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kitchen garden how-to
The Florida Weave Is One of My Favorite Tomato Support Ideas
It took me many years of growing tomatoes before I found success. One year, I decided I was going to set up a Florida weave trellis in my Houston garden. I planted 26 tomato plants, all different varieties along my DIY trellis. I committed to tending them weekly—pruning, fertilizing, and weaving the plants in and out of the strings.
And I got epic results. I had more tomatoes on vines than I'd ever seen before, and the plants themselves looked beautiful and healthy. One morning after tending my tomato plants, I looked down and noticed my fingers were green. Using this method had literally helped me develop a green thumb!
If you've never heard of the Florida weave method (also called the basket weave method), it's a super fun way to grow a lot of tomatoes in a small space. The weave is created between two stakes on either end of a row, with twine running back and forth between the stakes at different heights. As the tomato plants grow, you'll tuck them in between the strings like you're—you guessed it—weaving. Farmers often use this method for determinate tomatoes, but I used it to grow my indeterminate tomatoes, which is the vining type.
Vining tomatoes need a lot of support as they grow tall and form clusters of fruit. They'll also quickly outgrow a tomato cage. That makes a Florida weave trellis the best way to support tomato plants in lieu of a larger structure like an arch trellis.
Benefits of This Type of Tomato Support
This method has many benefits, making it the best tomato cage alternative if you don't have a strong garden trellis.
More Plants = More Production
This method allows you to pack several tomato plants into a smaller space. By training the vines upward, you can grow plants closely side by side without sacrificing air flow or access to sunlight. You want each tomato leaf to receive the maximum amount of precious sunlight possible.
Easier Tending
Tending your tomato plants is easier because the weave keeps all vines within easy reach. Contrast this to a tomato cage, where you have to reach in through a slat to tend the plant. Harvesting is also a breeze because the weave holds all the stems and their juicy fruits in place for you.
Price
This is a simple and inexpensive way to support your tomatoes. You might even already have all the supplies you need around the house for this DIY tomato trellis.
Healthier Fruits
This trellis method keeps leaves and fruit off the ground, which means they're safer from pests, fungus, and disease. Stems bearing heavy clusters of fruit also find more support and are less likely to break off.
Quick Installation
This DIY trellis is quick and simple to set up, maintain, and even take down at the end of the growing season. There are few materials to store, so you don't have to find garage space for an unwieldy tomato cage. Even within your garden, this trellis takes up very little room, and you can easily plant medium and small plants around it.
Supplies Needed for This DIY Tomato Support Structure
This is going to be a pretty short supply list. Thanks to the way the twine itself has enough tension to hold up the stems, you don't even need plant clips.
Here's your supply list:
- TWINE MADE OF NATURAL FIBER- I recommend jute or cotton twine, both of which are natural and gentle enough to not hurt the plant. They're also very easy to untie when your growing season is over.
- TALL STAKES- Whatever you pick should be sturdy and at least 6 to 7 feet tall. You have a couple options for your stake material:
- 2x2 WOODEN STAKES- Wood is an inexpensive and easily available option that will last for a couple of tomato seasons. Unfortunately, thin wood is prone to rotting and splintering. I recommend wearing gloves when handling wooden stakes and taking care not to shatter the top when pushing the stake into the soil.
- THICK PIECES OF BAMBOO- I made some of my first ever garden trellises out of bamboo grown in my parent's backyard. Bamboo is obviously a natural material that's weather resistant and strong. You might struggle though to find thick enough bamboo stakes at your local garden center for this project.
- REBAR- This is a great option if you've decided the Florida weave is your preferred tomato support method and intend to use your supplies for several years. Rebar is a thin metal stake used in construction, and you should be able to find it in home improvement stores.
- STEEL FENCE T-POSTS- T-posts make a sturdy and durable option. They often come in a green color and, like rebar, can handle being hammered into the ground.
- NAILS (optional)- If you select wooden stakes, grab a pack of nails to hammer into one side of each stake about every 8 inches or so. Rebar and T-posts have grooves and studs to hold twine in place, but wood does not.
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STEPS TO CREATE YOUR OWN FLORIDA WEAVE TRELLIS
I recommend setting up at least the stakes and the first layer of twine in your raised beds before you plant your tomato transplants. This helps to avoid pushing through the roots of an established plant with a long stake. Also, younger tomato plants are easier to maneuver around the twine.
Step One: Set Up Stakes
Drive a stake about 12 inches into the soil at each end of your planned row. Add additional stakes in between these outer ones about every 2 to 3 feet. Make sure you still have 5 to 6 feet of each stake above ground to trellis your plants.
Step Two: Add Twine
Tie a piece of twine around the bottom of one outer stake about 8 inches above the ground. Run the twine across the entire row, wrapping it twice around each stake you pass for greater stability. Make sure to keep tension on the twine. Tie the twine in a good knot when you reach the last stake. Cut the twine, leaving enough of a tip that you could untie and retie the knot if you need to tighten some slack.
Add more lines of twine in this same fashion about every 8 inches up the stakes.
Some gardeners add twine as their plants grow, but I've found doing so risks damaging the tender stems of the plants.
Step Three: Plant Tomatoes Along the Row
Plant tomato transplants about two feet apart down the row in between the stakes.
Remember to pull off the bottom set of leaves and bury your tomato plants deeper than their necks. New roots will form along the buried part of the stem, and this will help your tomato plants have a sturdier foundation once they're bearing fruits.
Step Four: Weave Plants Between Strings as They Grow
Once the tomato seedlings reach the first crosspiece of twine, gently place the top of each plant on alternating sides of the twine. This will help keep tension in the line.
When the plants reach the second crosspiece, switch their course to rest outside the opposite side of that piece of twine. Each week, continue to "weave" your plant up the crosspieces. Focus on the main stem of the plant; smaller branches can spread out naturally.
This method works best if you prune your plants heavily, particularly the lower leaves, to focus on that strong main stem, and fertilize them weekly.
What to Do With Your Tomato Trellis at the End of the Season
When the warm season comes to an end, you can do one last big harvest of delicious tomatoes, untie the twine, remove the plant material, and pull up the stakes. Natural twine can be tossed into your compost bin.
If you'd like to grow something else up your trellis, this simple method can be used for peas, pole beans, and cucumbers.
That's it! I hope this inspired you to give a little extra support to your tomato plants in the easiest way possible!
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