In this posting, I cover the pros and cons of various tomato staking systems so you can choose what's best for you.
Wooden or Bamboo Stakes
These are made of a single piece of bamboo or wood that the gardener drives into the ground with a mallet or sledge hammer. They can be purchased in 6 to 8 foot lengths. Gardeners also have the option to make their own stakes from aluminum electrical conduit that can be cut to the appropriate height. As the tomato vine grows, it is attached to the stake using nursery tape, clips or other binding materials.
- Pros - Cheap (About $1 each for a 7 foot stake). Very easy to store at the end of season.
- Cons - Yields from tomato plants grown on stakes are lower; tomato plants produce numerous vines from that are each capable of producing flowers and fruit. Stakes can only support one or two vines. So tomatoes grown using stakes need to be constantly pruned of any additional vines that the plant produces. With fewer vines, the plant will also produce fewer tomatoes. In addition to the labor involved with pruning, gardeners need to be vigilant about securing the vine to the stake with nursery tape and clips. In other words, there's lower labor upfront with cages, but you pay for it later on.
Metal Spiral Stakes
These are metal rods that have been twisted into a spiral. The spiral allows the gardener to wrap the tomato vine around the stake as the plant grows, following the spiral pattern of the stake. While the "spiral" does provide additional support, these stakes still require nursery tape or other material to securely support the tomato vine as it grows.
- Pros - Similar to straight stakes, spiral stakes are relatively cheap ($5 each) and easy to store at end of season.
- Cons - Difficult to use a mallet to drive these stakes into the ground because of their spiral shape, so they must be pushed in by hand. Generally, only available in short lengths so they are only good for determinate tomato varieties. Require use of nursery tape to hold vines to stake. Some spiral stakes are coated in plastic to prevent the metal from rusting. Over time the sun light can cause this plastic to crack and then the stake rusts. This doesn't really effect their usefulness but they are less attractive when rusty.
Store Purchased Tomato Cages
These come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some are cylindrical, some square and some cone shaped. More expensive models can be folded. Cages of this type have wire tines at the bottom. To set them up, you push the tines into the ground.
- Pros - Easy to set up. Can accommodate multiple vines from each tomato plant. Require less use of nursery tape or clips than stakes. Non-folding models are relatively inexpensive ($3-$10). Folding models are easy to store at the end of the season.
- Cons - Wire tines can easily be damaged when pushed into the ground. As a result, most cages are not very durable. Can be difficult to pick fruit on the inside of the cage. Generally come in small sizes (3 feet tall) so they are only suitable for determinate tomato varieties. Non-folding models are more difficult to store at end of season. Folding models are more convenient but also very expensive (+$20 each).
These are cages you make using 6 inch wire mesh designed to reinforce concrete construction projects. You can buy the mesh in rolls or sometimes in panels from stores such as Home Depot or Lowes. To create the cages, you roll the mesh into a cylinder and then hold the cage together using wire ties. Depending on the material you use, these cages can be either 5 or 7 feet in height. You can build large cage that will last for years and they will cost only $10 each. (For more information about how to build these cages, see my posting How to Build Tomato Cages: Big, Sturdy & Cheap).
- Pros - large enough to accommodate indeterminate tomato varieties. Relatively cheap compared to store purchased cages. Much more durable than store purchased cages because of the mesh is made from stronger material. Can accommodate multiple vines from each tomato plant so yields are good.
- Cons - You need to buy, cut and assemble them. Don't fold, so they are harder to store at end of season. Will rust (Doesn't impact usefulness but does impact appearance) Can be difficult to harvest fruit on the inside of the cage. Need to anchor cages with an additional metal stake to support the height of the cage.
Electrical Conduit Trellis
This is also a do it yourself project. You build a long metal frame out of aluminum electrical conduit and then hang wire mesh panels from the conduit. You can make these by cutting either 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch conduit to the height that you want (remember to add 6 inches for the section that will get hammered into the ground). Then cut a piece of the same material to the length that you want for your trellis. Place a 90 degree elbow fitting on the top of both ends of the conduit that is hammered into the ground. Now attach the top bar by sliding each end into one of the elbow fittings and tighten the screws on those fittings. Once this is done, you can hang mesh panels from the horizontal section of conduit using zip strips, metal ties or string. In the photo below, you'll see that I constructed mine a little differently because I plan to cover this structure with plastic and use it as a greenhouse during the Winter. In my case, I built a hoop houses and then hung mesh panels from the central beam. Whatever design you choose, tomatoes are then attached to the mesh panels using nursery tape or plastic clips.
- Pros - Tall enough for indeterminate varieties. Panels can be removed at end of season and stored flat. Can accommodate multiple vines from each tomato plant. Easy to harvest tomatoes. Relatively inexpensive when compared to folding tomato cages.
- Cons - Most labor intensive of the options. Makes most sense for gardens that are growing lots of tomatoes in long rows. While mesh trellises can be moved, they are clearly less portable than cages or stakes.
Photo: Image of the elbow fitting and connection between a vertical and horizontal piece of conduit used to make a tomato trellis.