UPDATE! Why We Love The Lower & Lean Trellis System & Why You (Probably) Will Too

It's August, so we're out at the farm checking in on the low & lean trellis system. The plants are loaded, so now is a great time to see how it's doing. I'll recap the system, answer some questions, and show it in action.
We've talked about the Low & Lean method before, and it's one of our most watched videos: • Don't bother growing t...
These are Jean Flamme tomatoes, and they are LOADED right now. These are all on the low & lean system, and we chose this method because it makes harvesting & maintaining the plants super easy. You just work your way up as the plant grows. It's that simple!
Now that the tomatoes have reached the top of - and even past - the trellis, it's also time to get to the LEAN part of the system. I'll unravel a foot or two of the twine from the Tomahook, add another plant clip or two, and then allow the plant to lean after you have lowered it.
In theory, this means that I can have a trellis about six feet in height, but I can easily grow a plant twice as tall while always keeping it within reach.
This system isn't the best solution for all crops or even all tomatoes. It works well here because the fruits ripen in clusters, and it's a long indeterminate variety. It will continue to produce over several weeks or more, so it keeps the fruits ready to harvest in arm's reach.
So this is one of the common trellis systems used by commercial growers, but what about backyard gardeners? This is still a fantastic option because it's cheap, it's effective, and it makes great use of space by growing vertically in an orderly manner.
I've tried so many systems over the years. They all have their pros and cons, but this is the best method for indeterminate varieties. You can see here how healthy and productive these plants are!
But what about some of the things that aren't so great?
To start, you need some kind of sturdy trellis structure. What I have here is a bit more than what you may need, but we recycled some old scaffolding rather than throw it in the trash. A couple of t posts with PVC tees on top and conduit running across the top is sufficient in most cases.
Another downside is that it takes a little bit of work. Although you can use the trellis season after season, there is some upfront cost and effort to put in. For me, it's well worth it! You also need to stay on top of pruning suckers as well as dying growth on the bottom of the plant.
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[@cynthiabruner1565]

We are using the Lower and Lean method for the first time - the plants looks healthy and produced big tomatoes. We've noticed a HUGE reduction in pests - specifically tomato horn worms. The tomato plants we left in cages are slowing producing and look sicky. We are sold on this method!

[@haventli]

I love seeing a full, productive, low and lean. So many content creators show it newly planted only. It looks great.

[@GreenLove1]

I came back to this video because I am doing this system (finally) this year. Question: I live in hot dry Northern California, and the last time I tried single stemming my tomatoes, the plants literally fried in the summer heat due to lack of sufficient foliage to protect them. Is this something you have encountered with single-stemming?

[@colleenavery232]

Thanks to you, trellis to make you jealous, Epic G and some other AMAZING gardeners - used 1st time this year - cuke and tomato - WORKS LIKE A DREAM - No white flies, no aphids, no problems. Took about 1/2 hour to pound in eight t-posts & set up the conduit - REMEMBER - SET UP IS ONCE AND DONE. Plenty of air flow - easy to find the fruits - pruning etc I don't consider it too much extra work when you take into account the mess you have with everything ending up sprawling all over the ground if you don't trellis up (really hard to trace suckers and find ripe fruit under all of that) You can keep some of the suckers and just use more strings if you choose, which I find helpful for cukes as the first gen strand is usually almost all male. ONCE AGAIN THANK YOU FOR THE FANTASTIC IDEAS, INFORMATION, AND TIPS!

[@SanDiegoSeedCompany]

YES! I'm so glad to hear you did it and it worked as it should. This makes my day!

[@AmateurUrbanFarm]

I did the lower and lean system this year - my main issue is that my cherry tomato plants grow faster than the tomatoes themselves can ripen. So like... when I lean, there are tomatoes on the ground. I guess I just need a taller trellis next year haha.

[@SanDiegoSeedCompany]

Yes, I've found cherry tomato trellises need to be more like 7 feet high.

[@gardengirl318]

Or trained to go sideways.

[@nkvball808]

Thanks for showing it in action I’ve heard other channels describe how it works but not actually show how to lower and lean - my tomatoes reached the top and wasn’t sure how to lower it - 🤙

[@borecore]

Thank you for showing how to do the lean! How do you decide when to lower the first time? The plants are 5 feet tall and I'm concerned about snapping the vine at the base of the plant by putting too much stress on that point. Should I wait for the plant to get taller?

[@SanDiegoSeedCompany]

We do it when the plants reach the top of the trellis and there is no foliage that will touch the ground

[@debbiewrenshall7462]

I'm going to try this out, how closely can you space your plants using lower and lean?

[@mtd0766]

Can you use one-pound or 2-pound tomatoes using this method?

[@SanDiegoSeedCompany]

For heavier varieties (especially if they're determinate), you might want to do something like this kzbin.info/www/bejne/aojRdnqKbJWZh9k

[@danielt6689]

Great video. Thanks for posting. I live in the LA area. How far apart do you space your tomatoes? How far apart are the rows? Do you see any difference between aligning the rows East-West vrs North-South?

[@SanDiegoSeedCompany]

It depends on the type of tomato, but we usually have them a couple of feet apart with at least three feet between rows so we can walk between them. The sun is more overhead in the summer, so the direction doesn't matter quite as much. If you do east-west, then you might want more space between rows.

[@James_R_Maxwell]

I love the idea of the “TomaHook” and will certainly be purchasing some. However, I do not understand why so much string is needed to be wrapped around the TomaHook itself. At one point you said there was enough string on the TomaHook to let it grow 40-feet if necessary but who would ever do that? It just seems like a huge waste of string. What am I missing here?

[@SanDiegoSeedCompany]

Feel free to unravel and cut to the exact size you want. Excess would be great for pea strings in the winter!.

[@CL-fy2ll]

Does it matter if the slack created at the bottom part of the stem touches the ground?

[@SanDiegoSeedCompany]

No, that's fine. You do want the leaves off, though, since they could pick up diseases or fungi from the soil.

[@PixiePrincessBrat]

I'm planning to change to this method next year, I missed the season this year because of life getting in the way. Where is the best place to get the tomahawk thingy?

[@SanDiegoSeedCompany]

We have them right here! sandiegoseedcompany.com/product/new-products/tomahook-loaded-with-40-feet-of-string/

[@PixiePrincessBrat]

@@SanDiegoSeedCompany thank you! This will certainly make it easier! Would peas do well on these as well?

[@emdeejay7432]

I love this method ive seen it on another channel as well, and in another one of your video's. But it's just the issue of building something to hang it on. Maybe next season. I dont know what im going to do when they start getting big this year.

[@muahlakaparak]

Nice idea

[@Metalelbow]

We go into Spring on the 1st of September in Australia i'm in Victoria.

[@aaronrowell3566]

I have tomatoes, squash, cucs, and pole beans in the same row on my 4' tall 8x4' raised bed. How well does the low and lean work for other vining plants such as squash, beans, etc? (obviously thinking of setting the system up on this particular row for all of these plants)

[@SanDiegoSeedCompany]

It works well for cucumbers. Beans tend to get a little more wild, and squash are a bit too heavy for this style of trellis.

[@TheBestPaJam]

I wasn’t convinced about this method for my garden. After watching a few of your videos I’m convinced I HAVE to give this a try.

[@SanDiegoSeedCompany]

Definitely give it a shot! It works well for indeterminate varieties

[@hillbillyshadetreefarm5732]

I really want to try this but I strictly garden. How can I apply this method to growing in large 15-20 gallon pots? 🤔

[@SanDiegoSeedCompany]

You can definitely still do it with your pots in a line