SHOP PRODUCTS
Houzz Logo Print
hominamad

My tomatoes are going to outgrow my support system

hominamad
last year
last modified: last year

I planted this 2-foot high raised bed around 5 weeks ago. The plants have all taken off. My main goal was to fit as many tomatoes as possible into the space, and I ended up doing 7 plants, 3 of them cherry tomato varieties - all indeterminate. They are around 10-15 in apart from one another.

As you can see in the photo, I started off with some basic tomato cages. When they reached the tops of those, I put in another set, upside down, and zip tied everything together. The structure is very strong, but the plants are about to reach the top of the second cage.

What should be my next move here as far as support goes? I think I will just start to tie the plants to the tops of the cages as they reach the top, but should I let them keep growing past that point? Or should I start topping off the plants when they reach that point? I don't mind topping them off, but also want to maximize my yield as much as possible of course. Any suggestions?

Also one other question - I'm very paranoid about ending up with huge plants with almost no fruit on them, as this once happened to me. All of the plants have a least a few flowers now, and a bunch have a couple of green tomatoes. Is that normal for this stage of the growth? I keep getting worried that if I don't see a ton of flowers or fruits, something is wrong and I'll end up with a huge plant of leaves. These are the varieties I planted. What should I be seeing at this point as far as fruiting? Will most of the fruit start to come in early July when it's consistently warmer? (I'm in southern NY state)

Cherry: Husky, Super Sweet 100, Sun Gold

Early Girl, Big Boy, Beefsteak, Better Boy

Thanks!





Comments (16)