Tomato Cages

• There are two ways to build a trellis for your tomato plants: with stakes or with tomato cages. Although staking the tomatoes is very simple, tomato cages provide a more secure foundation and will also keep your plants more contained. Buy a cage for each of your tomato plants. Bend the legs open so that the cage will easily fit around the plant, and sink the legs into the ground. Use twine or felt to tie the tomato plant to its support every couple of inches. The plants will train themselves to grow up into the cages, and use them as foundations.
  
  

Other Options

• Other options for staking your tomatoes are stakes, vegetable cages, trellises and fencing. Each of these options uses the same theory: sink one end of the stakes, vegetable cage, trellis or fencing into the ground near the plants. Then use the ties to train the plants up the support system, to keep the plants and their fruit up off the ground. Options like stakes and trellises might be better for plants that are producing larger tomato varieties, as these types of plants can get much larger.