DIY A Tomato Trellis That Provides A Unique Solution To A Common Growing Pain

Conventional gardening wisdom says you should pinch off the suckers that grow between the main tomato stem and the leaves of indeterminate (vining) tomato plants to encourage bigger fruit and more vigorous growth. You can even propagate these pruned suckers to fill your garden with more fresh tomatoes. However, many home gardeners have found that leaving suckers on the plant results in more tomatoes, although the individual tomatoes may be smaller. If you're interested in doing this with your indeterminate tomato vines, using a traditional trellis won't provide as much support as the plants need.

TikTok gardener Mind & Soil addressed this problem by building a trellis with extra supports for the additional branches and tomatoes the suckers produce. Instead of just one string for the main stem, this trellis has cross bars to add four (or more) strings that the sucker stems can attach to. If you already have a wood-frame string trellis in your garden, adding the additional supports is a quick and easy job. If you're building one from scratch, it won't take much additional work. Mind & Soil was able to almost triple tomato production by leaving three suckers on each plant, so this project could be well worth the extra effort.

Ready to fill your garden with more fresh tomatoes using this simple gardening trick? The main body of the trellis consists of two vertical planks on either side with another spanning them across the top. Each tomato vine climbs up a single string that's tied to the top of the trellis and anchored in the ground with a stake. To add extra strings for your tomato plant suckers, screw a timber plank that's approximately 3 feet long perpendicular to the top bar. It needs to sit directly above each tomato plant. On either side, tie two (or more) additional strings to the cross bar and anchor them on the same stake as the original string.

@mindandsoil ♬ original sound – Mind & Soil

Now, the sucker vines will be able to grow outward on either side of the main stem. The added string supports will hopefully increase your yield from each plant, giving you more tomatoes. As a bonus, the trellis will help keep your tomatoes healthy and more productive by improving airflow, keeping fruit off the ground, and increasing their exposure to sunlight. If you don't already have a basic string trellis frame in your garden to add the cross bars to, make one from scratch using store-bought or scrap lumber. The best option for you will depend on your budget, resources, and where your tomatoes are planted.

Although this project is ideal for adding stability to an existing wooden trellis, you're not limited to working with timber. You can accomplish a similar system using an array of materials. Probably the easiest way is to buy a pre-built metal frame string trellis and add the additional cross bars and strings yourself. These types of ready-made trellises can be expensive new, but you can reuse them year after year.

If budget is a concern, you can achieve the same result using bamboo poles and twine. Take four poles and cross them to form two legs at the end of each row of tomato plants. Lash the poles together at the cross to make sure they stand sturdily. Rest a pole horizontally between the legs, then tie on your cross bars and strings as before. Some types of bamboo are invasive, and many gardeners want to get rid of the clumps growing in their yards. Offer to cut the plant down and you may be able to get your poles for free.

Another cost-effective option for building this type of trellis is modular PVC plumbing pipe and fittings. You can quickly and easily snap together a lightweight frame that can be taken apart and stored in the off-season. It's also sturdier and will last longer than a bamboo trellis. No matter which trellis material you decide to use, you'll need to avoid the worst places to plant tomatoes in your garden if you want a bountiful harvest.