tomatoes are falling over

[boricuaqueen327]

Our cherry tomato plant is doing wonderfully, it has about 20 cherry tomatoes growing on it right now. However, it is falling over to one side due to being so heavy. A friend of mine told me I can fix that by setting a stake nearby and gently tying the tomato plant to it. Is that all you have to do? Is there is a special spot where I tie it?

[Sarah W]

I would probably tie it in 2-3 places. I'd use a wider ribbon vs a string, but it really doesn't matter. You can also get a cage for your tomato plant.

And yes, it is that easy.

[KristyDi]

Yup that's pretty much it. Use a something soft that won't cut into the plant to tie it. A strip of fabric or a piece of old pantyhose would work. I've found sometimes you need more than 1 stake depending on how the plant has grown.

[ShwarmaQueen]

Subbing because I'm having the same problem with my Early Girls. They're already 5 ft tall and a foot about the cage...

[lunarlady]

Another solution is to rig twine from supports. I usually buy the 6' bamboo stakes, then make a tripod on one side of the tomato row, a second tripod on the other, and run a bunch of seisel twine back and forth between the two. Then I just sort of weave the tomato plant into the twine. Does that make sense? Seisel is biodegradable, so at the end of the season I can just hack the whole thing down, leave it to degrade in the garden, and move the stakes into the shed. I do it this way because the regular cages are never tall enough, I'm too cheep to buy the fancy, tall cages, and too lazy to individually stake every plant.

[lakeruby]

Originally Posted by lunarlady

Another solution is to rig twine from supports. I usually buy the 6' bamboo stakes, then make a tripod on one side of the tomato row, a second tripod on the other, and run a bunch of seisel twine back and forth between the two. Then I just sort of weave the tomato plant into the twine. Does that make sense? Seisel is biodegradable, so at the end of the season I can just hack the whole thing down, leave it to degrade in the garden, and move the stakes into the shed. I do it this way because the regular cages are never tall enough, I'm too cheep to buy the fancy, tall cages, and too lazy to individually stake every plant.

This is how I do it, too. I love the idea of using biodegradable twine! I had never thought to look for that-- excellent!

I've also seen some farmers (I'm thinking of The Barefoot Farmer in TN) who just let the tomatoes do their natural thing and grow along the ground, kind of like squash plants. In our area (hot and humid FL) I would be worried about fungal diseases, but it might be worth trying in cooler areas.

[DirtRoadMama]

I'm trying out arch trellies made out of cattle panels! There is a link to pictures in my thread, and you can read more about it, and see more pictures that other people have done, on gardenweb.com forums. Those forums have been a huge help to me, and the search function works really well to dig out information!

Let's see some pictures of your garden!!!

[Abraisme]

I've had great luck with a trellis with vertical strings to weave my tomatoes in. HERE is a picture of what my tomatoes looked like last year in July.

This year I liked the method so much that we made a permanent trellis with juniper fence posts. It's not quite finished in the photo, but the tomatoes are now planted on the right side of the trellis.

[EyesOfTheWorld]

Originally Posted by Abraisme

I've had great luck with a trellis with vertical strings to weave my tomatoes in. HERE is a picture of what my tomatoes looked like last year in July.

This year I liked the method so much that we made a permanent trellis with juniper fence posts. It's not quite finished in the photo, but the tomatoes are now planted on the right side of the trellis.

I LOVE your trellis! how did you attach the string to the trellis? Staple gun?

[boricuaqueen327]

Originally Posted by Abraisme

I've had great luck with a trellis with vertical strings to weave my tomatoes in. HERE is a picture of what my tomatoes looked like last year in July.

This year I liked the method so much that we made a permanent trellis with juniper fence posts. It's not quite finished in the photo, but the tomatoes are now planted on the right side of the trellis.

That is really cool! I plan on planting alot more tomatoes next year and will definitely keep your trellis idea in mind. It looks gorgeous and it obviously solves my falling tomato plant issue.

[mattemma04]

Yup, I put bamboo stakes all over.Some like tomato cages or towers,but I think those are done when the plant is younger. Just gotta watch out where you put the sticks so you do not damage the root.Tie loose so the plant can still grow well.

[Abraisme]

Originally Posted by EyesOfTheWorld

I LOVE your trellis! how did you attach the string to the trellis? Staple gun?

Thanks! I simply tied the string between the top and bottom rails. It's working out really well.

[Marlene2468]

I had the exact same problem a few weeks ago. We already had stakes in the ground however the plant kept falling over. i got the plant in a big gunch, very carefully, and put the stakes in another place to give more support. it worked! :)