Building a Trellis for Tomato Plants Will Provide the Support Your Plants Need
It’s generally recommended that tomato plants be staked to keep them up off of the ground and to provide good air circulation. In addition, staking allows plants to be grown closer together than if the plants were grown sprawling on the ground. But I have not been satisfied with using tomato stakes – what I needed was a trellis for my tomato plants.
Determinate varieties of tomatoes generally grow from 3 – 5 feet tall. All of the tomatoes ripen at approximately the same time, and the plant dies. A wooden tomato stake is about all that is needed to keep these plants upright so that they receive good air circulation. Metal, store bought, tomato cages would generally be adequate, as well, for determinate varieties of tomatoes.
Indeterminate varieties of tomatoes continue to grow and bear fruit until killed by a frost (or disease) and may grow as tall as 8 – 10 feet or more. These plants require sturdy support. A simple wooden stake is often not adequate; the plants become quite heavy as they bear fruit. I have even seen the plants slide right down the stake into a heap because of the weight of the plant. An arbor or trellis is much more suitable for these types of tomato plants. Here’s how my husband built ours.
Newly planted tomato plants (with lettuce in front)
To Build a Tomato Trellis
Our trellis runs between two – 20 foot long raised beds. Five metal, 7′ long T-posts were each driven 2′ into the ground and spaced 5′ apart next to each bed (so 10 posts in all).
3″ wide cedar boards were drilled and attached horizontally to the T-posts – one near the top and one near the bottom. Another strip of cedar, 1 and 1/2″ wide was attached in between the 3″ board. Our beds are on a slight hill, so the side of the arbor near the lower bed needed one more horizontal board attached. Cattle panels could also be used.
To build the arch, we used UHMW plastic strips which are 1/2″ thick, 4 ” wide, and 6′ long. These were screwed to the top 3″ cedar plank. If UHMW plastic is unavailable, an alternative would be PVC pipe attached with U-bolts.
Lastly, 1 and 1/2″ strips of cedar the length of the arbor were attached to the top of the 5 plastic arches. These were spaced 8″ apart.
8′ tall tomato plants covering the trellis
The trellis has worked wonderfully for us. The plants need to be tied when they are young, but as they grow, they tend to fall into and over the trellis. The trellis provides great support. And on the hottest day, it stays relatively cool under the trellis making harvest a more pleasant job.
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Recommended Reading: The Heirloom Tomato: From Garden to Table: Recipes, Portraits, and History of the World’s Most Beautiful Fruit by Amy Goldman
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Deb says
It’s spectacular!!
Lillian says
Wow, it’s beautiful! I would loved to have an arched trellis of some sort for my vining vegetables. But I am just concerned that each side will shade the other as the sun moves east to west, or alternatively that the north side will be shaded most of the day. Can you share your experience with this issue? Thanks!
Susan Vinskofski says
Lillian, The trellis runs east to west. Tomatoes are planted in the northern most bed and shorter plants like peppers or eggplant grow on the southern most side, so nothing is being shaded.
Lillian says
Oh, okay, I understand. I am starting a small garden with one plant of each: cucumbers, baby cucumbers, tomatoes, baby tomatoes, pumpkin, watermelon, peppers, baby cantaloupe, and zucchini. Which ones do you think will grow shorter, that I could put on the south side? If it doesn’t make sense to do an arched trellis, I can do a regular one, but what you have is really neat.
Susan Vinskofski says
The pumpkin, watermelon, peppers and zucchini would work on the southern side. Let the other plants climb the trellis.
Kate says
If I purchase your ebook THE ART OF GARDENING, will I be able to gift it to a family member?
Susan Vinskofski says
Hi Kate, yes, you can; I emailed you.
Rosalyn says
Oh it’s absolutely beautiful. It must be heavenly standing beneath it and picking ripe tomatoes!
Susan says
…and in the hottest weather, it’s cool under there!
Meghan @ Whole Natural Life says
Wow. I wish I had one of those! At the moment, though, we rent an apartment so I’ll be growing tomatoes on our balcony and in a plot in the apartment community garden. Do you have any suggestions for trellises in these situations? Last year I went the wooden stake route which was not wildly successful, but that was at least partly due the the fact that I didn’t prune the plants at all so they just grew all over the place. I’m still very much a beginner. 🙂 This year I’m hoping for slightly more order, though…
Susan says
Well, truthfully, I don’t prune mine either. But, in your case, that may be wise because of limited space. One option would be to use a “topsy turvy” planter where the tomatoes are hanging. There are also smaller varieties of tomatoes for growing in pots and staking should work fine for them. Many of these varieties will likely be determinate tomatoes as opposed to indeterminate. Determinate tomatoes only grow to a certain height, generally around 3′. They stop growing and produce all of their tomatoes at just about the same time. Indeterminate tomatoes just keep growing and keep producing new tomatoes until the end of the season. They are generally a much larger plant.
This video has a nice idea for staking in pots: http://video.about.com/containergardening/DIY-Bamboo-Tomato-Plant-Cage.htm
Meghan @ Whole Natural Life says
Thanks, Susan!
Shelle @ PreparednessMama says
Wow! This is fantastic. I love how tidy the whole thing looks. My tomatoes usually get messy looking late in the season. How many tomatoes do you think were harvested?
Susan says
Oh, my. I’ve never been good at keeping track of that type of thing. Basket full after basket full is all I can say!
Robin says
Fabulous! I tried the Florida weave last year on upruned vines. The plastic baling twine was not up to the task. I am still undecided on how to support my climbers this year, but I am adding your post to my list of ideas. Thanks so much for sharing!
Nancy@livininthegreen says
This is great and looks wonderful too. Thanks for sharing a great project! I love the Tromboncino squash! 🙂
daisy says
It’s absolutely gorgeous! I didn’t notice if you said how much it set you back? I bet you could grow beans, peas or pumpkins on it too!
Susan says
I’m sorry to say that we didn’t keep track of the cost. That tends to be a weakness of ours. 🙁
Ddu says
What orientation did you use for the trellis? North south? Is one side shady and one sunny? How did that affect yields? Best wishes!
Susan says
The trellis runs east to west. Tomatoes are planted in the northern most bed and shorter plants like peppers or eggplant grow on the southern most side, so nothing is being shaded.
Loriel @ Healthy Roots, Happy Soul says
This gets me excited for spring and gardening. Thank you for sharing this at my first ever Tuned-in Tuesday blog hop. I hope to see you there tomorrow! http://www.healthyrootshappysoul.com/2013/03/tuned-in-tuesday-blog-hop_25.html
Jenny says
What a beautiful idea for trellising tomatoes! Mine tend to look scraggly after a bit when staked the traditional way. I’ll have to keep this in mind. Thank you for linking up to our hop.
Hope to see you again tomorrow morning at our new time: http://blackfoxhomestead.com/the-homeacre-hop/
Steffanie Mormino says
I love it! So beautiful:-)
Lori @ Our Heritage of Health says
That trellis is SO COOL! It must be so much nicer to be able to stand in the shade to pick the tomatoes rather than standing out in the hot sun. I want one for my garden!
Thanks for sharing with Old-Fashioned Friday! 🙂
Megan says
I’m curious, how much did this cost you to make?
Susan says
Megan, I’m afraid we just never kept track of the cost.
Little Mountain Haven says
wow! absolutely gorgeous trellis!
I do love vertical gardening, so much better for space saving. do you crop rotate your tomatoes in that location or rotate it with other vertical growing plants?
Susan says
At this point, we are not rotating the tomatoes. The way we manage our soil, we are adding so much organic matter each year that we are building the soil. If we find that we have a year with disease, we will then plant the tomatoes elsewhere the following year.
Dani Meyer says
Susan,
Did you go with the plastic strips and cedar instead of the wire because of cost or aesthetics?
This is so great! Trying to figure out costs so I can get the hubs to build it for me 🙂
Susan says
The wire would have been less expensive, I would think. My husband was given the plastic, so he went with that. But he preferred the cedar because he thought it would last longer than just wire, and we are in a suburban neighborhood, so he wanted it to please the neighbors, as well.
Lisa says
I was just wondering, do you still have to tie them or do they hold there on their own?
Susan says
Yes, I do still tie the plants.
Karen says
I love this!! TFS.
Connie lakes says
Are the arches bender board, love the effect and how nice motto have to bend over to pick, everything right at hand! bravo!!!!!!
Susan says
Thanks! I’m not sure what bender board is, but these are made of thick plastic.
Anni says
That is truly a fabulous trellis!
It kind of reminds me that we (me… or just people in general) sometimes get stuck in a rut, because I never would’ve thought of doing an arbor-like trellis for tomatoes. But that definitely works, and I absolutely love the design and functionality.
What a sweet, handy husband you have. 🙂
Susan says
Thanks! I had so much trouble with just stakes that we had to come up with another solution! And I agree, I’ve been blessed with an awesome husband – he’s remodeling our kitchen this summer and he even built the cabinets.
John says
My wife loves this trellis.
I think I’m going to be building one like it this summer or next.
Susan says
Sounds like her husband is as awesome as mine!!!
Dani says
This is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen! I want a backyard so I can do this and grow my own foods!
Susan says
Thanks, Dani! I hope you get your yard one of these days!!!
Laura t says
This is like a dream come true to find!! Love this!
How big of an isle do you have here? Space between boxes?
Thanks!
Susan says
Thanks, Laura. We have 3 feet between the two raised beds.
Holly Bose (Your Gardening Friend) says
What a loving husband. 🙂
The trellis looks fabulous, and from your description it doesn’t sound too difficult to make – a definite plus! It looks like it provides the support needed for your indeterminate tomato plants.
What I also like about the trellis is its versatility. I could see something like this being used year-round. For instance, I bet it would look gorgeous with a bunch of white Christmas lights on it in the winter. 🙂
Susan says
Thanks, Holly. I have often imagined the trellis decorated for Christmas, but alas, it’s never happened. It does look beautiful with snow on it!
Christine @ Once Upon a Time in a Bed of Wildflowers says
This is amazing! I love how you have the squash growing up the other side, too! 🙂
Jackie says
This is GREAT – exactly what I was looking for! I tried to find the UHMW plastic strips but could not on a google search. Could you let me know where you found them, and also – how do you keep birds from eating your tomatoes??? I am in Houston, and I usually end up feeding the birds at least 50% of the tomatoes.
Thanks,
Jackie
Susan Vinskofski says
Hi Jackie, my husband works at a place that manufactures the UHMW and he used scraps they were discarding. Knowing it would be difficult to obtain, he suggested the PVC pipe.
cj says
This is great, we just built a cover for our turkeys from all purpose livestock wire and 4×4’s and this would work great, to plant edibles and provide shade cover and greens for the birds.
Lala t says
Getting ready to try Makin this. One more question. I see you have squash on one side and tomatoes on the other… Which side are they on?(n or s) I’m thinking the squash are on the north? Did they do okay or are you changing it up?
Susan Vinskofski says
Hi Lala! The tomatoes are on the north and the squash are on the southwest. It seems to be a good setup.
Laura t says
Back with a question. Hubby made 1 side of this today and I love love!
How far apart do you do your tomatoes when growing vertically like this? Also – my plan last year had been to use those clips to keep up tomatoes but the clips don’t fit around the wood… What do you tie your plants with?
Susan Vinskofski says
Hi Laura. Yay for hubby!!! I generally plant my tomatoes 18″ apart. I tear strips from an old t-shirt to use to tie them; I’ve been doing that for years. Since they are 100% cotton, they go into the compost at the end of the year.
Patti says
Cool trellis. Would love to have one in my yard. Maybe tomatoes on one side and flowers on the other?
Susan Vinskofski says
That would be lovely!
shaun says
Very nice design!! How did you attach the cedar strips to the arched plastic? How is it still holding up? Thank you for sharing.
Susan Vinskofski says
I apologize for the delay in answering, Shaun. My husband used stainless steel sheet metal screws to attach them; the arbor is holding up very well!
Bob Sides says
Think I’ll give this a go using wire. Really like the idea and you’ve explained it really well. Hopefully I managed to get it to look like yours! Fingers crossed…
Lynn says
Hello,
I love the idea, however I am having an argument with possums and raccoons about who gets to eat the veggies. Do you have an issue with critters climbing the trellis to steal the tomatoes or squash?
Susan Vinskofski says
Hi Lynn! I’ve never had an issue with any critter climbing our trellises. Of course, possums and raccoons are not a problem for us – it’s the chipmunks, squirrels, and deer that cause us grief.
Grace says
Love these ideas! I’d like to share it on my own blog. Thanks!
Susan Vinskofski says
Grace, you may put a link to this post on your blog if you like, but please don’t use my text. 🙂
JULIEN D JEANNOT says
It look amazing, I would love to do the same, but can t find the UHMW plastic strips, and did not understood the PVC part. Can you help me ?
Thank you
Susan Vinskofski says
Hi Julien, 3/4″ to 1″ PVC piping is bendable and can be used instead of the plastic strips. Just be sure not to weaken it by drilling holes in it. Attach it to the frame with U-bolts.
Mark says
I am so happy you posted this! I can’t wait to make my own. You have a wonderful blog and I am so excited to have found you.
Susan Vinskofski says
Thank you, Mark. I’m glad you’re here!
Tracey Shreve says
Can you give a list of the products that you used? Especially the curved supports?
Susan Vinskofski says
I’m so sorry, Tracey, that I don’t have such a list. The number of curved supports will depend on how long you make your trellis. We have one support every 4 feet.
Elan says
thanks sharing this article and amazing information really help us
Alexa S says
This is the year I decided to trellis the tomatoes. I’d been using 5′ tall stakes and every year the plant would go well above the top, get top-heavy and flop over. I am so happy to see the tomato plants going on almost 9′ tall and growing still! It’s well supported, the bumble bees love the continued growth and the yield is beyond my wildest expectations. Your idea and pic’s helped me get there 🙂
Susan Vinskofski says
So glad to hear we helped with a solution!