Tomato Staking Tips

Tomato staking has to be among the more interesting aspects of tomato gardening. This is because there are so many tomato farmers that believe so strongly in staking their tomatoes. There are some that do not agree and strongly oppose this notion. There are also several different ways to stake tomatoes and this too is a point of controversy. However, whether you are a believer in staking or non-believer, there are tips for getting your started. Once you start you will need to stick to whatever method you are comfortable with and have had some degree of success with.

When you stake your tomatoes one thing to keep in mind is that you need to get it right from the beginning, even though at that time your plants didn't need staking. If you place your stake properly right alongside the balls of the roots when planting, it will save you any worries about staking it later and possible damaging your entire plant system as they grow and begin to expand. Some good reasons for staking your tomatoes are:

• To ensure the fruits and leaves are up off the ground
• To better facilitate easy weeding
• To further facilitate fertilization and not affect the leaves
• To better facilitate a good air flow around your plants
• To be better able to water the tomato plants without overdoing it and causing the fruit and leaves to rot

Here are some additional tips for tomato staking for you to keep in mind:

First of all you can get your stakes at your local gardening store or a home improvement store. The majority of stakes are about six feet long made mainly from rough-cut wood. They have a pointed or sharp end to make it easier to get into the ground.

After you place them in whatever strategic location you have chosen just take a hammer or small mallet and pound them deeply into the ground. They should be no less than two feet three inches from the main plant. Then tie the tomato plants to your stakes with some coarse twine or maybe stripped cotton rags. As the plant begin to grow they will expand, so you need to anchor them to your stakes about every twelve inches or so.

Once your tomato plant reaches the top of your stake, you should pinch it off and do so every time it surpasses the top of your stake. This should be done all through the growing season. When you pinch off the top of your plants, you are helping them to focus their energy on developing large, healthy fruits, as well as facilitating quicker ripening.

For more information about growing tomatoes please visit our website Home Grown Tomatoes.

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