Supports for tomato plants

A colleague of mine grows tomatoes successfully without supports -- he plants them at an angle so that when they droop the main stalk doesn't break.

There is more than one successful approach to supporting your plants. Others should reply and explain their approach.

Here's what I've been doing lately:
Install a 3-foot high, 2.5 foot diamter circle of plastic-coated wire fencing around the pot or plant in the ground. This kind of fencing is sold in rolls at hardware stores in the building supplies section. If your plant is in the ground, also stake on three sides with 4-foot long metal fence posts about 8-10 inches deep. Do this at the time of planting and allow the plant to grow through. Let branches flow to the ground -- they will still produce. Trim the perimeter of the plant if it gets too wide. When the plant is spent, leave fencing in place for next season's crop.

Here's a photo of a Cherokee Purple Tomato plant staked this way. It produced dozens of 1-2 pound fruits this year.



For more details on how I grow tomato plants, see:
www.frostconcepts.com/horticulture/TomatoGuide.pdf

You seem to have the plant support situation well in hand.

Before I visited this thread, I had ordered the one-piece, spiral plant support at:

www.tomato-cages.com/?gclid=CKnp2cK21ZACFRdPagodPzD0WQ

I usually grow my Tomatoes in squat fifeen gallon containers. I don't really have a good place in my yard in full sun with good soil. I have been using "SunShine" mix in the GREEN bag with some gypsum added, it works very well for me. I plant three plants (not always all the same) per pot. I put them near the edge of the container and put a 6' redwood stake by each plant. I tie them at the top, sort of like a TeePee. As the grow I tie each plant to the stake with plastic tie tape. It all eventually becomes one large mass of stems and leaves with lots of fruit. This way it takes up only about a space of maybe 4' in diameter, total. Nothing on the ground. Easy to harvest. I feed about every two to three weeks with regular Grow Power. Plant another in about three or four weeks so they don't all ripen at the same time. Three pots like this and you can have lots of tomatos for most of the spring and summer. Start over when the first one is finished. Simple and easy. Use fresh SunShine mix when you replant, better results.

Thank you, Walter!

Perhaps, next season, I will do as you did. That way, in case I move to another location, I will not lose the tomato plants.

I have problems every year with my tomatoes - the main stem seems to turn brown from the bottom and gradually die upward. I think it's my soil. So I'm going to take Walter's advice. There's almost nothing as good as a fresh, home ripened tomato, (except a fresh apricot)

I can't wait!

In my opinion Apricots are way more unpreditable in our area. Somtimes you get them to produce often not. Tomatoes usually do great. But a fresh Apricot is difficult to beat if you can get one to produce for you.