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Over the years I have grown tomatoes, I have always struggled with trellising systems. I’ve usually used tomato cages to line up both indeterminate and determinate tomatoes; However, my tomato cages always had a tendency to rust and break, and they took up more storage space during the winter than I was willing to part with. There must be a better option.
Once I started researching tomato growing tips, I stumbled upon an innovative trellising system I had never heard of before: Florida weaving. The system is completely customizable for large or small-scale gardens, plus it was budget-friendly, adaptable, and easy to store in the off-season, so I decided to stick with it.
Below, I’ll walk you through how to Florida-weave tomatoes, why this system is valuable, and the lessons I’ve learned from using Florida-weave trellising. Varieties of tomatoes.
What is Florida weaving?
Also known as the “basket weave” system, Florida weaving is a simple trailing method in which gardeners weave durable twine between strong stakes to gently sandwich tomato stems into a supported, upright position. Depending on your budget, you can choose to build Florida weaving systems from 2×2 wooden posts and basic jute or cotton twine, or you can build them from thick lengths of bamboo, steel T-posts and post drivers, waxed or tomato twine. Either way, Florida weaving systems work well for both Determinate and Indeterminate Tomato Varieties And they have many benefits, including:
- They are acceptable. Florida is ideal for weaving systems Growing tomatoes In large gardens where rows of plants need a strong support. However, you can use this method in small spaces as well.
- They are budget-friendly. Compared to tomato cages, Florida weaving systems are easier and cheaper to build. Just some twine and a few wooden stakes can replace dozens of tomato cages.
- They save space. Florida weave trellis take up less space in the garden than traditional tomato cages. And in winter, you will only need to put a few thin stakes or posts away.
- They are easy to sterilize. Unlike tomato cages, Florida weaving systems do not need to be sterilized to prevent dysentery and others. Common problems of tomato plants. Simply throw out the old twine at the end of the season and replace it with fresh twine in the spring.
How I Made a Florida Wave Trellis
When I decided to experiment with the Florida weaving method, I wasn’t sure how well it would work. So, I decided to keep things simple and make a basic system out of cheap 2×2 wooden stakes and cotton twine. Since I plan to trellise both indeterminate and determinate tomatoes, I purchased stakes about 8 feet tall; However, if you’re only planning to stake the tomatoes to the trellis, you can use shorter 4- to 5-foot tall stakes.
To start, I planted my tomatoes in rows about 24 inches apart and installed the trailing system immediately after planting. If you want to install your system later, that’s fine too. Aim to get the trellises in the ground before the tomatoes grow much larger than 2 feet.
After plantingI drove stakes about 1 foot deep into the ground with a sledgehammer at either end of my tomato row. Then, I put an extra stake in the ground between each of the two tomato plants. I placed the stake about 4 inches away from the stem of the nearest tomato plant to provide plenty of support while giving the plant room to breathe.
How do I plant a tomato plant?
Finally, it was time to start weaving my trellis. I did this by tying one end of my cotton twine to the base of one end stake (about 8 inches above the soil line). Then, I stretched the twine around the outside (to my right) of the two closest tomato plants, moved the twine to the front (or inside) of the second stake, looped the twine twice around that stake about 8 inches above the ground, and stretched the twine around the inside (to my left) to create a pattern between the next two plants. stake
As I worked, I used my finger to keep the twine as taut as possible while weaving the twine in and out of each alternate stitch. I did this for the entire length of the row of tomatoes until I got to the end stake. Then, I tied the twine around the stake about 8 inches above the ground so it lay flat, looped the twine back in an opposite pattern between the plant and the stake, and tied the twine to the starting post. This sandwiched the plant stem between two lengths of twine and supported the stem well.
After about a week, my tomato plants had grown a lot so I wove a second length of twine 8 inches above the first using the same pattern. Throughout the season, I repeated this process, adding 8 to 12 inches more twine length until I reached the top of my stake, or until the plants stopped growing, determined for tomatoes. Each time I wove more lengths of twine, I lightly tucked the loose stems between pieces of twine for a tidy look and checked the twine to make sure it wasn’t so tight against the plant stems that it restricted their growth.
results
During that first season, I grew about three dozen tomato plants and was able to support all the plants for a fraction of what I would have spent. Tomato cages. The trellis and my plants all stayed straight and relatively tidy and I definitely noticed that harvesting and weeding was a lot easier because the trellis helped keep the tomato leaves out of my way.
After a few weeks and enough rain, some pieces of twine started to sag, which I fixed with some well-placed knots thanks to the wet weather. Storage at the end of the season was simple; I just pulled up stakes, composted the cotton twine, and called it a day. In fact, I found the process so easy that I’ve been using the Florida weaving system ever since.
What would I do differently?
Although I consider my experiment with Florida weaving a success, I found few Tomato growing mistakes on the way. First, I attribute the length of the hanging twine to using a relatively flexible type of twine and avoided this problem by switching to weatherproof. Waxed twine. Using stakes with holes or straps that hold the length of twine in place also reduces the chance of sagging. Additionally, while the Florida weaving method kept my tomatoes relatively limited, my indeterminate tomatoes became a bit messy by the end of the season. I now Cut back all my indeterminate tomato plants When they are woven on a mesh, that improves air flow and makes harvesting easier. I still leave my set tomatoes uncut.
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