Staking tomatoes: Indeterminate stakes should be about six to seven feet tall, while determinate stakes can be closer to three feet or so. Either way, you'll need to make sure the stake is sturdy enough to hold the vine and the fruit. Wooden stakes are an affordable and easy-to-find option.
Staked plants will ripen faster crops of generally larger fruit. Stakes must be at least 1 inch thick and 6 feet high, inserted a foot into the ground. Adding supporting twine between stakes (as in the photo above) helps add stability; some gardeners lash horizontal cross-pieces of bamboo between stakes instead.
You want to start pruning tomato plants a when they get to be about 1 -- 2 feet (30-60 cm.) tall. Any smaller than this, and the plant may not recover from the shock of being pruned. By the time your tomato plant gets to be this size, the plant will have branches coming off the main stem.
One of the most popular tomato trellising methods, it's hard to go wrong with the ``Florida Weave.'' This method offers plenty of support to each tomato plant by utilizing sturdy stakes as a frame. As the plant grows, the gardener then weaves each vine through a series of twine that wraps from one stake to the next.
Depending on your row length and how many tomato plants you're trellising, you may need additional support in the center. I'd recommend a height of at least 6-8 feet above the soil level for the posts.
A better choice is to stake your tomatoes. There are stakes available as long as 10 feet. They come in different materials like wood, bamboo, plastic and metal.
Tomatoes should ideally be grown in a raised bed that's at least 15 to 18 inches deep. Many of my clients in Houston are successfully growing tomatoes in 12-inch deep raised garden beds, but their plants tend to be a little stunted compared to plants in deeper beds.
A single stake is a simple, low-cost method for keeping plants upright in small spaces. The best method for how to stake tomatoes this way is to use a 5-foot-tall sturdy wood or metal stake for determinate tomatoes and an 8-foot-tall stake for indeterminate tomatoes.
Some gardeners recommend you “pinch off” the flowers on your tomato transplants during their first weeks of growth, claiming that removing early blossoms: Directs more energy into establishing a strong root system. Results in a larger, sturdier, and potentially healthier tomato plant.
Water correctly: Do not overwater. The first week tomato plants are in the ground, they need water every day, but back off watering after the first week, slowly weaning the plants down to 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week.
As a tomato plant matures, its lower leaves begin to yellow. Pinch or prune yellowed leaves to prevent disease, improve the tomato plant's appearance, and help the plant keep its energy focused on fruit production.
String staking uses strings tied to a frame to keep plants growing upright. The plant can be continually wrapped around or tied to the string as it grows longer. This method of staking is often used to grow large vines like Cucumber in a small space.
Pros and Cons of Tomato Plant Stakes
If left unattended, suckers will eventually grow into branches that produce leaves and fruit, resulting in a bushy plant.
Repurposed garden stakes
Items like saplings, branches, bamboo, old pipes, recycled pool cues, and broken brooms can all be "upcycled" into garden stakes for your lawn. Some gardeners prefer to add a touch of weather-resistant paint to these items to give them a more finished look.
Yellow leaves and brown spots on tomato plants are most commonly caused by early tomato blight. Once found, early blight can be managed by regularly removing affected foliage from your garden.
If you're someone who likes to leave the suckers on your tomato plant, a wooden or metal trellis may be a better option for you. Using a panel trellis is a great option if you like your plants to branch out, and an arch trellis gives tomato vines all the vertical space they need to grow.
As tomato plants grow and spread, they require a support system, such as stakes, a cage, or a trellis. Decide which method you will use before you set out your plants, then place that support when you plant.
Examples of Tomatoes that don't need staking include Patio and Tiny Tim.
Tomatoes are vigorous growers that need lots of room for roots to spread out. Containers should be at least 5 gallons or 12 inches wide and deep, though bigger is better.
Indeterminate stakes should be about six to seven feet tall, while determinate stakes can be closer to three feet or so. Either way, you'll need to make sure the stake is sturdy enough to hold the vine and the fruit. Wooden stakes are an affordable and easy-to-find option.
Plant Tomatoes
Plant them at 18- to 24-inch spacing. Don't worry about letting the plants lean to one side; in a few days, they straighten up on their own.