Last year I shared this method for supporting tomato vines. It was easy, cheap, and looked great until ... my tomatoes became so huge and heavy (even with diligent pruning and pinching) that the structure just wasn't strong enough to handle the job. I had to make a lot of modifications late in the season and it was a royal pain in the butt. This year we decided to build a beefier system: we built a tomato fence.
Here's the how-to:
1. Drive metal fence posts into the ground about 4' apart. A post driver is very helpful, but not necessary.
2. Attach two layers (one on top of the other) of 36" galvanized fencing with fencing hangers or galvanized wire. You have to loop them around the fencing and post, and then pinch them tight with pliers.
3. Plant your tomatoes at least 2' apart (3' is ideal, but I'm no good at editing) and 1' from the fence. Attach the vines to the fence with twine or strips of old t-shirts.
There you have it: an affordable, easy, and reusable 6' tall fence for your tomatoes to climb. This method requires much less pruning and is strong enough for even the most gigantic of heirlooms. Since the plants grow to cover the fence quite rapidly, it practically disappears, and I actually really like the look of our wall-o-tomatoes.
What do you think? Have you ever grown tomatoes along a fence? The only thing trickier than wrangling tomatoes is waiting for them to ripen!
In other garden news, my dahlias are blooming like crazy, which means I'm smiling like crazy.
Happy Gardening!
