How To Stake Tomato Cages

Some of my heirloom tomato plants have grown 6 – 7 feet tall, and have gotten heavy enough to topple my tomato cages. Once this happens, it’s hard to pull the vines up without damaging them.  My tallest cage is 5 foot, so they need some help in keeping them steady and strong enough to support the weight of the tomatoes on the vines.  My best and most sturdy tomato cages were purchased from Tractor Supply.  I went back to purchase more the next season, but they no longer carried them.  As sturdy as they are, they still need to be staked.

Here’s how to stake tomato cages:

• I purchased 6 foot fence stakes from Lowes to stake my tomato cages.
• After planting the tomato plant and placing the tomato cage over it, push 2 stakes deep into the ground directly beside the cage.
• Tie the cage to the garden stakes with garden ties. You can purchase the ties from your local garden center. I buy the rolls.  You will need them to tie up your tomato vines once they start growing.
• For the heavier cages I used two stakes, but for the lighter and smaller tomato cages I use 1 stake.  Heirloom tomatoes will go in the heavier cages and hybrids in the smaller cages.
• It’s important that you stake the cages when you first plant your tomatoes; otherwise, you risk damaging the roots of your plants.

The cages in the picture below, blue, red, light green and yellow, were purchased from Lowes. Pretty colors, but not the same quality as the ones from Tractor Supply even though they were the same price. Again, the smaller cages were used for my hybrid tomatoes. Hybrids don’t get as tall or as heavy as heirloom tomatoes.  However, a strong wind can topple these cages and more than likely will damage your plant.  So take precautions.

The picture below is one of my heirloom tomato plants. You can see how thick the vines are on this plant. You can also see why it’s important to support the plant early. If you don’t want to spend money on garden ties, cut up old stockings or tee-shirts into strips. Any soft material will work.  You can see the stakes on the side of the cage.

I planted 10 tomato plants last season, and found 3 volunteers. This is one of my volunteer tomato plants below.  I removed the weeds around before I staked and caged the plant.  This one needed support to keep it from leaning too.  I leave my volunteers in the garden.  If they produce, I take the tomatoes to the local food bank.  They appreciate fresh garden vegetables in the summer. This year I made a pledge with Ample Harvest to take tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and zucchini to the food bank.

The dressing around this volunteer is from my homemade garden compost. It is so dark and rich it is unbelievable. This is why they call it Black Gold. Decomposed leaves make this compost Black Gold.  You can follow the link below if you would like to learn more about my Black Gold.

Finally, if you’re using containers for your tomatoes, I would recommend that you use a 4 – 5 foot garden stake to support your plant.  Local garden centers have them for a few bucks.  If you’re lucky enough to have bamboo around, cut a bamboo pole and use it in your container for support.

Stay tuned for my post on How To Grow Bigger Tomatoes next week. What are you planning to grow in your garden or containers this season?

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