Staking the Growing Tomato Plants
If you’ve ever grown a vining plant, you know how important it is to provide strong structures to which the vines can cling and climb. Using teepees in the vegetable garden is an easy way to support these plants, and to add eye-catching texture to the garden beds.
At my Bedford, New York farm, I use bamboo to build the teepees that support my growing tomato plants. Bamboo is attractive, easy to find, and can be reused year after year. Over the last couple of days, my outdoor grounds crew foreman, Chhiring Sherpa, worked hard to stake the fast growing vegetable crops.
Here are photos of the process - enjoy.
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- When tomato plants are more than a couple feet tall, it’s time to replace the shorter bamboo stakes with taller ones, which are arranged as teepees. Never use chemically treated wood or other material for staking climbers, as the chemicals would likely run off and go into the soil.
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- Bamboo canes are easy to buy in bulk, and can be found in a variety of sizes. These canes are about eight to nine feet tall.
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- The end of this tamping bar is used to make the holes for the bamboo.
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- Chhiring makes the holes about eight to 10-inches deep.
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- All our tomato beds are covered in black weed cloth to cut down on some of the laborious weeding in the garden.
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- The important thing is to place them deep enough, so they remain secure for the duration of the season. Chhiring embeds each stake deep into the soil and angles each one slightly toward the middle of the plant.
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- Each of these tomato plants has three uprights creating the teepee support. Once the bamboo canes are secured in the soil, Chhiring gathers them at the top, and ties jute twine around all the stakes.
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- We use jute gardening twine for so many projects around the farm. This twine is strong, doesn’t slip easily, and is made from an all natural fiber.
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- Chhiring wraps the twine around the bamboo several times and makes sure it is taut enough to support the teepee structure.
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- Here is a closer look at the tied bamboo. Tomato plants benefit from support, no matter what is used – tomato cages, stakes, or a myriad of other creative solutions. They make the fruits easier to harvest, keep fruits clean and help to prevent plant diseases.
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- All the teepees are done – they look quite artistic in the garden.
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- Next, Chhiring gently ties twine around the bamboo uprights to give the plants a bit of direction. Some of the taller stems are gently anchored to the stake, just tight enough to keep the vine secure, but not break it.
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- Securing the tomato plants is a time consuming process, but very crucial to good plant growth and performance.
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- These vines are already quite tall.
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- Here is how the jute twine is positioned along the bamboo teepee stakes. The plants will grow through the center and cling to the stakes. If needed, Chhiring will gently tie more of the vines to the uprights as they develop.
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- We have more than 120 tomato plants this year. These plants look so much better when kept upright and neat.
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- The tomato plants have a lot of room to climb, keeping delicious fruits off the ground.
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- It’s a a good idea to grow a range of varieties, including at least one or two disease-resistant types, since, of all veggies, tomatoes tend to be the most susceptible to disease.
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- Remember, it’s the yellow flowers produced by tomato plants that must be fertilized before fruit can form. Once fertilized, the flowers develop into tomatoes – small green globes that become visible at the base of the blossoms and then eventually become mature fruits.
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- There are already lots of tomatoes growing on the vines. It takes about 50 to 90 days for tomato varieties to reach maturity. Planting can also be staggered to produce early, mid and late season tomato harvests.
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- There are several types of tomatoes available, including globe tomatoes used in processing, and for fresh eating. Beefsteak are large, often used for sandwiches. Oxheart tomatoes vary in size and are shaped like large strawberries. Plum tomatoes are usually oblong, and used in tomato sauces. Cherry tomatoes are small round, often sweet and eaten whole. Campari tomatoes are sweet and juicy and of small to medium size.
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- In this bed, we experimented with tying the bamboo in the center to provide more room at the top – we’re always looking for the most efficient ways to grow our crops. Very soon, we will have many, many delicious tomatoes to enjoy – I can’t wait. How are your tomatoes doing this year?
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