A great way to tie tomato plants to their poles without damaging the plants is with strips of discarded pantyhose. The soft, stretchy pantyhose strips work well because they don't cut into the stems as the tomato plants grow. I intercept my wife's pantyhose before they reach the trash bin, then cut them into neat half-inch strips. One pair of pantyhose is enough to tie up about 10 plants.
Chaumont, New York