What is the best trellis system for tomatoes?

Author: Eleonore Cassin  |  Last update: Saturday, May 10, 2025

Basket-weaving is the most common way to trellis determinate tomatoes in open field or protected culture, and it is occasionally used for indeterminate tomatoes. It is a labor-saving method of tomato trellising, when pruning is not important.

What is the best trellis method for tomatoes?

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.

What is the best staking system for tomatoes?

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.

Is it better to stake or cage tomatoes?

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!

What is the best climbing frame for tomatoes?

The ultimate heavy duty tomato booster grow frame for all types of tomato including tall and heavy fruiting varieties! This extendable tomato planter frame and plant support kit features extra thick 16mm tubing to provide a strong stable frame for tomatoes and heavy climbing crops in all weather conditions.

Tomato Trellis Options RANKED

What is the best height for a tomato trellis?

One of the most common methods of trellising for the home gardener is caging. Traditional tomato cages that many gardeners know are best for determinate (or bush) tomatoes, which top out at about 5 feet tall. Cages also work well when you're growing in pots.

What can I use instead of tomato trellis?

8 Creative Tomato Trellis Ideas
  1. 1 - Stakes. The simplest type of trellis can be made of very tall stakes driven into the ground. ...
  2. 2 - Posts and Wire. ...
  3. 3 - Cone Tomato Trellis. ...
  4. 4 - DIY Tall Tomato Cages. ...
  5. 5 - Wooden Tomato Cages. ...
  6. 6 - Florida Weave Trellis. ...
  7. 7 - Vertical String Frame. ...
  8. 8 - Permanent Frame Trellis.

What are the disadvantages of trellising tomatoes?

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.

What is the cheapest way to stake tomatoes?

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.

Do beefsteak tomatoes need a trellis?

Large, thickly fleshed beefsteaks are the biggest type of tomatoes, weighing 1 pound or more. Growing quickly to at least 6 feet tall, the late-maturing tomato plant will produce a bountiful harvest in about 85 days. It needs a sturdy cage, trellis, or stake to support its fruit.

How do you get the highest yield on tomatoes?

How To Increase Tomato Yields: 7 Expert Tricks For A Bumper...
  1. Choose Top-Performing Varieties.
  2. Use Smarter Supports.
  3. Try Trench Planting.
  4. Tap To Pollinate.
  5. Prune Out Excess Growth.
  6. Companion Plant With Good Neighbors.
  7. Fertilize With The Right Nutrients.

Do spiral tomato stakes work?

The problems with a spiral is that it isn't nearly tall enough to handle an indeterminate tomato and it offers no support to side stems.

Do cherry tomatoes need staking?

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.

What is the Florida trellis method?

STEPS TO CREATE YOUR OWN FLORIDA WEAVE TRELLIS
  1. Step One: Set Up Stakes. Drive a stake about 12 inches into the soil at each end of your planned row. ...
  2. Step Two: Add Twine. ...
  3. Step Three: Plant Tomatoes Along the Row. ...
  4. Step Four: Weave Plants Between Strings as They Grow.

What is the best support for tomatoes?

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.

How tall should a tomato trellis be?

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.

Why are the leaves on my tomato plant turning yellow?

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.

Should I stake or trellis tomatoes?

Using a Trellis or Fence for Tomatoes

If you are going to raise a lot of tomatoes, you may want to consider staking them to a fence or trellis rather than individual stakes. You want the type of fence that is very open to allow the plant to weave in and out of the fencing.

What are the worst companion plants for tomatoes?

11 Worst Plants to Plant with Tomatoes
  1. Corn. While corn and tomatoes might seem like a great summer pairing, they're not the best companions in the garden. ...
  2. Eggplant. Eggplants and tomatoes belong to the same plant family, Solanaceae, which makes them prone to similar issues. ...
  3. Broccoli. ...
  4. Potatoes. ...
  5. Cucumbers. ...
  6. Peas. ...
  7. Fennel. ...
  8. Dill.

What trellis is good for cucumbers?

A simple string trellis made of twine or jute strung between two posts provides all the support a cucumber needs to climb. This can be as simple as T-posts or wooden stakes driven into the ground, or it can be more decorative, like the wood-framed string trellis pictured here.

What stresses tomato plants?

Water or heat stress

This is a common occurrence in mid-summer and is associated with high temperatures and moisture stress. Some tomato varieties, including heavily pruned determinate-type varieties, are more prone to leaf roll.

What is the cheapest way to support tomatoes?

1) Stake them

Use whatever stakes you have on hand – wooden stakes, bamboo, metal – just be sure that they're at least 4 feet high.

What can I use instead of garden stakes?

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.

How to build your own trellis?

How To Build A Trellis
  1. Step 1: Select your branches. Scout out branches in your yard that are about 2" thick. ...
  2. Step 2: Clean up branches. ...
  3. Step 3: Choose your metal wire.
  4. Step 4: Wrap branches together.
  5. Step 5: Position trellis.
  6. Step 6: Weave plants into place.

Previous article
Are white sinks in style?
Next article
What is the most common gutter?