Tie Up Tomatoes for More Support (Florida Weave)

Weaving twine between tomato plants can be a good way to support tall plants. Florida weave is a method to trellis tomatoes and other vining plants with horizontal anchoring between posts or stakes. Gardener Scott demonstrates how to trellis tomatoes with the Florida weave. (Video #386)
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[@dwaynewladyka577]

That's a pretty handy way to support multiple tomato plants. Cheers, Scott! ✌️

[@lorajohn6323]

So practical, thank you for the great video. Love your four legged helper

[@tranthiduyen615]

Vườn rau của bạn trồng thật tuyệt vời

[@GardenerScott]

Cám ơn rất nhiều

[@surfcitybusybee]

@@GardenerScott Wow! How do you know Vietnamese, Scott? That's great! 👏

[@eSheeep]

@@surfcitybusybee It's more likely he was using a translator, but it's still a nice gesture to answer your fans from abroad

[@Xyberwolf388]

Thank you, Gardner Scott!!

[@KayGee4319]

This is exactly what I needed, thank you SO much!!

[@wippysnib]

I used this method this year with great success, thank you for the thorough demonstration. A few tips from my experience: I would recommend using any knot when tying to the first anchor, and then a taught line hitch knot on the second anchor. This allows you to create more or less slack in the line to better support the tomatoes as they grow larger. I also recommend using soft scraps of fabric, such as yarn or old t-shirts cut into ribbons, to tie large vines to the twine in cases when they need more support and guidance. Lastly, if you are growing indeterminate tomatoes, use posts as tall as you can manage because very likely they will still grow beyond 10ft tall if they can! It is only the end of July and I already have some varieties that are 10ft tall. Happy gardening from Southern Wisconsin!

[@GardenerScott]

I agree. Though I didn't say it, you can see me briefly tightening the line with the hitch knot I tied at the end. The ribbons tip is a good one.

[@laurabewley4046]

Hubby & I began using the Florida Weave this year and we're a bit confused with how to support the stems coming off the main branch. You've explained clearer then the other videos that we're to weave those into the nylon trellis as well. Thank You for sharing your wealth of gardening wisdom with this platform. Have a Great Gardening Season and a Blessed Harvest.

[@Inpreesme]

Thank you

[@lizatrue7543]

This is my favorite method. I've been gardening for over 55 years and haven't found a better way to grow tomatoes, whether in ground or in my raised beds. Because I don't prune anything on the tomatoes, except the lower branches to keep them off the ground, they get heavy but this holds great. You gave a really good and thorough explanation on how to do this for those who haven't tried yet.

[@heidiclark6612]

Great video on the Florida weave. I just learned of this method early this spring and am trying it on my tomatoes this year. It is so much easier that using three stakes for each plant.

[@ninemoonplanet]

In this PNW all spring, June, even into July it was colder than normal. I finally have tomatoes growing, noticed fruiting was poor. Figured it was a potassium deficiency, so today I mashed bananas, added the mash to the worm compost tea. Used that to water the plants, cukes, peppers (still tiny) and tomatoes. Now, in contrast, heat warnings, fire warnings. This year has put main crops on farms back 2-3 weeks, fewer plants, yields down. I will mark 2022 as the year of complete chaos. "May you live in interesting times" is a curse, working overtime this year.

[@Gardeningchristine]

I love this method! My tomatoes have gotten taller than the 8 foot furring strips. I’m just letting them flop over at the top. Next year I will probably add a support bar at the top.

[@tranthiduyen615]

Xin chào bạn Scott lời chào từ Vietnam,tôi rất vui được xem video của bạn

[@eSheeep]

The Florida weave isn't exactly bad - just make sure to anchor the stakes/posts deep enough for them not to bend or fall over, when the tomatoes get large and heavy and strong winds are blowing. But I found the Florida weave to be massively inferior to growing tomatoes up a vertical string or (even better) a tomahook. The hooks enable me to grow tomatoes beyond 10 foot length by lowering and leaning the plants along the trellis instead of capping them after they get "too large".

[@eSheeep]

​@Daniel Anderson My leading proposal was: Just type "tomatoes lower and lean" in the search bar and you'll find plenty of examples. 👍 Sadly, my comment kept getting deleted after several minutes, probably because I was mentioning my instagram handle as a second source of inspiration. Why a small German instagram account seems like a threat to a KZbinr is beyond me, but bless their heart. Offering help to other gardeners and sharing success apparently is only tolerated within a bubble of established content-creators that scratch each others backs 😓

[@EastxWestFarms]

Such a simple idea and so effective! Thank you, Scott!

[@kristinebeard305]

Thank you for another great video! I use florida/basket weave for as much as I can in the garden. peas and tomatoes the most. But if your location is windy, I would suggest keeping the bamboo support. I have strong wind, and use fiberglass supports much like the bamboo, otherwise the plants fall sideways.

[@fuzzyswoodturning5367]

I love your channel but my tomatoe plants are 8 ft tall and 4 ft around plus so I use cattle panel cages with twine cross supports 30 fruits per plant

[@nancyarchibald9095]

This weave method would work really well for growing potatoes. Our Idaho lava soil with warm days and cool nights grows huge potato plants.

[@brightantwerp]

Thank you!

[@jeffengel2607]

Any idea how/if this may work for other vegetables? I imagine bean and cucumber vines would be too floppy and squash (goodness I would love better squash control and support) may be too unruly, but I could maybe see eggplants and peppers (if need be) working with this.

[@eSheeep]

Look into tomahooks or tying them to a vertical string. Works with cukes, eggplants and vining squash/pumpkins, beans, ... too.

[@GardenerScott]

The erect stem of tomatoes helps. The weave can be done with cucumbers and squashes, but the line tends to sag so more posts or stakes are needed.

[@chrisfisher3900]

Do a video on your hail cloth set up please

[@GardenerScott]

Here's one of the videos I've done: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hpzJoKqZqKaib5o

[@chrisfisher3900]

@@GardenerScott I just so happen to have watched that video right after this one. Thanks for the info

[@nancyarchibald9095]

I run a medium Guage wire near soil levels tethered on a single screw placed into the garden grow-box ends. Then a small block of wood with a stake and another screw to wrap the wire around a few times in the middle. I tie a piece of Baling twine to this wire, then wrap the main stem of each indeterminate tomato plant and loop the twine over an overhead thick wire or a 2x4. (Mittleider methodology, it looks like a clothesline). This gives enormous strength and versatility as the plants can become quite large and heavy. I trim all leaves below the 1st fruits and mostly ALL suckers. The plants can be spaced 8" apart using this method. The yields are amazing. The plants form a V shape when viewed from the grow-box ends. I fertilize weekly with either a granular weekly feed, or bi-weekly with a tea made from the same. I bottle around 160 qts of tomatoes each year, from an 18'x4' gro-box with 2 rows, or 36 linear feet.

[@shineyrocks390]

I put up 16 foot cattle panels and weaved the plants throughout the panels. Results: A 16 foot tomato wall. Next I'm hooping the panels from panel to panel to make a tomato tunnel. I'll let you know how it goes. So far it's going great!

[@dustyflats3832]

This would be ok if you have a few plants. I don't think I would be able to keep up. I use raised up cattle panels and take long strips of webbing and tie it in sections across many tomatoes when they get crazy. I also weave the plant limbs here and there if they will. Then I selective prune for air flow.

[@simplifygardening]

Great idea and I have never used the Florida weave myself maybe its time to rectify that

[@michaelboom7704]

I must keep that option in my mind for next year rather than using the old lattice. I think it will be more tidy. The cloth over head , is it for shade or cut back on the birds?

[@GardenerScott]

It is for shade and hail protection.

[@MrRKWRIGHT]

What happened to those pointed metal cones you put over tomato plants? I guess using twine and wood is so much better for the environment.

[@BrightestBlessings7899]

Such a great idea....I have been using square tomatoe cages and only putting them in every other plant....this post & weave looks like it would work way better!!! I will wait until we have our own property to place the support posts....then I wont need to move them. My friend just brought me a tomatillo plant....I put it in the only available space, between 2 Solar Power Sunflowers.....it also has a lady bug beetle hanging down from the underneath of on of the leaves...certainly wondering what that means. Lady bugs are always great news.

[@EH286]

Can you use this to support other plants, like asparagus

[@GardenerScott]

Yes you can. Tall asparagus fronds can often benefit from support.

[@charlottehiggins5782]

Can you use for peas?

[@GardenerScott]

Sure.

[@francesbatycki404]

Are you getting smoke from fires? I hope not but if so then stay safe!🇨🇦👍❤️

[@GardenerScott]

We don't have fires near enough to notice smoke. This is the first summer in awhile with mostly clear air.

[@francesbatycki404]

Same here. I’m up in the Kootenays in BC and while there are a few fires burning the air is very good compared to the last four or five years. I only ask because I thought it looked a bit hazy, and I panic when I see haze. Take care.

[@kat6084]

Does this method work for both indeterminate & determinate plants?

[@GardenerScott]

It does.

[@wilma6181]

Question sometimes tomatoes grow at different speeds . You just answered my question and can it be used on say cucumbers, cantelope, squash ect.

[@GardenerScott]

The same method can be used on cucumbers, melons, and squash but extra stakes or posts can help support the heavier fruit.

[@KatWrangler]

Hey, I need tomato help. We are very new gardeners. We put in trough beds. The tomatoes are not turning red. I have a few of the Better Boys turn red (most still haven't turned red), but not the San Marzano. What is up? We live in Aurora, CO which is zone 5b. My husband does have irrigation on them (each of our troughs and fabric bag pots for).

[@GardenerScott]

It's probably still early. I'm in Colorado Springs and none of my tomatoes have changed color. Different varieties have different time to harvest.

[@KatWrangler]

@@GardenerScott Over this past week, they are started to ripen. Enough that we picked our first toms of the season!

[@terrybetz9481]

Great lesson. Thank you! At what point do you top off your tomatoes? I live in 6B, White Mountains of AZ, and we have a short season. Some of my cherry tomatoes get well over 8' but at 9' they'll run into my bird netting which I have over a cattle panel hoop. I don't want to top them off too early because of the short season but we can get a hard freeze the first week or 2 of Oct. Would you recommend waiting till they almost reach the top like mid-Sept or do it sooner so they have more time to branch outward?

[@GardenerScott]

Here's how I top tomatoes: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iWiVqqKBd9t9j5I

[@terrybetz9481]

@@GardenerScott Thank you!