Advantages of Trellising Tomatoes

• Like staking, trellising holds tomatoes off the ground for cleaner, easier-to-pick harvest.
• Usually doesn’t require as much pruning as staked tomatoes. Most common trellising methods let you grow two or three main stems.

Disadvantages of Trellising Tomatoes

• Trellising can be hard work, especially for a big planting. Poles, wires, and braces usually needed.
• Requires weekly maintenance to keep plants running up the trellis. Often the plants need to be tied to trellis wires.
• Takes time at end of the season to disassemble the trellis and store parts. Read the rest of this entry »

How to Prevent Tomato Blossom end Rot

Blossom end rot can be a killer. Your tomatoes may be growing just fine and starting to ripen, when suddenly there’s a hot, dry spell. After a few days you notice large brown or black spots showing up on the bottom side of all your tomatoes. This is blossom end rot. The rot spreads and the prospects for a great harvest suddenly go out the window.

There is no cure for blossom end rot once it hits your tomatoes. The best thing to do is pick the tomatoes that have been hit and toss them on the compost pile. No use wasting any of the plant’s energy on damaged goods. Read the rest of this entry »