Topic: Tomatoes using Florida Weave

[Jim]

This year we have decided to try something new with the tomatoes.  Every year we have used the cheap tomato cages that you get from Lowe's, Wal-mart or any other discount store.  Either the plants got too big for them or we had a storm and they blowed over, or one branch would get outside and eventually get so heavy it broke off.  Anyway, Dianna found out somewhere about this method.  I downloaded a small article about how to do it and decided to give it a try this year.  If anyone is interested I'm sure I can find the URL somewhere for the article.

Set the plants as normal. about 2-3 feet apart.  Then put in a pole every two plants and one on each end.



I used T fence post.

After you get the post in you run twine along the front of the first two plants, around the back of the post, etc. till you get to the end, come around the post, the back of the plant and the front of the post.  The article says that the toughest part is keeping the twine tight.



As the plant grows, you add rows of twine and tuck the branches inside of the twine.

I left the instructions in the house as I was doing this and I took a full turn around the post so may have to redo it when I try to adjust it the first time.

Has anyone else every tried this?

 

[MassMama]

That is a great Idea Jim!! 

If my tomatoes grow well I will give this a try.. I have a bunch of the T posts..

Good luck I hope it works out for you!

[Jim]

I went out last night and tightened the first row of twine.  Then added a second row on some that are growing a bit faster than others.  I'm not sure I like this so far.  I think I needed to pinch off the branches on the main stem in order for this to work so the plant grows up instead of out.  I guess I need to reread the instructions.

Dianna's roma tomato plant already has some little tomatoes on it.  The others have a few blooms.  We haven't had much rain so they aren't growing quite as fast as I would like.  I'll take some more photos later this week.

I just got tired of the tomato cages, Rita.  I was either going to do this or make some cages out of some 5 foot fence that were much bigger than the cone shaped ones you get at Lowes.  Dianna mentioned this, I Googled and found the instructions so here we are!

[Patty S]

I think I needed to pinch off the branches on the main stem in order for this to work so the plant grows up instead of out.

Did I read that right?  Unless I've been doing it wrong & have just been lucky, shortening the main stem doesn't make the plant grow taller, cuz you're forcing energy to the existing branches, thus making it wider! 

What kind of tomatoes, besides the Romas, did you plant?  If you still have the packages, look to see if they are "determinate" or "indetrminate" plants.  (Almost self-explanitory, a determinate one only grows to a certain height, while the indeterminate will grow to an undetermined height.)

If you don't still have the packages, the way you can tell the two types apart is that determinate plants should have 2 leaves followed by a flower (or flowers). The indeterminate one will have 3 or 4 leaves, then the flower(s).

I like that "Florida Weave" method! I dont want to be overrun with tomatoes, so I only plant 2 of my favorite (Sungold Cherry), & train them onto the fence with garden velcro strips until they start getting taller, then I use bailing wire to add a piece of wire fencing above that.  A couple years ago, they went 12 feet up & I needed a ladder to pick them! (That's the only way Keith & I had any tomatoes for us, cuz BG beats us to the lower hanging ones... & that little tomato muncher never can seem to get the ones she picks, into the house!)

[Dianna]

Here is some information that I found concerning tomato pruning...

[Jim]

Nope, I guess you didn't.  I didn't say pinch off the main stem, I said pinch off the branches on the main stem.  If you pinch off where the main stem starts to branch, that forces the plant to concentrate more on the main stem instead of dividing and trying to grow a new branch.

All but 6 of the plants are Park's Whopper which are indeterminate.  We had the most luck with these the first year we had a garden here.  The other 6 plants came from a catalog we got in the mail.  Gardeners Choice I think was the name of the place.  I think 3 of the plants are Big Earlies and 3 are Supersteak.  They are supposed to have some tomatoes that are 16-18 inches in circumference.  We'll see.

[Penny]

  What a great idea Jim and Dianna.......i'm going to follow this one closely to see the progress!!!

[Patty S]

You're right Jim, I didn't notice that you had carefully worded what you planned to do with that main stem! I just didnt carefully read it!
 
It's true, that tomato plants have a main stem ... & branch-like leaves going off to the sides... with leaflets on them! (Got that from the link Dianna put up!  Great info there, girl!)

Guess I'd better pay carefuller attention!

[duh]

I had never read about the Florida Weave before.  It sounds like a great way to corral those tomatoes. 

I did something like that for the Gladiolus last year.  I used 4 garden stakes the tall ones and built a grid of twine.  This took two people to do.  And then the glads each stayed within their individual square.  that wouldn't work for tomatoes they are much heavier.  But I do like the idea. 

I'm kind of confused on your crop rotation.  You do know to move where you plant your tomatoes and peppers every year and not use an area for at least three years before you plant tomatoes or peppers back in that spot right?  I'm sure you know I probably just read the post wrong.  I do that sometimes.

[Jim]

Actually I don't remember mentioning crop rotation and after looking back through the post, I didn't! 

But you don't really have to wait 3 years in a small garden like mine.  At least for tomatoes, you don't.  I just rotate mine from one section to another each year and eventually get to the whole garden after a number of years.  Same way with the peppers.  Most soil born diseases don't last much longer than a year so I'm pretty safe there.

[Jim]

  Just read back through the post and noticed that I haven't put in the link for the "Florida Weave".  If you Google it, you will get lots of hits but the one I used is right here.

I was considering trashing this idea but decided I would let it run the course this year.  I need to go out tomorrow and get some more twine.

[duh]

I'll be interested in your findings at the end of the season.  I trench mine.  The price is right and it works for me.  It does use up a bunch more space though.   I think maybe I'm a lazy gardener.

[Pharmerphil]

This does work well, I seen it in several garens I visited for the university.
da weave won't work fer us here, too windy, tried a small set up once, 12 plants, failed miserably, of course, we get terrible winds of 35-40 mph at times, and a almost constant breeze of 5-10..the florida weave...became more of a Minnesota MESS

[Jim]

I can see where winds like that would be a problem.  I've got a few stray branches because I didn't pinch off the shoots that grow off the main stem so that is going to cause a bigger mess that it would have. 

It appears to be holding up OK and the plants are not on the ground.  I need to get in there today and put another row of twine.  They are definitely growing.