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Hi, I have read and appreciate the staking methods described on this forum

I would like to know what YOU have used to stake - and liked for Romas? I have never grown them before. Also - Cherry - do you prune the suckers? and what is the best method of staking these?

I will have a row of cherry, a row of Roma and 3 Beefsteak tomato plants. If I want to try the FL Weave - which ones would this work best on? And I do have some reg tomato cages - which types would this work best on? Any thoughts? I used all tomato cages last year and many of them toppled over so I want to do a better job of staking better this year! Thanks for your expertise!

There's a very long Sticky thread at the top of the Tomato Forum re. staking methods. Take a look; I'm sure you'll find some help there.

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

Thank you, I already had check it out...and it was taking forever to look at all the pics and posts-- when what I was asking wasn't found there. I want to know the best staking method for these types (Roma, Cherry) of tomatoes. (I understand the staking methods) But - I've never grown Romas, I don't know how big they get. Last year I had used tomato cages and they toppled over with many of my tomato plants.
thanks

If that's your question, maybe you can edit the title of the thread to reflect it. Otherwise, readers will think like I did w/regard to the Sticky and staking them up.

The one *successful* time I grew Romas was in Berkeley (not here in my fridge-like yard in El Cerrito). They were somewhere between 6 and 7 feet tall. Supporting them was...interesting. It was also ad-hoc, ad-lib, and everything else you can imagine!

Cynthia H.

Kepkitty, I see you've edited your OP.

I haven't grown the variety Roma tomatoes in a long time, but I KNOW many people do so hopefully, they will repond with their experience. I did look it up and Roma is a determinate variety and supposed to be only about 4 feet tall, so it seems to me that this is the kind of tomato you COULD use those little tomato cages with as long as you use a 48" or larger (I have 54" ones too).

Cherry tomatoes -- do you have a variety name? I'm growing 4 different varieties of cherry tomatoes (small round fruit around 1") and one is described as 5-6' tall, two as 6-8' tall and 4th as up to 10' tall.... Some of them are up against a 7' trellis (pruning suckers growing to the front and back but not to the sides) and some are going to be supported with string lines hanging from an arch trellis (these will be pruned to only three vines at the most per plant), extra one of the 10 footer, I"m planning to prune espalier style along the top of a 5' picket fence.

I live where it gets humid and muggy, so I usually minimally prune suckers to keep the plant open and allow air circulation no matter what support method I'm using.

Most cherries are tall so a tall stake or two or three would be easy. I like the seven by four foot concrete reinforcing wire with six inch squares for an easy and cheap cage (or trellis) for cherries but you need to pound in a stake or two to hold them up. up.


I believe that Roma's are determinant and rather short plants, that is the growth type that Florida weave was invented for.

Don't prune anything until the cherry gets over grown, and then you can take a machete to it if you like.