Backyard Farming Forum
Bringing food production home

Got my first tomatoes in today, some advanced, black russians, mortgage breakers and tigerellas (found a Sunnyvale six pack punnet I have never seen before, nice healthy strong looking plants).

Over the years I have tied, stakes, tellis, ringlock rings and bamboo scaffolds but never have any of them stood out as being great. Can people post up some descriptions and pictures of how they like to grow their tomatoes so I can get in early on these ones and ensure I minimise my grief?

Thanks,
Mike

i rely on the florida stake method, its how commercial growers keep them off the ground. i did 1,100 vines this way, and had great success.

As Pauline would say, "Please Explain"

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Self Employed Refrigeration Slave

Think its when you run wire of rope between star posts. Then grow the plants weaving through the wire.

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To think before you act is a wise option. But not as funny.

Yep a sturdy post at the ends of a row of toms, and you weave rope or whatever in and out between the plants like a weave.
One good sturdy stake is all you need for one plant and tie it up to the stake in whatever fashion whenever needed

this may help

http://www.foogod.com/~torquill/barefoot/weave.html

I have done similar in the past, mixed with some timber battens that I have tied up to.

Problem is it won't do as I have stopped growing in rows and I just have random plants in different beds no so it needs to be a stand alone system for one plant.

you could make a teepee around the tomato plant out of three garden stakes and spiral string around it from the base to the top

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Why did the chicken cross the road? ... To have her motives questioned.

free standing wire baskets or cages then.

Charles Wilber has a book out entitled "How To Grow World Record Tomatoes". In this book he describes the pruning of all but a few vines from the start, how to build tomato cages out of concrete reinforcing wire so they stack one on top of another, and the growing requirements for tomatoes.
We have a few heavy duty cattle panels with 4" X 4" holes and 16' long that may serve the purpose of a trellis. Figure on using one of them to make a V shape by bending it in the middle. Start a inderminate tomato on both sides of the V and see how it goes. Have some old sheets that will be torn into strips to use as tie downs.

Hope you figure out what works for you. Everyone and every situation is different.

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Gardening on four wheels


Mr Bill's Future Aquaponics Setup