How do I grow tomatoes on a trellis

Send

Astrakhan tomatoes ripen remarkably lying on the ground, but do not repeat this experience in the suburbs. Our tomatoes need support, support, garter. My neighbors use all kinds of pegs, garters, loops, ready-made plant supports and net fences. Each method of plant fixation in an upright position has advantages and “side effects”. I’ll tell you how I place tomato bushes on trellises, and what comes of it.

What is a trellis?

The word "trellis" of Italian origin and one of its meanings is "shoulder". Leverage you can lean on. Tapestry is any design that supports the plant, gives it the necessary shape. In fact, the purchased decorative lattice from the store is also a trellis. But to each tomato bush to buy this - go broke!

The espalier method involves the creation of a collective (for all bushes in a row) lattice and subsequent fixation of plants on this structure. The grill is usually wooden or made of wire.

Some confuse the trellis method and the vertical garter method. Meanwhile, the difference is significant: in the first case - collective support, in the second - individual.

What does my trellis for tomato garter look like?

We did the trellis like this: two columns at the beginning of the bed (20 cm between them) and two at the end. 2 rows of thick wire in the winding are stretched horizontally. Between them are bushes of tomatoes.

As the stems and brushes of tomatoes grow, they have to be distributed on a horizontally stretched wire, if necessary, they are attached to it with a piece of soft wire.

Instead of wire, you can use plastic rods or wooden battens. Iron slats should not be used, iron is heated and its contact with leaves, stems and fruits is undesirable and even dangerous for the plant.

The height of the supports is 120-150 cm, between horizontal extensions - 20-25 cm, the first - 30 cm above the ground. It is better to reinforce the supports in advance by “stretching”, without waiting until they are folded under the weight of the crop.

Tapestries can generally be turned into a vivid element of landscape design: there would be materials, paints, desire, a creative look and hands in place.

Advantages of the trellis method of growing tomatoes

Analyzing my own experience and the experience of my neighbors, I will try to briefly outline the pros and cons of using trellis for tomatoes.

So, why trellis is very useful when growing tomatoes:

Tapestry, in comparison with other methods of garter of tomatoes, gives more freedom to the plant. Nowhere pulls and does not bind. It simply does not fall, holds securely.
Saving seedlings. You can leave 2-3 stems on the bush, while reducing the number of bushes in the garden.
The trellis provides excellent access for treatments. Tomatoes planted in a row are conveniently watered, loosened, sprayed, planted and harvested.
Tomato brushes placed on the trellis never break off under their own weight and ripen faster. The main thing is to “help” the tied hands in a timely manner to settle evenly, without blocking each other, to fix them, taking into account the subsequent process of pouring fruits.
Tapestry can be created from a variety of materials, thereby keeping within any budget. In this case, you can use the same design for several years.

The disadvantages of the trellis method of growing tomatoes

Not without its drawbacks:

Inspect and correct tomatoes on the trellis will have almost daily. If you don’t follow, the bush will “lie down”, the stem will bend “wrong way”, the brush will hide from the sun.
For proper placement of the bush on the trellis, experience is needed. For beginners, it is not always possible the first time to evenly “spread the bush”, but often annoying random “breaking off” of the brush of unripe tomatoes or stems often occurs.
The design of the trellis, simple at first glance, should be assembled thoroughly and thoughtfully, with some margin of safety. Otherwise, it can easily collapse and leave you without a crop.
Every year, the tapestry needs to be treated; tomato diseases and pests well “winter” on it.

The most reliable way to treat trellis from pests and diseases is extremely simple: in spring, the trellis must be painted with oil paint.

What tomatoes and where better to grow trellis

In my opinion, the trellis method of growing tomatoes is completely unsuitable for classic greenhouses. Where there is not enough space, the trellis structure will always hurt, tomatoes do not like it. Moreover, plants are usually planted in two rows in the greenhouse, and it will be difficult to get through the trellis to the second row.

Therefore, the trellis method is good for:

large greenhouses where plants grow in one row and enough space in the aisles;
ground tomatoes in the middle lane, which first grow under a film cover, but only in mid-June are laid out on trellises;
for the southern regions.

The tapestry method is useless when growing undersized tomatoes, tomatoes that do not require pinching. For such varieties, support pegs and slingshots are used.

The trellis fits tall cherry tomatoes. For example, I grew varieties "Cherry" and "Bull's eye." Large-fruited varieties such as "Bull's Heart", "Three Fat Men" and others ripen wonderful on the trellis.