Grow the best tomatoes your garden has ever seen with our tomato planting ideas.
Learn how to grow and train this popular vegetable.
Tomato Support Idea: Cages
Healthytomato plantsmay sprawl or grow into vigorous vines.
Contain them in a cage ortrain them to a trellisto keep fruits off the ground and make harvesting easier.
Galvanized wire tomato cages are a quick and easytomato support solution.
However, they may not be large or sturdy enough to support rampant growth.
Check out the rest of the slide show for more great ideas on how to tame your tomatoes.
Tomato Support Idea: Concrete Reinforcing Mesh
Heavy-gauge concrete reinforcing wire makes asturdy tomato cage.
Cut a length of wire about 5 feet long to make into a cylinder about 18 inches in diameter.
Overlap the cut ends and wire them together to make the cage.
Wide openings in the mesh make it easy to reach through for picking.
Tomato Support Idea: Spiral Stakes
Add artistic flair to your vegetable garden with spiral tomato stakes.
Use the spirals alone or in combination with a wirecage to support tomato plants.
Wind the main stem of the tomato plant around the rings of the spiral.
Secure the stem to the stake with a loose garden twist tie or strip of cloth.
Use rot-resistant wood such as cedar or redwood.
The trellises shown here use four poles as an outer frame and one pole as a central support.
For extra stability the design shown here includes crosspieces attached to opposite poles at two levels.
(This technique also works well for pepper plants.)
Use an existing fence, or set one up especially for tomatoes to climb.
Ten angled arms extend from a central support post.
Upright stakes connect the arms for added strength.
Plant a tomato vine at the base of each panel.
Clip or wire the tops together for stability.
When it’s time to clean up the garden, the panels stack flat, saving on storage space.
Attach the lower end of the string to a wood stake pounded into the ground.
Insert a screw eye into an overhead beam or soffit.
Stretch the string tightly between the ground stake and the screw eye.
Help the tomato plant climb the twine by tying the main stem to the string.
If yougrow tomato plantsin a smaller, 10- or 12-inch-diameter pot, select a dwarf variety.
These wood crates are lined with landscape fabric to keep potting soil from sifting through the slats.
Try planting basil in the same container with a tomato for a fantastic Mediterranean cuisine combo.
‘Tumbler Hybrid’ is bred especially to hang off a cascading plant, perfect for a hanging basket.
