Staking tomatoes

[dickiebird]

Last year I used the Florida weave in the garden and old crutches in the greenhouse and the containers on back porch.

Over the last year I've gathered up a bunch more crutches and will do all tomatos with these.

I've found the alum crutches to work the best, but old wood ones work also.

THANX RICH

 

[seedcorn]

Ok, what is Florida weave, French weave......I feel like newbie

 

[MontyJ]

It all depends on the variety. Some perform better if staked and pruned; others perform better if caged and left to go it alone. All perform better if kept off of the ground.

 

[thistlebloom]

I don't know what a french weave is....Florida weave is when you place stakes every two plants and weave twine alternately between the tomatoes and around the posts. As the plants grow you continue weaving between the tomatoes and the posts.

 

[dickiebird]

Here's a shrt video on the Florida weave. As she says these plants are bigger than you really want to do this on.

http://youtu.be/dUBFyhVXY4U

THANX RICH

 

[seedcorn]

I don't know what a french weave is....Florida weave is when you place stakes every two plants and weave twine alternately between the tomatoes and around the posts. As the plants grow you continue weaving between the tomatoes and the posts.

Thanks, tried that last year, hated it as too hard to keep plants in weave. Gave up easily. Only did one row.

 

[digitS']

Crutches? Would the width be what works well with using crutches as stakes?

It all depends on the variety. Some perform better if staked and pruned; others perform better if caged and left to go it alone. All perform better if kept off of the ground.

I'm sure that is true. Staking determinates would probably be very unwise.

Steve

 

[dickiebird]

Crutches? Would the width be what works well with using crutches as stakes?

The best thing with the crutches is they are cheap.
The width does make them nice, but their cost is what got me to using them, usually about a buck a pair at thrift stores and yard sales.

THANX RICH

 

[so lucky]

I love the crutch idea but DH might disown me if I started planting crutches in the garden. I did the Florida weave last year and it was a disaster. Started too late. Trying it again this year, with a little smaller plants. It's all a learning process!

 

[hoodat]

Lets face it. If you have a vigorous indeterminate tomato (which is best for garden use) staking will help you control the first stages and get you some early tomatos but unless you do a lot of pruning they will eventually get away from you and sprawl all over the place. By the end of the growing season you will be hunting down your tomatos in a jungle of vines. Indeterminate tomato plants can get huge.