Tomatoes can be tied to stakes. Set a bamboo or stick stake beside the plant and tie them to it in several places as they grow. That was the norm before cages. They can be planted against trellises and tied to them.
The use of baling twine and t-posts is a cheap and efficient way to stake young tomato plants. It won't break your budget and it gets the job done.
Tomato plants inevitably need support. Their tall and relatively flexible stems cannot stand upright on their own, especially once they're heavy and laden with fruit! Without staking and the support from a tomato cage or trellis, tomato plants will succumb to their own lankiness and weight.
It really comes down to how much space you have, if you are limited and want to grow many different varieties then stake, if you have a lot of room then cages. Nothing wrong with letting them sprawl on the ground either!
The best support structure for growing vining, indeterminate/cordon tomato varieties is an A-frame with cross braces due to its strength and stability and, if built using 3 metre (10 ft) bamboo poles, is going to be one of the tallest and cheapest options too, making it perfect for home-growers.
The other proven option for tomato trellising is called the "Florida Weave". This technique consists of using stakes along the row and weaving twine between the plants and each stake. The Florida Weave is a great way to trellis tomatoes if you grow many tomatoes along a row.
Tomato Cage Cons
These trellises cause a bit of extra labor for you too, and pruning and thinning will become your constant task as you battle with a plant that feels a bit confined in its corset. I'm all about equipment that can multitask throughout the seasons and take up minimum space during any storage downtime.
To build the trellis, sink poles or 4-inch wooden posts into the ground about 10 feet apart. Be sure that they are deep enough and properly anchored to support the weight of all the tomatoes when laden with fruit. The tops of the posts should be 5 or 6 feet high.
No matter where you garden, if you don't stake or cage your tomato plants, you'll end up with tomatoes on the ground, where they may rot or be eaten by small animals. Plus, an unsupported tomato plant that's allowed to sprawl can take up lots of space in a garden.
Most determinate varieties need a cage, but there are some very stocky varieties, such as Better Bush, that have a very sturdy main stems; they don't need much support, just a stake to keep them from toppling in wind and rain.
Tomato cages, seedling starters, seeds, and more. Here are just a few gardening supplies at Dollar Tree, but many of these things are also available to buy (mostly in bulk) on their website. They allow free pick up at their stores if you order online.
Here's how to plant your tomato deep in the ground: Start with great soil. If you're growing in the ground, improve the texture and nutrition of your native soil with compost or Miracle-Gro® Garden Soil for Vegetables and Herbs.
Many large-scale growers use the string-weave system. Sturdy metal stakes are pounded at the ends of the row. Wooden or metal stakes are placed between every other plant. Weather-resistant sisal or nylon twine is tied at the end stake.
Stakes allow for easier pruning
Just drive a 6-foot redwood or cedar 2×2, a length of sturdy bamboo, or a metal T-post about a foot into the ground and plant your tomato about 6 inches away from the stake.
Plants are usually ready to prune once they reach 12 to 18 inches in height.
Use whatever stakes you have on hand – wooden stakes, bamboo, metal – just be sure that they're at least 4 feet high. This isn't the easiest method because you need to keep tieing the plant up over the course of the season, but it works and is cheap.
The fact of the matter is that YES the plants are related and YES they share some common diseases but most people do not have the space in their garden to separate them. The reality is that because the two have similar growth requirements, they can in fact be grown quite successfully together.
However, because they are both heavy feeders, require a lot of moisture and light, and need adequate space around them to promote healthy air circulation, they may compete. In light of this, if you want to grow cucumbers and tomatoes together, it is best to plant them 45 – 60 cm apart and in separate soil if possible.
Plants like Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli are especially heavy feeders, and they compete for resources and reduce the yield of neighboring tomato plants. Some gardeners have success growing a variety of brassicas with tomatoes, but these demanding crops need extra nutrients to keep them happy.