Things You'll Need:
- Stakes
- Cages
- Nylon stockings, string, plastic ties
- Deer fencing or 4-to-6-inch wire mesh
- Fencing
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Step 1
Stake smaller single plants with bamboo sticks or saplings left from pruning. Use six-to-eight-foot stakes and sink them in one to two feet deep. Drive one stake in next to the main branch or "leader" of the plant and tie the plant loosely with cotton string, old nylon stockings or plastic plant ties at each place that a branch leaves the leader. Leave enough room for the branch to grow as you tie it to the stake.
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Step 2
Build a support for large plants or several plants by driving several stakes around plants or at the end of rows and "weave" string or nylon between them as plants grow to support branches. Use deer fencing or large-weave wire mesh between stakes for a "trellis" to tie plants up.
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Step 3
Make "H" frames for the end of each row of plants by nailing cross-pieces between pairs of stakes. Add an H-frame between every plant and make nets by tying string between the horizontals and across the lines---or lay two-to-three-inch wire mesh on top of them. Guide plants through the openings as they grow.
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Step 4
Buy wire "cages" and tie plants to the bands with nylon stockings. Round cages come in small and large sizes, but the square, collapsible cages are easier to store and you can simply tie nylon or string through them to contain unruly branches. Make cages out of deer fencing or cement reinforcing mesh---anything that has large openings won't provide too much shade and will allow you to get your hand in to prune and pick fruit.
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Step 5
Tie tomatoes to a section of picket fence or panel of wooden trellis from the local home center. Anchor the panel with stakes and position it so that your tomatoes get as much sun as possible.
