5 Ways to Stake Tomatoes

While it might feel early to be thinking about tomatoes, it’s never too early to start planning your next garden, especially if your tomato plants tend to look wild and overgrown by the time you remember to offer them a cage for support.

- Jennifer Howell

Luckily, there are many different ways to give your favorite fruits the help they need. Let’s talk about it!

WHY STAKE TOMATOES? If you’ve ever grown tomatoes, you’ve probably noticed by now that they can grow fine without support, but keeping them off the ground has its advantages. For starters, when tomatoes are staked, they’re less likely to be damaged by insects or diseases because they won’t be in contact with soil. Second, it’s a lot easier to see when the fruit is ripe and ready for harvesting. Third, you’ll free up more growing space. And finally, staking your tomato vines gives plants more access to sunlight and increases photosynthesis while also promoting air circulation, which helps prevent foliar fungal diseases, such as early blight.

MATCH THE SUPPORT TO THE PLANT There are two types of tomatoes: determinate and indeterminate. Determinate tomatoes are compact bush-type plants that stop growing at a certain height; fruits mature at the same time for a single harvest. Indeterminate tomatoes are tall vining plants with no determined height, so they keep growing throughout the season and produce fruits that mature at different times. The kind of support to provide your plants depends on what type of tomato you’re growing. Check the seed packet or plant label to see if it is determinate or indeterminate. Cages and stakes that are 3 to 4 feet tall are perfect for determinate tomatoes, while indeterminate types require support 5 to 7 feet tall or higher.