. Some practical notes:

• Stakes bundle tightly; tie them in groups of ten with a strip of cloth.
• Ladders that come apart stack flat against a wall.
• Cone cages nest inside each other if they are the same size. Square folding cages fold flat.
• Hang reusable soft ties on a nail or put them in a labeled bag so they don't get lost.

Notes for next year

While the season is fresh in your mind, write down which supports worked and which plants outgrew theirs. If a vine went over the top of a frame, you'll want something taller; see matching supports to varieties.

Where to go next

If some frames are past repair, Gardener's Supply is one place to look for replacement stakes and ladders over the winter.