getting tomatoes to climb the trellis

[austingardner]

Hi fellow Gardeners,

We just planted several variety of tomatoes and they are now at the point of needing a trellis because there branches are growing out sideways from the main stem and are beginning to droop to the floor. The problem is, we put in the tomato trellis but the tomatoes seem to be ignoring it completely. Am I suppose to force the stems up the trellis myself? And if so, how should I go about doing that without disturbing the tomatoes? Any advice for this beginner would be appreciated.

Also, I planted some yellow squash along with my other vegi's but they are the only things that have yet to come up. Does anyone know how long it takes for yellow squash to begin sprouting? I'm hoping they are not a casualty of my first attempt at a garden but I'm beginning to worry. Thanks!

[soil]

sometimes you need to give them a little clue to grow upwards. once they get going up they seem to get the idea and stop sagging and sprawling as much. a simple tie is all that is needed sometimes.

[Kisal]

They need to be tied to the trellis. I use that stretchy, green plastic tape designed for tying plants, but any soft, stretchy material would work fine. I have a friend who uses strips of old nylons. Just choose something soft, so it doesn't scratch the skin of the plant's stems, and also stretchy, so it can kind of give a bit as the plant grows larger.

[TZ -OH6]

Tomatoes do not like to climb or hold onto things like peas and beans. You have to weave them in and out of the trellis openings (pokeing the growing tips where you want them) and sometimes tie them off with string. If you did not start early you will have a fight on your hands.

[ButterflyGarden]

I use pieces of old pantyhose to tie them. It's gentle on the plants and a great way to re-use them when they get ripped or have a run.

[cynthia_h]

The problem is, we put in the tomato trellis but the tomatoes seem to be ignoring it completely. Am I suppose to force the stems up the trellis myself? And if so, how should I go about doing that without disturbing the tomatoes? Any advice for this beginner would be appreciated.

If you planted any peas or runner beans, you'll have noticed little curly tendrils grabbing onto the trellis, other vines, or just about anything they can. Tomatoes don't have these tendrils and thus cannot climb of their own accord; that's why they need to be tied/interwoven as they grow. I'm still working off of a stock of dead pantyhose I got several years ago from a friend who wore skirts to her office job for a l-o-n-g time (she hated wearing slacks ) but couldn't stand to throw the pantyhose away when they got bad runs in them.

The green tie-up tape works well; so does tearing old sheets into strips and tying loose figure-eights, using the trellis and the tomato vine as the centers around which the two "loops" of the figure eight go. Some people cut dead T-shirts up b/c of the stretch the T-shirts provide.

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[applestar]

Actually, it's not entirely true that tomatoes don't know how to hold on.... They have similar mechanism as clematis though not as pronounced. If you help them to remember by training the leaf to curl around an object, then hold onto itself, the tips of their leaves curl to grab on.

Some varieties "remember" better than others. I assume this trait has been bred out in the domesticated cultivars.

I find that it works best if you train them to hold onto itself after curling around an object, or to "hold hands" with another leaf by twining to each other.

[altsciguy]

Climbing tomatos depends on variety from my experience. #1) Indeterminate
#2) Cherry varieties have worked best for me.
I have grown cherry tomatos (no I do not remember name) on a "trellis" made of poles with chicken wire. They grew up 8' then over and across another 4' with bunches of cherry tomatos all the way up and over. A little weaving at the start and pruning of suckers but after about 3-4' I let them be and they climbed up and over. Four poles 8' high 4' apart in a square. I ran chicken wire up over from one side and down the other with a walk through on the other sides. (Like a tunnel or arch). I planted on the sides with wire and was standing under the plants picking tomatos. That was years ago, I was living in town and space was a premium. Since then I have had room so have not done it for years. I did grow cherry tomatos along a deck rail. That was horizonal and they kept falling off so I needed more tieing. Now that I am remembering that old "trelis" I may have to try it again. Good luck. My regular tomatos Rutgers and such I either stake and tie or cage in a traditional way. I am not sure if they would make good climbers.