How to Stake a Tomato Plant

Stake your tomatoes to improve your harvest.

While tomatoes will grow and sprawl along the ground, you will have a much better crop by helping them to grow upright. This will help prevent rot and disease and provide some protection to the plants. One of the most common ways to do so it to use stakes.

Things You'll Need

• 5- to 6-foot wooden or metal stakes
• Mallet
• Twine

Instructions

1. Plant the tomato seedlings in full sun with rich, well-draining soil that has a pH between 6.0 and 6.8. Space the plants 18 to 24 inches apart.

2. Drive a stake into the soil about three inches from the base of the plant with the mallet. If the plant already has a flower cluster, place the stake on the opposite side. Drive it in far enough so that it is sturdy and will support the weight of the mature plant.

3. Tie twine around the stake and then loosely wrap it around the main stem of the tomato plant. Avoid tying it immediately below a fruit cluster, which could cause the plant to sag. Continue tying the stem to the stake as the plant grows throughout the season.

Tips & Warnings

• Wood stakes should be at least 1 square inch to support the plant's weight.

References

• Mississippi State University: Staking and Training Tomatoes
• University of Illinois Extension: Tomato