How do you stake your tomatoes?

schoolsoutbride

I'd love one of the awesome fancy tomato climbing devices, but we have like 9 plants this summer and there's just no way I'm spending $100+ on tomato stakes.

Last year I caged them and my enormous black krim refused to be contained.  It got so heavy and huge that it drug down the biggest cages I could get.

So this year I bought some 3/8"x3' rebar and am fitting it with some 1/2 inch conduit piping with a cap (we have a sq trellis made out of this for our SFG, and it seems sturdy enough to hold the monster Krim.)

kylara111

Mine don't get so heavy that I need rebar.  I just use bamboo stakes. 

kelklump

Are you suckering your plants before you cage them to keep them from bushing? That will help for one. I use fencing - you can usually get it at a home supply store, but we just cut the fencing (think horse or cow fencing not backyard fencing) and bend it around itself to cover the tomatoes. We are at a loss for what to do this year since we have 27 plants (I will definitely run out of fencing then) but suckering the plants seems to help with the weight and with the size).

kastle

I use 6-10' bamboo poles and tie them to it.

schoolsoutbride

Yup, I prune them pretty good...

jennypenny*

I use metal tomato ladders, but they are pricey. I wanted something very sturdy, and they have held up very well.

Before I had the ladders, I used 6' bamboo and pantyhose.

joeysgirl2008

I'm cheap...we grow tomato plants around a garden arch that we have, and tie them to that.