Tying Up Tomatoes

Tomatoes would have to be close to the favourite fruit I like to grow. Nothing beats looking after a tomato bush and looking forward to picking them. The distinctive aroma that is transferred to your hands when you touch them to tie them up can’t be beaten, imho.

The best way I have found to grow tomatoes is to grow them in an environment that restricts insect attack and to tie them up on a string.

This young Black Russian tomato plant is being grown in the wicking bed and is protected from insect damage by a frame covered in fruit fly mesh. Notice the string winding around the stem of the plant. As the plant grows you wind it around the string to support the plant.

 

Once your supporting wire is in place, a simple slip knot is used to attach the string.

Wind the string down around the plant to the base. Make a loop and pull it back behind the string and the pressure from the wind will hold it in place. As the plant grows all you need to do is wind the tomato around the string.

There are a couple of tricks to look out for. The first one is if you have a number of tomatoe plants it helps to wind them the same way. It will depend on if you are left or right orientated whether you wind them clockwise or anti. Try one way and if it feels funny or awkward try winding the other way.

Tomatoes are bullet proof.

If you can grow your tomatoes in a protected environment your will find that tying up tomatoes makes them a gardener’s best friend. They are practically bullet proof. Even if you break them they will surprise you by growing another leader that produces tomatoes.

Recap

• Get your support wire in place
• Plant your tomato seedlings
• Drop your supporting strings from the wire
• About four weeks after planting seedlings it is time to tie them up
• Wind the tomatoes and prune on a weekly basis depending on weather conditions (longer in winter)

Now that your tomatoes are tied up, the next information needed is pruning and winding. Probably next week.