How to Make a Tomato Trellis

Tomato plants are one of the easier crops to grow in your home garden, but once they start to mature, they get top-heavy and have a tendency to flop over. Tomato cages work well for supporting large tomato plants, but they’re bulky and can be expensive. If you don’t have time to make tomato cages, money to buy them, or space to store them, you need an easy alternative. Try this simple method to make a tomato trellis.

How to Make a Tomato Trellis

Materials

• Sturdy posts or stakes
• Ball of twine

Tomato Trellis Steps

1. Plant a row of tomato plants, spacing them 2 feet apart.
2. Pound in a stake or post at each end of the row and also at about 5-foot intervals along the row. (Set them equidistant from neighboring plants.)
3. Allow the plants to grow, watching for signs of floppiness. If they look ready to flop, or when they reach about 2 feet tall, tie one end of the ball of twine to the end post, 12 to 18 inches above ground level.
4. Stretch the twine past the tomato plants, weaving it between plants, to the next post. Wrap the twine around the post and pull tight. Repeat this to the end of the row.
5. Wrap the twine around the end post, pull tight, and continue unrolling the twine down the other side of the row, wrapping it around the posts as you go. Tie off the twine at the end post.
6. Continue this process of adding twine every 12 inches until the plants either reach the top of the stakes or stop growing.

Want more advice on how to grow healthy tomato plants? Watch Farmer Tracie demonstrate this method of trellising and get more great tips for tomato plants.

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