The summer vegetable season is here, so it’s time to think about support for our plants. First consider size control on your tomato plants. Left to their own, some tomato plants will grow to a size no structure can hold.
Before that happens, consider one of the best ways to control the size. As your tomato plant grows to a two-to three-foot height, look at its structure. You will notice supplemental branching from leaf axial areas. You can control the size of your plant by removing some (or all of them, if you like) of this secondary branching.
Tomato cages are funnel shaped and made from thick wire. They come in different sizes; the smallest is only about two-feet tall. Tomato plants don’t usually stop growing at that height so this size will work with young plants, but are not meant to last for the entire season. Once that tomato grows into a two-foot plant, it is time add the largest of the tomato cages, which is four-to five-feet tall. You don’t even have to remove that small cage. If you have removed a portion of your tomato plant through thinning, these cages should work just fine.
Trellis structures are great for tomatoes. They are a sturdy structure and beautiful too. As your tomato grows, offer support to the branches by tying them to the trellis. To minimize the weight of the plant, you may employ the thinning technique. The trellis can be placed up against a wall for support. You can also take two trellises and form a trellis A-frame. Plant the tomato in the middle and you have trellis support on both sides of the plant.
Another structure can be used for tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, pumpkins and pole beans. Pole beans are great because the crops are huge and produce for a long time. A great way to support them is wooden or bamboo teepees. You can take three one-by-one inch stakes (six feet or longer) and drill one hole through all three at one end. Insert a large screw bolt through the three holes and tighten them together with a butterfly nut, but not too tightly. You want enough play to turn the stakes into position then tighten them. You can also tie together three six-to eight-foot bamboo stakes and form the same type of teepee. Plant at least three bean plants at the base of each of the teepee legs, so there will be, at a minimum, nine bean plants per teepee.
Attractive structures add interest to your garden. And they will keep your tomatoes, beans or any other sprawling veggies much neater looking, less tangled and offer plentiful vegetable production.
Julie Molinare is a Certified Landscape Designer living in the Santa Clarita Valley for over 12 years. She is the owner and designer of The Grass Is Always Greener Designs.
For more information please call 661-917-3521 or visit www.thegrassisalwaysgreener.net