On Tue, 28 Dec 2010 00:16:57 -0500, EVP MAN wrote:

Since I'm cutting way back on my tomato plants this season, I think
I'll try a different method to support the plants. I use the green
steel fence posts that you buy at any hardware store 5' tall. All the
other years I used a single stake per plant which worked ok but constant
tying here and there is necessary and some branches still break due to
the weight of the fruit. Since I'll have an excess of fence posts this
season, I plan to put 3 stakes around each plant in the shape of a
triangle. I'll run parachute cord from stake to stake at several
different heights. It should work kind of like a tomato cage except
much stronger as each stake will be a foot or more into the ground and
the cross members will be of parachute cord and not wire. Each stake
forming the triangle, I'll place eight or nine inches from the plant.
By doing this, I think that I may be able to get as big a harvest even
though I'm setting out half the amount of plants. When using a single
stake, I would prune the plant in order to have one or two main stems.
I should now be able to allow at least four main stems per plant. I do
realize the size of the fruit may not be as large but the volume of
fruit should surpass the difference. Any opinions on this idea?

Rich from PA zone 5-6

I think your method sounds fine, but just to toss out another method
someone might find interesting, a local greenhouse uses twine hung from
overhead pipes to support their tomato vines, and I swiped the idea for
my outdoor garden. Since I already had an 8 foot high fence to keep the
deer out, I put a few pipes (1" schedule 10 fence pipe or EMT) across the
top. When the tomatoes are big enough to need support, I hang 16 foot
pieces of twine from the overhead pipes (toss mid-twine loop over the
pipe and pull the length through the loop, no knots) then twist the twine
around the vines at about one rotation per 6 inches. Near the bottom
come back up with the twine enough to pass under the previous loop to
prevent unwinding without strangling the vine. As the vines grow twist
them around the twine; no tying required. I have tried between one and 4
vines per plant with this method but usually use 2 vines per plant, one
16 foot piece of twine hung between plants supporting one vine from each
of the adjacent plants on the two ends. Once set up it is very quick and
easy, but does require something to hold the overhead pipes up so it is a
lot of trouble unless you already have a deer fence around your garden.
I find it easier than stakes or cages, but not enough to justify
installing posts to hold up the pipes if they aren't already there.

Glen from PA zone 5