The tomato is one of the stars of the vegetable garden and even novice gardeners can grow it because many varieties are undemanding, including among the heirloom tomatoes. But it is necessary in many cases to stake them, especially when the feet are very productive. The stake prevents the tomatoes from coming into contact with the ground and being damaged. It also allows the stems not to bend under the weight of the many fruits. Here are some tips for choosing the best tomato supports and staking your plants properly.
Wire mesh to stake your tomatoes
The fence is inexpensive, easy to install and can be used as a good support for tomato plants. Certainly, in terms of design, it is far from being glamorous. But if the seedlings grow well, it will end up being more or less hidden. The tomato cage is especially recommended for areas a little behind, and in any case, given that it is quite bulky, it is not really suitable for small vegetable gardens. This nevertheless remains an economical but also practical solution since there is little need to tie the stems of the tomato plants.
A tomato stake teepee
Perfect if you live in a very windy region, the tipi is a support for large tomatoes particularly reliable. It can be made of steel, wood or wrought iron. The principle is always the same: plant 3 stakes in the ground and bring them together at the top then tie them firmly with a wire or even a very solid cord.
The tomato teepee gives a little Native American air to the garden, and for the natural touch, we choose acacia, bamboo, chestnut or even hazel, species well known for their solidity.
The inverted V tomato stake
Easy to create with the means at hand, the V stake points at the top offers a good stability. Consisting of two stakes joined together at the top and firmly tied to each other, it is the all-purpose type of stake in the vegetable garden since in addition to solidly supporting the tomato plants, it is perfectly suitable for beans. for example.
If you want to stake a whole row of fairly invasive tomatoes, you have to make several inverted Vs, spacing them from each other by about 50 cmthen connect them with a long wooden rod strong enough to create a gantry. It’s pretty, and the fact that it’s made of wood brings an authentic touch to the garden. The icing on the cake, with this type of support, the size can be zapped.
On the other hand, it has the disadvantage of having to be dismantled every year (and therefore reassembled at the time of the next planting). If you don’t have a place to store it, it’s best to choose another type of tomato rack or else you have to agree to leave it in place all year round.
A twisted galvanized steel stake for tomato plants
It is often for his design that the twisted tutor or spiral tutor is chosen by gardeners wishing to support the weight of their tomatoes without harming the aesthetics of their vegetable garden. It should be noted, however, that it is quite expensive to buy. Also pay attention to the quality of the product. There are many stakes in this category that can only support a very moderate weight and, moreover, bend at the slightest gust of wind. So yes for its decorative aspect, but if you want quality, the price of the twisted stake increases further. It therefore remains to be seen whether you want to stake cherry tomatoes or large-caliber beefsteak tomatoes…
And for the record, note that the spiral stakes were designed to be assembled to form a sort of trellishence the importance of their small eye at one end (just like a needle eye) in which you have to pass a rope or a wire. You can therefore create a nice tomato support system with spiral stakes on which the plants will gradually roll up without having to tie them.
A simple stake for staking tomatoes
Any rod enough long and resistant can serve as a support for tomato plants. It can be made of wood or steel, or even sturdy plastic, because this stake will have to fulfill its function perfectly. Certain varieties of tomatoes produce in abundance, which represents a weight not negligible when the fruits are ripe.
It is advisable to opt for rods whose diameter is at least 3.5 cm. Another condition to be met:rotting of the material. If you want wooden stakes, the bamboo is perfect. This can therefore be particularly economical when you have bamboo in the garden since you just have to cut some canes to make tomato stakes. It is necessary to sharpen one of the ends in point to be able to push them easily into the ground.
Among these different solutions, each gardener can find the one that suits him best. And if, in addition to having a green thumb, he has the soul of a do-it-yourselfer, his tomato stakes shouldn’t cost him very much. It is indeed always possible to make recovery here and there, to create your own tomato holders.
But be careful, we install them ideally at the time of planting, so as not to cause any damage to the roots. In addition, if it is necessary to tie the stems to the stake, we try to use natural materials such as hemp cord, raffia, coconut fiber… The plastic ties are actually practical and solid too, but they do not have that natural touch that we like so much, and in addition it risks cutting the stems of vegetable plants.
Finally, we can never tighten the bonds too much because it is necessary to avoid that the tomato plant comes to rub the stake in case of wind. It is also very important to anticipate by leaving enough largesse to allow the staked stems to develop properly. No throttling is therefore not permitted. This is why the attachment of a tomato stalk must always be loose.