trellising tomatoes

[pixie N.C.]

Was wondering if anyone has had success,trying to trellis tomato vines,and what's the best tomato to try this? I think I would need an indeterminate plant,I have a old backyard bench swing frame (metal) that I was going to use.I got the idea from some green house tomatoes that I had seen,that had been trellised. and maybe I could incorporate some mandevillas(?) this summer ? ?

 

[Chuck]

Was wondering if anyone has had success,trying to trellis tomato vines,and what's the best tomato to try this? I think I would need an indeterminate plant,I have a old backyard bench swing frame (metal) that I was going to use.I got the idea from some green house tomatoes that I had seen,that had been trellised. and maybe I could incorporate some mandevillas(?) this summer ? ?

I have found that the best tomatoes for trellising are the indeterminate cherry varieties such as Large Red Cherry. I have had great luck with them

 

[marlingardener]

We trellis all our tomatoes, using old metal porch railings. We trellis Romas, Celebrities, Sungolds, Perons, Red Pears, Yellow Pears, and Matt's Wild Cherry (although this is the first year for that variety, so I don't know how it will do.)
We find that here in Texas mulching heavily helps conserve water, and it's so much easier to mulch if the plants aren't laying on the ground. The tomatoes are easier to pick, too.
Chuck, I'll have to try the Large Red Cherry next year. May I ask what you use for trellises, and how tall the trellises are?

 

[Chuck]

We trellis all our tomatoes, using old metal porch railings. We trellis Romas, Celebrities, Sungolds, Perons, Red Pears, Yellow Pears, and Matt's Wild Cherry (although this is the first year for that variety, so I don't know how it will do.)
We find that here in Texas mulching heavily helps conserve water, and it's so much easier to mulch if the plants aren't laying on the ground. The tomatoes are easier to pick, too.
Chuck, I'll have to try the Large Red Cherry next year. May I ask what you use for trellises, and how tall the trellises are?I

I use goat wire and tie it to rebar. For determinate tomatoes usually 4 feet. For indeterminates 6 feet. For cherrys I start out at 6 feet and on some varieties in a good year I have to make another trellis and have them grow down it. They will often reach at least 15 feet if I keep them fed and watered properly and the spider mites don't kill them.

Sometimes I just drive rebar into the ground about every 10 feet and run garden twine.

 

[marlingardener]

Chuck, thank you for the information about how to trellis. I asked because we are running out of porch railings, and quickly finding other types of trellis is getting really important!
If things get desperate, I'll try the rebar/twine trellises.

 

[pixie N.C.]

I've grown tomatoes for years using the old stake method (pole,broom handle) last yr. staked some with capped off 1 1/4" pvc with 1/8" holes drilled around bottom (12") which is drove into the ground,and just water by filling up pvc pipe,but I've always grown the larger type varieties,was wondering if those could be trellised ? ?

 

[marlingardener]

Pixie, we trellis Celebrities, Romas, and this year, Perons. They are all medium size tomatoes. We've never had a problem, but our trellises are not a stake, but a longer horizontal support. Not to say a stake won't work, but for the amount of tomato plants we have, longer trellises support more plants for us. It is a horizontal vs. vertical thing!

 

[pixie N.C.]

Was going to try this frame.