I hope that out of all the vegetables you grow, you have made room for tomatoes. In my opinion, tomatoes are the No. 1 vegetable (OK, technically a fruit) to grow. Nothing beats the taste of a homegrown tomato that has ripened in the sun to perfect sweetness. The poor facsimiles we buy in the grocery store for most of the year can't even compete with the flavour and texture of ones that are homegrown.
So assuming you have planted a few tomato plants, now is the time to talk about staking or caging and pruning. I have to confess I have generally always caged my tomatoes because that's what I have on hand. But the more I see and the more I grow, I really feel that staking may be the way to go.
Staking your tomatoes not only promotes good plant health, but it also is a much more space effective way to grow your plants.
Stakes need to be at least an inch or two thick and depending on what variety of tomato you have chosen, up to six feet high. Try to insert the stake deep into the ground. If you are able to grow several plants from several stakes, you can also try running some supporting twine between stakes. This seems to add stability.
The No. 1 rule to remember when you stake your tomatoes is that you are going to have to keep tying it and pruning it. Once you stake a plant, you have must have a vested interest in pruning. The idea is to try to keep the plant to one or two main stems. You want to keep the plants more "vine like" in their growth rather than bushy. Every single sucker that develops between the joints of the plant must be removed. You want to focus all the plant's energy on producing fruit, not leaves and stems.
Another tip to remember when growing you tomatoes is to get plants off the ground. This means that the bottom leaves of the plant should be "limbed up" so they don't touch the soil. You can avoid a whole host of diseases and soil-borne pathogens by trying this little tip.
Tomato plants need room. Remember this. In our quest to fit as many veggies as possible into small spaces, we sometimes over plant our gardens. Generally, this is not a detrimental practice with most vegetables (as long as you thin seedlings out), but tomatoes need space and air. The extra space also gives the plants a chance to dry out properly between watering and it allows the sun to get directly to the fruit.
Supporting and tying the plants will be an ongoing process. Try not to do it when the plant is wet. Same goes for pruning. Wait till the plant has completely dried out before you do your maintenance. This also helps prevent diseases and bacteria from spreading and entering the plant.
Mix up your usual routine and try staking your tomato plants. Happy gardening.
