How to Make a Tomato Plant Stand Up Straight

When tomato plants get to be too big, they will spread outward and grow on the ground. Slugs and other pests will feast upon the leaves and when the fruit starts to grow, they will eat those too. Tying up your plants saves space and makes picking the tomatoes easier. Having your plants tied will force the plants to grow straight and not spread on the ground.

Things You'll Need

• Stakes
• Mallet
• 2 feet of stretchy cloth or nursery tape per stake

Instructions

1. Remove the plants' side shoots before you put in the stakes. A side shoot can be found in the "V" where the side branches meet the main stem.

2. Put in the stakes. Make sure you have a sturdy three- to five-foot high stake. Hammer in the stakes with your mallet. Hammer in about six inches of the stake. Put in one stake for every tomato plant.

3. Tie your tomato plants to the stakes with stretchy cloth or nursery tape. Start in the middle of the plant. If the top of the plant still droops after you tie the middle, tie some cloth to the top.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure whatever you use to tie the tomato plants has some give to it so the tomato plants will still be able to grow and expand.

• Do not use any kind of wire, metal or string that is inflexible. Doing this may damage the plants.

References

• Organ State: Stake Up Your Tomato Plants
• Tomato Gardning: Tying Your Tomatoes

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish