My staking idea

tgplp · January 30, 2011

Hi all! This is how I will stake my tomatoes this year:

I will get a five foot tall wooden stake for each tomato plant, and put them in the ground in rows, three feet apart. Then I'll weave twine between the stakes. I'll plant a tomato seedling by each stake, and tie it to the twine/stakes as they grow. So basically it will be like tomatoes growing on a homemade fence.

I have a question- could I grow peas and beans on the other side of the fence, or would that be too much?

Comments, please!

Taryn

Worth1 · January 30, 2011

This thread should read "This is how I wont stake my tomatoes next year."

Not trying to sound rude (by all means I just want to help) but I have been there and it stinks.
If you plan on growing indeterminate tomatoes, you have good soil and the tomatoes do as they should this is what will happen.
First you will need the stake in the ground at least a foot, that gives you 4 feet of space minimum for the plant to grow on. THAT AINT MUCH.
many of our tomatoes grow to 10 feet and over I personally have stretched out plants after the season that reached 14 feet long. Now you tell me what is that little 4 foot stake going to do for you.
I would suggest buying 8 to 10 foot 2x4's and ripping them down the middle, sharpening the ends and priming and painting them(to stop rot) Each stake will cost you about 1 to 2 dollars apiece.

There are many ways to support tomatoes and this is just one in a thousand.

As for the "other side of the fence, there is no other side of the fence, the tomatoes will take up all the space you have.

Three feet apart sounds OK but dont get greedy and go for two feet. The plants will look small at first but that is only the beginning they will be huge at picking time.

I'm just a worthless tomato grower trying to help from past mistakes.

worth

Stepheninky · January 30, 2011

I have to agree with Worth that longer stakes would be needed for them. Electrical conduit comes in 10 ft sections and cost wise is about the same as doing it in wood.

Though there is bunches of ways of supporting your maters and everyone has his/her preferences with some even preferring letting them sprawl. Personally staking or caging IMHO is always the better choice.

dipchip2000 · January 30, 2011

Worth is correct,, it will not work with indeterminates. It will work with some determinates and bush varieties. I allow 5feet between plants because I have the room and it is still crowded at harvest time. Do not waste this year trying something that many of us have done and failed at. As Worth said,,learn from our collective mistakes.

ron

kath · January 30, 2011

Hi, Taryn!
There have been some recent threads on supporting tomato plants that might be good to take a look at.
I use a LOT of stakes and the shorter ones are easier to bang into the ground but you'll either have to let the plants fall over and drape back to the ground, or cut them off when they reach the top, which will be 1' less than the original length of the stake. Either one will work and you can use your stakes, if you already have them, but try to use them for the semi-determinate or determinate varieties, or you'll wish they were longer by July. Longer stakes, even 6, but preferably 7' will be easier to tend and pick and will increase air flow and sunlight to the leaves.

If you are going to plant 1 tomato plant for each stake and none in between the stakes, then you'll be wasting time and twine by weaving. You can plant the tomato close to the stake and prune it to either one or two main vines and as the vines grow, just use a small piece of your twine (or strips of old cloth) to gently hold the vine to the stake. Depending on the variety, you'll need to tie it up every time it grows another foot or so.
There are threads about how to prune and it's easy to google how to tie tomatoes to a stake.

You'll be amazed at the hedge even pruned tomatoes will make and they really need some space to grow well. The peas/beans would suffer from lack of sun and all the plants would be competing for nutrients and water.

So, just a little tweaking to your plan will make less work for you and a more pleasant garden experience imho.

kath

MikeyJoe · January 30, 2011

If you are planning to put stakes in the ground and run ropes between them you might as well go one step farther and use The Florida Weave.
I have been using it for 8 years now (I think) and I will never go back.

People who have visited my garden in years past were amazed at my rows of "Tomato Hedges". I have seen various modifications that people have made over the last few years to the weave but I stay very true to the original and it works great for me. The only modifications I have made is I added supports on each of my poles to keep the twine at the proper levels (basically a hole drilled through with a gutter nail or dowel rod protruding from each side) and I added a simple system to tighten the twine on one end of each row. Every weekend I go through and tuck in any branches that are hanging out and tighten the five twines on each row to keep things neat and tight.

I thought I had a diagram handy that illustrates The Weave but I don't see it right now. I do know that it has been discussed here at Tomatoville in the past so a quick search will probably provide any information needed to explain how it works.

vagardener434 · January 30, 2011

I have done it 3 ways, sprawling, basket weave, and cages...and cages always did better. But I'm just learning the characteristics of the dif varieties. I now know that my cages are just too short for ind's as the vines go out the top, then back down the sides.

I am going to try something different this year, taking the GH style and doing it outdoors. I'll set a 4x4x12 post at each end of the row, about 3 foot deep, giving me a 9' height. The end posts will be anchored well to support the weight, with a cable running between the tops. Depending on the length of the row, I'll prob have to add a couple of middle support posts. I'll then run my string from the top supoort wire down to the mater plant, and train it up...pruning back to know more than 2 stems. I can just wrap the plant around the string, or use the clips. Either way, it should not be very labor intensive once things get setup.

tgplp · January 31, 2011

Okaaay! Thanks guys. Looks like I wont be doing that! Would it be okay to pound a seven foot peice of rebar in the ground and tie them to that as they grow? And ive heard you are supposed to prune them to one growing stem. How do you do that and what is that?Sorry I'm being so dumb; it's my third year gardening.

Thanks again!
Taryn

Qweniden · January 31, 2011

Glad to hear you aren't using wood stakes. It was a nighmare for me. My recommendation: use "florida weave" or make cages with livestock/cattle/deer fencing. Im doing the cages this year.

FILMNET · January 31, 2011

1 stem for the first 30 days. just don't let any new branches/stems grow faster then the big one, this one should be tied up to support with wind. Goal is to get early fruit, then above this fruit you can let the plant go.

b54red · January 31, 2011

I make a trellis out of conduit. It is a pain to put together each year but it allows me more freedom in how I allow the tomatoes to grow. I can make it as tall or long as I want with as many support bars as I want.

kath · January 31, 2011

Hi, Taryn-

To answer your most recent question, yes, you certainly can use 7' rebar. Pruning to 1 or 2 main stems depending on how close you put your posts would be ok.

The following articles have good info and diagrams about pruning:

http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/...-tomatoes.aspx

http://www.tomodori.com/3culture/taill_sur_2-tiges.htm

Hope this helps.

kath

Dark Rumor · January 31, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Qweniden

Glad to hear you aren't using wood stakes. It was a nighmare for me. My recommendation: use "florida weave" or make cages with livestock/cattle/deer fencing. Im doing the cages this year.

What size fence are you using and are you making a round cage and how many feet to make one cage?

tgplp · February 1, 2011

Kath- thanks! That first link was really good and easy to understand. But what do you mean, " depending how close you put your posts"?

Taryn

kath · February 1, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by tgplp

Kath- thanks! That first link was really good and easy to understand. But what do you mean, " depending how close you put your posts"?

Taryn

Glad it was helpful. Thought I had another one with great diagrams. I'll look again tomorrow when it's not so late.

What I meant was that each 7' rebar post will have one tomato plant at its base, correct?
You will need to decide how much distance you will put between each post (and thereby each tomato plant). If you let the tomato plant have 2 main stems, it will need more nutrients/water to produce good fruit, so it would need more space than if you pruned the plant to only 1 main stem.
Opinion varies, it seems, about what that distance should be. I recently posted a question about it, but haven't received an answer, so I think I may start a thread.

Kath

January 30, 2011	#1
tgplp Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Pacific North West, zone 8a Posts: 510	My staking idea Hi all! This is how I will stake my tomatoes this year: I will get a five foot tall wooden stake for each tomato plant, and put them in the ground in rows, three feet apart. Then I'll weave twine between the stakes. I'll plant a tomato seedling by each stake, and tie it to the twine/stakes as they grow. So basically it will be like tomatoes growing on a homemade fence. I have a question- could I grow peas and beans on the other side of the fence, or would that be too much? Comments, please! Taryn

January 31, 2011	#11
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	I make a trellis out of conduit. It is a pain to put together each year but it allows me more freedom in how I allow the tomatoes to grow. I can make it as tall or long as I want with as many support bars as I want. Last edited by b54red; April 12, 2011 at 03:01 AM.

January 30, 2011	#2
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	This thread should read "This is how I wont stake my tomatoes next year." Not trying to sound rude (by all means I just want to help) but I have been there and it stinks. If you plan on growing indeterminate tomatoes, you have good soil and the tomatoes do as they should this is what will happen. First you will need the stake in the ground at least a foot, that gives you 4 feet of space minimum for the plant to grow on. THAT AINT MUCH. many of our tomatoes grow to 10 feet and over I personally have stretched out plants after the season that reached 14 feet long. Now you tell me what is that little 4 foot stake going to do for you. I would suggest buying 8 to 10 foot 2x4's and ripping them down the middle, sharpening the ends and priming and painting them(to stop rot) Each stake will cost you about 1 to 2 dollars apiece. There are many ways to support tomatoes and this is just one in a thousand. As for the "other side of the fence, there is no other side of the fence, the tomatoes will take up all the space you have. Three feet apart sounds OK but dont get greedy and go for two feet. The plants will look small at first but that is only the beginning they will be huge at picking time. I'm just a worthless tomato grower trying to help from past mistakes. worth

January 30, 2011	#3
Stepheninky Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Kentucky Posts: 682	I have to agree with Worth that longer stakes would be needed for them. Electrical conduit comes in 10 ft sections and cost wise is about the same as doing it in wood. Though there is bunches of ways of supporting your maters and everyone has his/her preferences with some even preferring letting them sprawl. Personally staking or caging IMHO is always the better choice.

January 30, 2011	#4
dipchip2000 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Muskogee, Oklahoma Posts: 664	Worth is correct,, it will not work with indeterminates. It will work with some determinates and bush varieties. I allow 5feet between plants because I have the room and it is still crowded at harvest time. Do not waste this year trying something that many of us have done and failed at. As Worth said,,learn from our collective mistakes. ron

January 30, 2011	#5
kath Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: zone 6b, PA Posts: 5,664	Hi, Taryn! There have been some recent threads on supporting tomato plants that might be good to take a look at. I use a LOT of stakes and the shorter ones are easier to bang into the ground but you'll either have to let the plants fall over and drape back to the ground, or cut them off when they reach the top, which will be 1' less than the original length of the stake. Either one will work and you can use your stakes, if you already have them, but try to use them for the semi-determinate or determinate varieties, or you'll wish they were longer by July. Longer stakes, even 6, but preferably 7' will be easier to tend and pick and will increase air flow and sunlight to the leaves. If you are going to plant 1 tomato plant for each stake and none in between the stakes, then you'll be wasting time and twine by weaving. You can plant the tomato close to the stake and prune it to either one or two main vines and as the vines grow, just use a small piece of your twine (or strips of old cloth) to gently hold the vine to the stake. Depending on the variety, you'll need to tie it up every time it grows another foot or so. There are threads about how to prune and it's easy to google how to tie tomatoes to a stake. You'll be amazed at the hedge even pruned tomatoes will make and they really need some space to grow well. The peas/beans would suffer from lack of sun and all the plants would be competing for nutrients and water. So, just a little tweaking to your plan will make less work for you and a more pleasant garden experience imho. kath

January 30, 2011	#6
MikeyJoe Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Indiana Zone 6B Posts: 3	If you are planning to put stakes in the ground and run ropes between them you might as well go one step farther and use The Florida Weave. I have been using it for 8 years now (I think) and I will never go back. People who have visited my garden in years past were amazed at my rows of "Tomato Hedges". I have seen various modifications that people have made over the last few years to the weave but I stay very true to the original and it works great for me. The only modifications I have made is I added supports on each of my poles to keep the twine at the proper levels (basically a hole drilled through with a gutter nail or dowel rod protruding from each side) and I added a simple system to tighten the twine on one end of each row. Every weekend I go through and tuck in any branches that are hanging out and tighten the five twines on each row to keep things neat and tight. I thought I had a diagram handy that illustrates The Weave but I don't see it right now. I do know that it has been discussed here at Tomatoville in the past so a quick search will probably provide any information needed to explain how it works.

January 30, 2011	#7
vagardener434 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Freeman, Virginia Posts: 90	I have done it 3 ways, sprawling, basket weave, and cages...and cages always did better. But I'm just learning the characteristics of the dif varieties. I now know that my cages are just too short for ind's as the vines go out the top, then back down the sides. I am going to try something different this year, taking the GH style and doing it outdoors. I'll set a 4x4x12 post at each end of the row, about 3 foot deep, giving me a 9' height. The end posts will be anchored well to support the weight, with a cable running between the tops. Depending on the length of the row, I'll prob have to add a couple of middle support posts. I'll then run my string from the top supoort wire down to the mater plant, and train it up...pruning back to know more than 2 stems. I can just wrap the plant around the string, or use the clips. Either way, it should not be very labor intensive once things get setup.

January 31, 2011	#9
Qweniden Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Sacramento, California Posts: 267	Glad to hear you aren't using wood stakes. It was a nighmare for me. My recommendation: use "florida weave" or make cages with livestock/cattle/deer fencing. Im doing the cages this year.

January 31, 2011	#10
FILMNET Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: North Charleston,South Carolina, USA Posts: 1,803	1 stem for the first 30 days. just don't let any new branches/stems grow faster then the big one, this one should be tied up to support with wind. Goal is to get early fruit, then above this fruit you can let the plant go.

February 1, 2011	#14
tgplp Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Pacific North West, zone 8a Posts: 510	Kath- thanks! That first link was really good and easy to understand. But what do you mean, " depending how close you put your posts"? Taryn