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Supporting and Training Greenhouse Tomatoes


When you have pricked out your greenhouse tomato plants it's time to think about how they will be grown in their final positions. Key to this, whatever cultural method is used, it know what type of tomato plant you are growing.

 

The two main types of tomato plants are determinate and indeterminate. These are the official names, but a couple of alternate names are also used. Determinate tomato varieties are also know as bush tomatoes. Indeterminate tomato varieties are also known as cordon or vine tomatoes. It's important to look at the seed packet to determine which type you have.

SUPPORT AND TRAIN BUSH GREENHOUSE TOMATOES

Bush /determinate tomatoes are the easiest type to train and support. In theory they require no support or training but that's not always been our experience. Whatever growing method is used, it's best to insert something like a bamboo cane into the soil or compost below. When the tomato plant reaches 30cm / 1ft high, use lightly tied string to secure the main stem of the bamboo cane. Do this, a foot higher each time, as the plant grows.

SUPPORT AND TRAIN CORDON / VINE GREENHOUSE TOMATOES

Cordon / vine / indeterminate tomato plants definitely do need support and training. Ingenious gardeners and horticultural companies have come up with many, many different systems for supporting tomato plants. But the basics remain, the plant needs to be tied to some form of support as it grows.

Tomato Support

On the left is a picture of a standard tomato plant support. It's available from Harrod Horticultural by clicking here. It's not only good for supporting tomatoes in grow bags but also soil grown and ring culture grown.

Over the years, greenhouse gardeners have devised many ingenious methods of supporting tomatoes. Some involve erecting bamboo canes tied together laterally to provide support, others are alternate, more costly but more permanent solutions from horticultural companies. See "supporting tomato plants for free" below for the method we recommend.

 

A word or two about training tomato plants may prove educational. Not only can tomato plants be trained vertically but they can also be trained at an angel of about 45°. This is useful where height is restricted. They can also be trained into a V shape. One stem being trained 60° to the left, another 60° to the right.

Tomatoes can be trained in almost any shape or direction you can imagine. The current trend for growing them upside down in baskets is evidence of that.
 

SUPPORTING TOMATO PLANTS FOR FREE

 

To support tomato plants for free in a greenhouse, simply tie one piece of string to the struts at the top of the greenhouse for each tomato plant. Secure the string to the ground using a peg or similar. If using bottomless pots the string can be secured below the base of the pot.

As the tomato plant grows, simply wind the string around the stem at 3ocm / 1ft intervals. It really is that simple. Just make sure when you secure the string to the ground that there is some slack in it. This will then give sufficient slack for winding the string around the stems. Click the picture on the right to see an enlarged version.

Supporting greenhouse tomatoes with string

TRANSPLANTING TOMATOES FROM POT TO FINAL POSITION

Tomatoes should be transplanted from their initial pots to their final positions when the temperature conditions in the greenhouse are warm enough. Look to get the tomato plants to a height of of about 30 to 35cm / 12 to 14in high when they are transplanted.

Dig out a hole just a little wider and 5 to 8cm / 2 to 3in deeper than than the root ball. Tip the pot upside down with two fingers either side of the stem and touching the soil surface. Tap the entire plant and root ball out into your hand, then insert the root ball into the pre-dug hole.

Tomato plants should be transplanted so that the root ball is 5 to 8cm / 2 to 3in deeper in the soil than it was in the original pot. This will encourage the stem to sprout new feeding roots from the newly covered stem.

Fill in with compost and gently firm down. Water the plants in well.

 

 

 

 

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