- tomatoes
- stakes
- cotton ties
- pruner
GROW TOMATOES FROM SEED
GROW VEGETABLE SEEDLINGS
GROW LETTUCE SEEDS INDOORS
There are several advantages to staking tomatoes. Since the plants grow upward rather than outward, they are forced to produce more pounds of tomatoes from a given area of ground than unstaked plants. The fruits of a staked tomato plant ripen earlier and are larger (though fewer) than fruits of the same variety trained to a sprawling habit.
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Plant the stake. Do not be misled by the puniness of a tomato transplant. Each plant needs a sturdy support. Use rough-cut wooden stakes that are six to eight feet long, no narrower than one by two inches, and pointed at the bottom. To avoid root damage later on, set stakes at the same time you set out transplants.Pound a stake into the ground about three inches from a plant on its north side so that the tiny plant will not be shaded. Sink the stake one to two feet into the ground -- you may need to start the hole with a crowbar. This depth provides enough stability to keep gusts of wind from toppling the plant when it is laden with fruit.
