Kitchen Garden Forum

this year, i didn't use any. at the end of august, my tomato plants were competing with the cucumber for "vine most likely to take over the plot"... bought some emergency bamboo stakes and made tomato teepees (and powdery mildew got the poor cucumber) so the crisis was averted... but i wondered what other folks have done/recommend? i've found several different styles in the states, from $6-16/piece. all i know is i need height, need to get the poor fruit off the ground... don't know if i should invest in galvanized steel or be content with bamboo teepees... what's working for you?

Hi Alia

I use canes, pushed well into the ground and tie my tomatoes in from when they are around 1ft high. I found this year that the weight of the tomato fruit made the vine slide down the cane, so next year will be tying the string firmly to the cane (just above a "joint") and then loosely tying around the vine.

Bush tomatoes need less support than cordon plants but I've yet to come across one, other than the tumbling varieties for tubs and hanging baskets, that didn't benefit from a bit of help.

Hello Alia
If you have the space why not try growing some of the bush varieties. I grow them either in the veg. patch with straw under them (like strawberries) and in large deep pots (12" - 15" across) outside the kitchen.
Some varieties can be a bit rampant but are easily pruned into shape - its all a lot easier than the constant tying in and pinching out that you have to with the cordon varieties.
In this country the cordon plants are almost always grown and trained up a single stick but in the US I think tomato cages are used.

John