Supporting Tomato Plants

Supported tomatoes keep their fruit off the soil, where it rots and gets eaten by slugs, and their leaves dry faster after rain, which slows leaf diseases. They are also much easier to pick. Put the support in at planting time or within a week or two. Stakes driven in later tear through the roots, and a sprawling plant can't be squeezed into a cage without breaking stems.

Match the support to the plant

How much support you need depends on the growth habit. Determinate tomatoes stop at about 3–5 feet and need only modest support. Indeterminate tomatoes keep growing until frost and commonly reach 6–10 feet, so they need something tall and strong (more in Indeterminate tomatoes).

Method	Best for	Pros	Cons
Cage	Determinates; indeterminates only in a tall, strong cage	Little work, no tying or pruning	Store-bought cone cages are too small for indeterminates
Single stake	Either; indeterminates pruned to one or two stems	Cheap, compact, good air flow	Weekly tying and pruning
Florida weave	Rows of determinate or compact plants	Fast and cheap for many plants	Tall indeterminates outgrow it
Strings	Indeterminates pruned to one or two stems	Cheap, takes little space	Needs a strong overhead frame; weekly winding
Trellis or arch	Indeterminates, especially cherries	Sturdy; fruit hangs within reach	More cost and building

Cages

The cone-shaped wire cages sold at garden centers are fine for determinate and patio tomatoes but buckle under a full-size indeterminate plant. For those, a homemade cage of concrete reinforcing wire works much better: a cylinder about 5 feet tall and 18–24 inches across. The 6-inch mesh is wide enough to reach through to pick. Whatever cage you use, tie it to a stake driven into the ground, because a loaded cage catches the wind and tips over.

Caged plants are usually left unpruned. The extra foliage shades the fruit, which helps in hot climates.

Stakes

Length: 4–5 feet for determinate plants, 6–8 feet for indeterminates. Wood, metal T-posts and rebar all work.
Setting: drive the stake 12–18 inches into the ground, 3–4 inches from the stem, on planting day.
Tying: every 8–12 inches as the plant grows, tie the stem loosely to the stake with strips of cloth, soft twine or plant tape. A figure-eight loop, crossed between stem and stake, keeps the stem from rubbing. Tie just below a leaf or flower cluster so the tie can't slide down.
Pruning: an indeterminate plant on a single stake needs to be kept to one or two main stems. Pinch out suckers (the shoots that grow between a leaf and the main stem) every week while they are small. Heavily pruned plants have less leaf cover, so watch for sunscald on the fruit in hot weather.

Tomato ladders (folding square or A-frame supports with rungs) work much like a stake with sidearms. They suit determinate and moderately sized plants; guide the branches onto the rungs as the plant grows.

Florida weave

The Florida weave, also called stake-and-weave, is the standard way to support rows of determinate tomatoes, and it handles compact indeterminates if the stakes are tall enough.

Plant in a straight row, 18–24 inches apart. Drive a strong stake at each end of the row and another between every one or two plants.
When the plants are about a foot tall, tie non-stretch twine to an end stake 8–10 inches above the soil. Run it along one side of the row, wrapping it once around each stake, then come back along the other side, so the plants are sandwiched between the two strands.
Add a new level every 6–8 inches as the plants grow, keeping the twine snug.

Use 4–5 foot stakes for determinate varieties. For indeterminates use 6-foot or taller stakes and expect to cut off the tops when they reach the last string.

Strings

String training suits indeterminate plants kept to one or two stems, and it fits well in raised beds.

Build an overhead support 6–7 feet high: a sturdy frame, a crossbar between posts, or the top of a strong trellis.
For each stem, tie a strong twine to the overhead support. Anchor the bottom end by tying a loose, non-slip loop around the base of the stem below the lowest leaves, or by pinning it into the soil under the root ball at planting.
Every few days, wind the growing tip around the string, always in the same direction. Remove suckers weekly so each plant stays at one or two stems.

The same method works for cucumbers; see the short video Growing cucumbers up strings.

Trellises and arches

A sturdy trellis, such as a livestock panel wired to metal T-posts, holds the heaviest indeterminate plants. Bent into an arch between two beds, a panel gives you a tunnel of vines with the fruit hanging inside, easy to see and pick. Weave or tie the stems to the panel as they grow, and cut back any that head off sideways. Vigorous cherry tomatoes such as Sungold are especially good on arches.

For the rest of the season's care, see Growing tomatoes.