How to tie and prune a tomato on a single stake

A single stake is the cheapest way to hold up a vining tomato, and it takes up the least room in a bed. The trade-off is work: a staked plant has to be tied regularly and pruned so it stays narrow enough for one post to carry. Here is how to do both without damaging the stem.

Setting the stake

Use a stake 7 to 8 ft long for an indeterminate variety. Drive it at least 12 in into the soil, about 3 to 4 in from the stem, on the side the prevailing wind comes from so the plant is pushed against the stake rather than away from it. Do this on planting day, before the roots spread.

Wood, bamboo, steel and coated metal all work. A square wooden stake gives ties something to grip; a smooth metal one may need the tie wrapped around it once before it goes around the stem.

How to tie

What to tie with

Choose something soft and a little wide: strips of old cotton T-shirt, garden tape, soft twine or stretchy plant ties. Thin wire and fishing line cut into the stem as it thickens.

The figure-eight

Loop the tie around the stake, cross it over between stake and plant, then loop it loosely around the stem, just below a leaf or flower cluster where the stem is strongest. The cross keeps the stem from rubbing against the stake. Leave enough slack to slide a finger between the tie and the stem, because the stem can double in thickness over the season.

How often

Add a new tie every 8 to 12 in of growth. In early summer that can mean once a week. Check older ties at the same time and loosen any that are biting into the stem.

Pruning to one or two stems

A sucker is the shoot that grows in the angle between the main stem and a leaf. Left alone, each one becomes another stem with its own flowers, and a staked plant soon turns into a tangle that the stake can't hold.

• For one stem, remove every sucker while it is small, ideally under 2 to 3 in, by pinching it out with your fingers.
• For two stems, keep the sucker just below the first flower cluster and let it grow as a second leader. Tie both stems to the stake.
• Remove larger suckers with clean pruners rather than tearing them, and do it on a dry morning so the cut dries quickly.

Also take off the lowest leaves once the plant is about 2 ft tall, so no foliage touches the soil. Late in the season, some growers cut off the growing tip about four weeks before their expected first frost so the plant puts its energy into the fruit that has already set.

When not to prune

Determinate (bush) varieties should not be pruned this way. Their side shoots carry much of the crop. If you grow bush types, a cage or a short ladder is simpler than a stake; see how to match the support to the variety.

Where to go next

If tying every week sounds like too much, a stackable ladder holds a vine from more sides and needs fewer ties. Gardener's Supply sells both stakes and ladders, and garden centers usually carry stakes in several lengths.