Tomatoes: Do you stake 'em? Cage 'em? or just let 'em flop??

[jymbee]

Won't be soon enough but eventually the few dozen tomato plants of various varieties I've started will hopefully start to fall over with red, ripe 'maters. For some time now I've used wire cages I've built to contain & support them. I then apply a generous amount of dry grass mulch and this seems to work pretty well.

But as this year I've more plants than cages I'm trying to decide whether to build more cages, or perhaps try another approach. My Dad always staked his tomatoes and tied them to the stakes with cloth strips. I've heard others who claim they just let them go. I guess whether that works depends a lot on the variety?

What's your tried & true way of supporting your tomato plants?

 

[Ted Summey]

I use stakes every third plant then use twine to weave the plants upright like the commercial growers do. I have thought about planting posts at the ends of the row and stretching high tensile fence wire to tie the plants up to with cloth strips. I've tried cages, staking individual plants and just about anything else. I'm just not satisfied with anything I've tried so far. The weave method seems to work well enough.

 

[DFB]

Depends...most heirlooms, sweet 100's, Big Boys all need tying up with tall stakes for me. With Celebrity I usually let em run or a short stake at best. Same with Beefstake.

Burpee delicious was such a huge vine I found it better to just let that one run wild

When I had long rows of field tomatoes growing we just used the florida weave system

 

[Lou66]

When I had 50 or more I would use a tee post on each and tie them as they grew.. but now I only have ten or less so I build a cage for them and use a good nylon rope cut in 6 ft pieces.. as they grow I pull them a little higher.. this is earlier picture before the roping really started,, also I use netting to keep the birds out.. Lou



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[Lou66]

This is one of my other garden spots,, I have three that alternate every year or so.. Lou

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[Baby Grand]

We use the "Florida Weave":
The Barefoot Gardener: No, You Don't Need A Loom
Works great!

 

[Dr_Zinj]

I cage mine. Adjust them every couple of days to drape over the horizontal wires for support and guide the plant vertically.

 

[Ed of all trades]

I use metal fence posts and tie them to it, have used the same posts for years and they still look good and the paint is even still on them.

 

[TCJatko]

I generally use metal posts, but am trying an experiment this year where I stake half the crop and let the other half run wild. If I get satisfactory production from the "run wild" method, I'll use that since it's much easier. I use red plastic mulch; supposedly it's better than black. Anybody have experiences with the red to share?

 

[creekbend]

We use the "Florida Weave":
The Barefoot Gardener: No, You Don't Need A Loom
Works great!

Thanks for providing the Link.