9 Ways to Grow Tomatoes Vertically: DIY Solutions
To get the maximum yield and promote overall health, growing tomatoes vertically has advantages. The space-saving measure supports vines as they develop all those tender fruits. Gardening expert Katherine Rowe explores the primary ways to grow tomatoes vertically and creative DIY solutions for inspiration.
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It’s exciting to talk tomatoes as we get our seedlings and transplants in the ground this spring. With warming temperatures, we anticipate prolific clusters of bright little cherries or large, classic slicers. Part of providing the best growing conditions is supporting the fruit-laden vines with an upright structure. When it comes to staking, trellising, and other creative ways to grow tomatoes vertically, it helps to have a plan before planting, or at least while plants are still young, for easy training and least disruption.
Growing tomatoes vertically promotes higher yields and improves fruit quality. Upright supports also save space, freeing up precious growing room in the bed. Lifting the vines off the ground reduces rot as the juicy fruits develop. Pest scouting becomes more manageable, and plants become less accessible to invaders. Disease risk decreases as airflow and sun exposure increase. Harvesting and pruning are easily accessible.
With household materials, scraps, or a trip to the hardware store, DIY tomato trellises and other vertical measures are within easy reach. Here are DIY options for growing tomatoes vertically for inspiration. With the basics at hand, a variety of materials do the job.
Gardener’s Delight Pole Cherry Tomato
Gardener’s Delight Pole Cherry Tomato Seeds
Brandywine Red & Yellow Blend Pole Tomato
Brandywine Blend Pole Tomato Seeds
Benefits of Growing Tomatoes Vertically
Without upright support, tomatoes with long, sprawling vines run along the ground. We’re familiar with staking, caging, or trellising our vines for support as they grow. And, the right upward structure brings advantages beyond supporting stems with their weighty fruits. Plus, we get a good view as they ripen. Use upright supports in pots, raised beds, and in the ground.
- Saves space: Growing tomatoes vertically keeps them contained in an organized area. It maximizes planting area with closer spacing, while still allowing airflow for them and other crops.
- Prevents disease: Lifting the vines properly improves air circulation for overall health. Conditions are less damp and crowded, helping keep fungal problems like powdery mildew and leaf spot at bay. With less irrigation splashing on leaves and a faster dry time, fungal conditions decrease.
- Reduces pest access: Upright growth limits easy access for pests to the ripening fruits. It also makes pest damage easier to see early on.
- Even sun exposure: In the right position, elevating leaves and stems allows sunlight to reach the whole plant. Vertical growth also lets the canopy protect the developing fruits from sunscald.
Plant Selection and Installation
Our trellising options depend on whether a tomato is determinate or indeterminate. The type makes a difference in the support structure size and configuration. Some dwarf varieties like ‘Patio Choice Yellow’ and ‘Cherry Falls’ are compact and don’t need any support. These are prime for containers and even hanging baskets.
Determinate vs. Indeterminate
Determinate tomatoes grow to a set size and produce their fruits all at once. There’s one big yield where fruits ripen consecutively. A simple stake or cage works well for determinate, bushy tomatoes.
Indeterminate varieties grow and develop fruits all season. This means longer vines that warrant more rigorous support. A store-bought cage may not accommodate the vines as they outgrow it. There are also semi-determinate types that fall between bushy varieties and those with traveling vines. They usually yield small to medium fruits on more compact vines.
Tomatoes mature anywhere from 60 to 100 days from planting. Early and compact selections are the first to fruit, followed by the classically weighty rounds. Knowing which type of fruit you want and whether the vine is determinate or indeterminate makes the best use of space.
Scale and Placement
When it comes to scaling our support, plan for maturity. Longer vines will need a taller support structure, whether it’s a single stake, arch, or panel. It’s best to install the support structure at planting to avoid disrupting the roots, stems, and blossoms later.
Use sturdy materials to support the slender branches and their weighty fruits. Consider where to place the trellis by observing the sun’s movement, both for the tomatoes and the surrounding plants that they may shade. Place structures at the north end of the bed to avoid shading lower growers, although some welcome a little shade protection. In hot southern climates, tomatoes don’t mind a bit of dappled light in the intense afternoon sun.
Tying Off Stems
Tomato vines don’t naturally cling or climb, so they need to be tied as they grow. The stem is ready for tying when plants reach six to ten inches tall. It may not seem to need support at this stage, but getting the stem in place is helpful before the vertical growth point quickly takes off.
Use a piece of thick jute or weather-proof sisal twine, narrow strips of fabric, or old pantyhose to loosely tie the stem to the support. Take care not to disrupt blossoms or developing fruits. Continue to tie off vines as they grow, about every six to eight inches.
Single Stake and Double Stake
Staking is a simple technique that raises vines with a singular post as the anchoring upright support. Growing tomatoes vertically with a single pole is a budget-friendly, resourceful way to boost vigor and production. A single stake works well for bushy, determinate types. Two stakes are best for long, indeterminate varieties.
A bamboo pole, a square wooden stake, or other scrap pieces at the right length become good anchors. Aim for at least one inch thick and 48 to 60 inches long, depending on your variety, to account for mature height and in-ground depth (up to 12 inches deep). Place the stake three to five inches away from the plant, and stick it deeply into the soil until it’s sturdy and immovable.
Weave Trellis
Trellises can be made of a variety of materials and configurations for upright growing. For growing multiple tomatoes, wooden or metal stakes with twine running between them are a high-functioning trellis. You can grow plants close together while still ensuring plenty of airflow.
The easy form involves anchoring two wooden or metal stakes in the ground. Materials for the posts include wood, bamboo, rebar, and metal fencing T-stakes. Uniformly-sized branches from felled wood are ideal as support posts.
Run lines of twine or wire across at eight-inch intervals, tying them off at the poles. The Florida weave and vertical string are options for growing multiple plants (say 10 or more) in a row.
Florida Weave
A basket-weave trellis is the go-to for professional growers to grow tomatoes vertically in a row. Place a sturdy metal post at each end of the row. Add metal or wooden posts between every three plants. These become supports for an easy twine system.
Tie off one end of the twine at the first pole. Run it to the next stake, looping it around, and moving on to the next one. Repeat until you reach the end of the row. Then, circle back to run it on the other side of the plants, taking it back to the starting point for tying off. The two lines of string “sandwich” the stems with no need for tying off. You can also weave each length of string back and forth between plants to capture the stems.
Start the first row about 12 inches above ground level. Install additional horizontal rows at eight-inch intervals after that, as the vines grow until they reach their mature height.
Classic Vertical String
Another versatile, commercial grower option for many crops is to run the string lines vertically. Check out the Freyr Trellis to get an idea. Twine is run vertically between a sturdy frame to direct the vines upward. The lines become the attachment points for tying off stems.
For a DIY frame, use sturdy bamboo or wood poles to create two triangular ends connected with an upper beam. Plan it so that the upper beam runs between two rows of plantings. When plants reach 18 inches, tie one end of the string to the upper stem and run it to the top beam. As the tomato grows, tie off stems along the string.
Cage
Caging is one of the top ways to get abundant yields. Making your own ensures the proper sizing, durability, and longevity. Concrete reinforcement wire, livestock wire, and chicken wire all suit for making your own tomato cages.
To make the cage, determine the material and cut it into a six-and-a-half-foot length. Determine the height for your selection, and reduce it if needed. Three feet tall works for many determinate types, while indeterminates may need five to six feet. Wind the clipped piece into a circle and secure the overlap with wire or zip ties.
Anchor the cage to the ground by tying it to additional stakes. If using a gridded mesh (and not chicken wire), cut the bottom line of the horizontal wire off. Leave the vertical wires in place to stick into the ground.
Wire Panel
Wire panels become upright frames that allow vertical growth in row systems, raised beds, containers, and along walls and fences. Panels take up little space in terms of volume, focusing on sheer verticality. Cattle fencing and wire-gauge reinforcement panels are ready-made options to mount to a wall or an in-ground frame.
Choose panels based on the height of your vining selections and cut them into lengths that fit the space and number of plants. Three to four feet wide and four to seven feet tall are general pre-fab sizes.
Arch
An arch or tunnel offers a functional way to grow tomatoes vertically while enjoying the pretty visuals as fruits develop. Use and arch to frame a walkway or bridge planters and beds. This method works for indeterminate varieties that span the length of the season. They’ll produce and ripen from the bottom up, yielding upper fruits later in the season.
An arch employs pliable materials like wire panels and fencing bent and stabilized to form an arc. A 16 foot length of cattle fencing creates a six and a half foot peak in the arch. Anchor the base with U or T posts (four to six feet tall) at each corner. You can also bank the panel between raised beds for added support.
Plant tomatoes on both sides of the arch, or partner them with other vining crops like beans and squash for a lush harvest.
Fence
If you’ve got a fence, railing, or deck underpinning in place, consider using it as a ready-made support. With open pickets, slats, or chain link, tying the stems off doesn’t require additional materials.
Plant the tomatoes near the base of the structure, or situate them in pots for ease in placement. Both determinate and indeterminate tomatoes grow in containers. Use at least a five-gallon, 10-inch diameter container for determinate types and a larger 10 to 15-gallon volume for bigger varieties.
Tripod
Like arches, tripods become architectural elements as well as functional, upright growing supports. Tripods are inverted versions of the standard cone tomato cages. They rely on strong, tall posts tied and secured at the pinnacle. The vines tie to lateral supports between the poles.
Bamboo poles secured with electrical fencing wire at eight-inch intervals make a sturdy tripod cage system.
Pruning
To foster healthy, vigorous vines, clip curled and yellowing leaves anytime. Prune away any suckering offshoots that pop up to direct energy to the upper growth and fruits.
To increase air circulation at the base of plants, some gardeners choose to pinch off the lowest six to ten inches of growth along stems. Do this when the primary stem reaches two feet tall.
