TOMATO WEAVING

A novel, yet not uncommon, means to support and grow indeterminate tomatoes is BASKETWEAVING . Used primarily on larger-scale farms and operations, it can still be utilized for the backyard gardener. That picture was from my last year's vegetable garden. It was toward mid to late summer when the plants were just beginning to put on fruit. I usually grow about six different varieties of heirloom tomatoes in a 4' X 10' bed. Growing them this way is sort of like espaliering fruit trees. There's minimal pruning. But you do have to be dilligent about 'weaving' the stems through the cat's cradle of cotton twine. I find the twine best to use as it doesn't cut the stems while they rest on it and yet it holds them from slipping. Be prepared, also, to add new rungs of twine every week or so, depending on the speed of your plant's growth.