Tomato Trellis
Gardening with a Tomato Trellis
For the novice tomato gardener, or one who has never used a tomato trellis before, there is much to learn! A trellis is a device used to support the growth of tomato plants when they begin to bear fruit. There is a variety of trellises available as well as a few other devices that may work just as well as a trellis or better, depending on the type of garden you maintain. We are going to discuss the different types of support devices as well as provide instructions for cost-effective ways that you can make your own!
The trick to choosing a good tomato trellis is to understand the purpose it is going to serve. Do you want one trellis to hold up multiple tomato plants or do you only have one or two tomato plants? If you are indeed planning to use a trellis for several plants then the material you choose needs to be quite sturdy. Let’s take a look at the different types available…
The most common type of trellis is composed of sturdy wire material. A tomato trellis can be purchased from most garden supply stores as well as online, and are you ever spoiled for choice! There are wire cages that can be used for single tomato plants, as well as fence-like structures sturdy enough to provide support for several plants. The plants can simply be weaved through the large open slots or tied to the fencing to keep it upright as well as to space out the branches. This means that the plant is capable of bearing more fruit because it has plenty of room to!
Another popular device is an old fashioned wooden lattice trellis. This tends to be a popular option for people who want their trellis to be a bit more fashionable than the alternative types of trellis. With the wooden lattice type of trellis you will have to tie the plant’s central stalk to the latticework as the holes are usually not large enough to weave the plant effectively without hindering its ability to bear fruit. This type of tomato trellis is likely to be found in your local gardening store.
The “Florida weave” is quickly growing in popularity and it is one that you can easily construct yourself! For this, you will need metal posts and thick twine or clothes line. Place a post between each tomato plant, or every few if you have planted them particularly close to one another. Tie the line around the first post and weave it in between the plants. Wrap the line two or three times around the next post and return back towards the first post, weaving in the opposite direction of the plants. The amount of times you weave back and forth depends on how tall your tomato plants are. If you picture the line and the posts as a ladder, each time the line is woven back and forth between the posts is a rung; and there should be about a foot of space between each “rung”. This is a cheap and effective method whether you are supporting one tomato plant or several.
Another do it yourself tomato trellis is the “open table”. For this you will need four 12-inch long pieces of wood. They don’t have to be very thick, say about one inch in diameter. You will need four equally-sized wooden stakes to use as the “legs” of the table. Their height depends on how tall your tomato plant is, but endeavor to keep it above five or six inches tall. The basic idea is to fix the four 12-inch long stakes together to make the shape of a square, then attach a leg to each corner. Your method of attaching them can be whatever you please: nails, wood glue, hot glue, etc. Gently place the “table” over the plant until the legs reach the ground. Hammer them lightly into the ground until the fixture become sturdy enough to support the branches of the plant. The idea of the open table is to keep the tomato fruit on the lower branches from touching the ground.
A trellis is definitely a must-have for any serious tomato gardener. Tomatoes can grow to be quite heavy and can easily bend or snap the main stalk of the plant if left unsupported. The added support also helps to ensure that the tomato harvest doesn’t end up touching the ground resulting in rot.