Do Tomatoes Do Better Staked, Caged or Allowed to Trail?
Today, tomatoes are the most popular vegetable grown in North American gardens. Anyone with a small amount of soil, residing in an area with a growing season of reasonable length, can cultivate tomatoes at home. Even urban gardeners can grow tomatoes in pots or raised beds.
Hundreds of tomato varieties exist, each possessing particular characteristics for a multitude of intended uses. Home gardeners can select tomato varieties based on desired characteristics, including flavor, size, color, shape, texture, time to harvest, disease resistance and intended purpose.
Tomato plants are grown in a variety of settings, and are, therefore bred to achieve many different growth habits. Compact or dwarf plants are ideal for very small gardens or cultivation in containers, while those with more spreading habits may be suitable for larger spaces.
The aspects of tomato plant growth that affect plant height and ultimately, requirements for optimal growth, fall into two distinct classes. Tomato plants that produce flowers at the end point of their growth are called determinate. This term refers to the fact that these plants stop growing when they reach a certain height. Smaller determinate varieties can be left without staking or cages, but those which grow four feet or taller can benefit from being surrounded by cages that are a good match to thier height. Shorter varieties may benefit from cages, as well, particularly if they set abundant or heavy fruit.
By contrast, indeterminate tomato varieties only produce clusters of lateral buds. Their lack of terminal flowers allows them to continue to grow indefinitely. Because of their more abundant foliage and spreading habit, indeterminate tomato plants typically require either cages or stakes to prevent damage to their fruit. A trellis-type system may also be achieved by using stakes and strings at progressive heights as plants produce more and taller vines. Cages, stakes and trellises keep fruit off the ground, prevent wind damage and allow fruit to be harvested more easily.