Staking Tomatoes

How to stake tomato plants 

What is tomato staking or training?

Tomato staking or training tomatoes means supporting the plant to keep it upright and keep the fruits off the ground. 

There are many ways in which you can support tomato plants. You can use metal, plastic or wooden structures as well as wire or string.

What are tomato stakes

Tomato stakes are single posts placed next to the tomato plant and stuck in the ground. The stakes, depending on the plant height, are usually 6 – 8 feet tall. If you are using wooden stakes, they should be at least 1 inch thick to be strong enough to support the plant. 

Tomato staking methods

The ways in which you can support tomatoes include:

• Staking
• Caging
• Tellising
• Wire support

Here I will focus on supporting tomatoes using stakes.

How to stake tomatoes

I would normally use wooden sticks or metal rods to support tomatoes and tie the plant to it with a twine. It’s an inexpensive way to stake tomatoes and you can use any suitable materials you have at hand. 

Ideally, you should check the plants daily during the time when fruits are growing quickly as they can easily break the stems. It’s best to tie the plant to the stake just above the fruit stem, not below. If the twine is placed just below the stem, the weight of fruits can easily break it. 

Do staked tomatoes need any special care?

Yes, apart from all the usual tomato care, staked tomatoes need more watering and they will do better with mulching. The plants also need pruning.