How to Make a Tomato Lattice Trellis

Overview

In order to thrive, tomatoes require support for their vines and the fruit that weighs them down. Traditional wire cages are unattractive in the garden and plant stakes often don't provide the needed support. A lattice trellis works like a stake but offers more surface area to tie the tomato vines on to, making it superior to a single stake. Wooden lattice tends to flake paint and rot, so using vinyl lattice is preferable in the vegetable garden.

Step 1

Measure the length of the tomato row. Purchase a 6-foot-tall stake for every 4 feet of planting row. For beds of odd number of feet, use an extra stake. For example, a 15 foot row needs four stakes.

Step 2

Pound the stakes into the ground behind the tomato row using a mallet, spacing each stake 4 feet apart. Pound them 1 foot into the ground so they won't blow over once the plants are tied to them.

Step 3

Set a vinyl lattice panel between two stakes. Secure it to the stakes using plastic zip-ties, spacing them 6 inches apart up the length of the stake. Place a lattice panel between every two stakes until it is erected down the length of the row.

Step 4

Tie the central stem of the tomato plant to the lattice with cloth plant ties. Train all additional stems to the lattice using the ties as well. Space ties every 6 to 8 inches up the stems of the tomato plant.