How to care For tomatoes

Now that you have your tomatoes planted how do you care for them. Cage, stake, trellis, or allow to grow freely.

Most home gardeners will buy tomato cages. I like them for one or 2 plants but they can be expensive. The smaller 3 ring cages are only a couple of dollars but will usually only last one season. A better value is the 4 ring cages. They are made with a thicker gage wire and will last several years. The best way to use these cages is to sink them into the ground deep enough so the 1st ring sits on the ground. If the cage isn’t deep enough it can fall over as the fruit gets heavier.

Stake tomatoes by driving a stake about a foot into the ground. As the tomato grows taller you tie the main stem to the stake. My favorite is a green T- post. They are heavy duty and last for years. You can also buy fencing to attach to the posts to make a cage/stake hybrid.

Trellising tomatoes requires you to prune. You want to guide the tomatoe to grow up a trellis. You trim back the sucker branches to encourage a single stem to grow up the trellis. To trim properly look for tiny branches growing out of the main stem and in between a major ranch. Pruning out these suckers makes it easier to trellis and also creates a better fruiting environment. You wont have fruit rot on the ground. In my early years I didnt prune and I lost so many tomatoes to rot because they either rested on the ground or i didnt seem them to pick them at their prIme.

Free growing tomatoes can get out of hand quickly. The suckers grow out and the plant can take over the garden. It rests in the ground and it is nearly impossible to harvest without stepping on fruit. So cage, stake or trellis your tomatoes this season and have the best harvest yet.

If you need advice with your tomatoes this season give me a call. I’m always willing to help.

Your Garden Sage