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Making a tomato archway is a nice way to show off your plants while getting more tomatoes in the same amount of space. An arch-shaped trellis is the best way to grow unspecified or vining tomato varieties that can grow to be 8 to 10 feet (2–3 m) tall. ) or more and continue to grow until killed by frost.
Growing tomatoes on an arch trellis is one of the most rewarding and beautiful ways to grow tomatoes. The sight of lush green tomato vines climbing up and over a tall arch trellis is stunning. Not only does it look great, but it also helps maximize your tomato harvest by training the vines upward and keeping the fruits off the ground.
In this complete guide, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know to successfully grow tomatoes on an arch trellis We’ll cover choosing the right trellis, tomato varieties to plant, when and how to plant them, caring for the vines throughout the season, and finally harvesting all those delicious tomatoes Let’s get growing!
Why Grow Tomatoes on an Arch Trellis?
There are a few key benefits to growing your tomatoes vertically on a trellis rather than letting them sprawl on the ground:
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Saves space – Tomatoes grow as vines that can sprawl 6 feet or more across if left unsupported, Trellising them vertically saves a ton of space in your garden,
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Improved air circulation – Getting the vines off the ground improves air circulation which reduces disease. The arch shape leaves plenty of airflow between the sides.
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Easy maintenance – The vines are up off the ground, which makes tasks like staking, pruning, and picking easier. No more stooping down or kneeling in the dirt!
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Higher yields – Vining tomatoes produce more when trained vertically. More sunlight reaches the leaves, leading to more photosynthesis and fruit production.
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Attractive focal point – A tomato-covered arch trellis looks absolutely stunning in any garden. It adds vertical interest and becomes a focal point.
Choosing the Right Arch Trellis
The most important supply for this project is, of course, the arch trellis itself. Here’s what to look for:
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Material – Look for powder-coated steel or aluminum. These resist rust and will last for many seasons. Avoid wood trellises which deteriorate quickly.
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Height & width – For tomatoes, look for arches at least 6 feet tall and 4 feet wide. This gives ample room for vines to climb up and drape back down.
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Sturdy construction – Check reviews and make sure the trellis is strong enough to support heavy tomato vines, especially when laden with fruit. Sturdy stakes to secure it in the ground are key.
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Spacing between rungs – Rungs spaced 6-12 inches apart are ideal for tying tomato vines to as they grow.
Well-made steel tomato arches like the [PRODUCT NAME ARCH TRELLIS] are perfect and will provide support for your vines for many years to come.
Choosing Tomato Varieties for Trellising
You’ll need to grow indeterminate tomato varieties on your arch. These varieties continue to grow, flower, and produce fruit all season long.
Some top indeterminate varieties that do well on trellises include:
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Cherry tomatoes – Grow prolific amounts, great for fresh eating. Try Black Cherry or Supersweet 100.
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Grape tomatoes – Also very productive, great for salads. Try Juliet or Red Pear tomatoes.
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Heirloom slicers – Tasty, meaty fruits. Brandywine and Cherokee Purple are popular heirlooms.
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Smaller paste tomatoes – Try Amish Paste or Speckled Roman for smaller sauce tomatoes.
For the best harvest, plant 2-3 compatible indeterminate varieties on each side of the trellis. Grow a mix of colors, shapes, and flavors!
When to Plant Tomatoes for Trellising
Tomatoes are very cold sensitive. Wait until all chance of frost has passed and soil temperatures have warmed to at least 60°F before transplanting seedlings into the garden.
If starting seeds indoors, sow seeds 6-8 weeks before your last expected frost date. Pot up the seedlings, then harden them off for 7-10 days before transplanting them into the garden about 2 weeks after the last frost.
If buying transplants locally, look for short, stocky plants around 6-10 inches tall. Avoid leggy or rootbound plants. Transplant them on the same 2 week post-frost schedule.
How to Plant & Trellis Tomatoes on an Arch
Here are step-by-step instructions for planting and trellising tomatoes on your new arch:
Set up the tomato trellis
Install the arch trellis where you want your tomatoes planted. Push the stakes at least 12 inches into the ground for stability. Orient it north to south to maximize sunlight exposure.
Prepare the soil
Amend the soil around where you’ll plant with 2-3 inches of compost or other organic matter to enrich it. Rake it smooth.
Transplant tomatoes
Dig holes for each plant right alongside the trellis legs, spacing them 1-2 feet apart. Plant the tomatoes slightly deeper than they were originally growing, burying some of the stem to form more roots. Water transplants well.
Add supports as vines grow
Once vines reach 4-6 inches, add your first set of trellis ties about 6 inches off the ground. Use soft plant ties or twine. Continue adding ties every 6-12 inches as plants grow up the trellis.
Prune for productivity
Pinch off all suckers and trim away lower leaves shaded by higher growth. This forces energy into fewer fruits, making them grow larger.
Fertilize and water
Apply a balanced organic fertilizer every 2-3 weeks. Water deeply when top few inches become dry. Add mulch around plants to conserve moisture.
Harvest bountifully!
Start picking ripe tomatoes once they reach full color. Harvest regularly to keep plants productive. Enjoy!
Caring for Tomato Vines on an Arch Trellis
Growing tomatoes on a trellis takes a bit of hands-on care for the best results:
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Check ties and loosen or replace as needed to avoid girdling stems.
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Prune vigorously – remove all suckers and trim back overcrowded growth.
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Water regularly during drought and feed plants biweekly. Compost/manure teas make great fertilizer.
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Weed and mulch around plants to reduce competition.
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Stake up any heavily laden branches that start to droop.
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Pick ripe tomatoes frequently to keep plants producing new flowers/fruits.
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When growing season ends, cut all vines off at the base and pull up roots and stakes.
With proper care, your tomato vines will keep your arch loaded with ripe fruits for months!
Troubleshooting Common Tomato Trellis Problems
If you notice any issues with your trellised tomato plants, here are some common problems and solutions:
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Leggy growth – Plants aren’t getting enough sunlight. Prune leaves to allow more light to lower parts of the plant.
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Flowers dropping – Could be due to overwatering, underwatering, or temps too high/low. Try to keep soil moist but not soaked.
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Leaf spot/blight – Fungal disease. Remove affected leaves promptly. Improve air circulation and water at the soil line only.
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Blossom end rot – Caused by inconsistent watering leading to calcium deficiency. Keep soil moisture even and add bonemeal.
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Slumping vines – Plants becoming too heavy for their ties. Loosen ties or add more support ties along the vine.
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Aphids/pests – Use insecticidal soap, neem oil, or other organic treatments to control. Check undersides of leaves.
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Poor fruit set – Can be caused by too much nitrogen, not enough sun, or nighttime temps over 75°F. Address these issues.
With preventative care and prompt troubleshooting, you can avoid most potential problems on your tomato archway.
Harvesting Summer-Long from Your Tomato Trellis
One of the best parts of growing tomatoes is all that delicious harvest! Here are some tips for harvesting from your arch:
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Pick tomatoes when fully colored but still firm. Harvesting early keeps plants productive.
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Use scissors for cleaner harvesting and to avoid damaging vines.
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Check for ripe fruits daily once they start coloring up. Pick promptly to prevent losses.
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Hold harvested fruits by their stems and avoid bruising them.
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Display extras on a pretty platter or in a basket on your kitchen counter.
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Preserve abundance for winter by canning sauce or salsa, freezing whole tomatoes, or dehydrating slices.
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Share the bounty with friends and neighbors! Trade tomatoes for other homegrown goodies.
Your arch trellis will keep producing tasty tomatoes right up until frost if cared for properly. Enjoy the fruits of your gardening labor!
Growing tomatoes on an arch trellis is extremely rewarding and adds beautiful vertical interest to any garden. With the right setup and care, you can harvest mounds of tomatoes from vines growing happily on a sturdy trellis. Train your tomatoes upward this year and enjoy the tomato bounty!
How to Make a Tomato Arch
Making a tomato arch isn’t hard, but you’ll need strong materials to hold up the weight of the mature tomato vines. A permanent arched tomato trellis can be built between two raised beds, or you can make one for the garden that can be put up and taken down every year.
The tomato archway can be built from wood or heavy-weight fencing. For this project, you shouldn’t use treated lumber. Instead, you should use wood that doesn’t naturally rot, like cedar, cypress, or redwood. If you prefer fencing material, select livestock panels or concrete mesh for their durable wire diameter. A cattle panel trellis is an easy and durable way to support tomatoes.
Regardless of the materials you choose, the basic design of the tomato archway is the same. T-posts, which you can get at big box home improvement stores or farm supply stores, hold the structure in place and keep it stable.
The number of T-posts required will depend upon the length of the structure. Support every two to four feet (about 1 m. ) is recommended to make a tomato arch. Aim for a tunnel width between four and six feet (1-2 m. ) to make the arched tomato trellis tall enough to walk under and strong enough to hold the vines up.
Benefits of an Arched Tomato Trellis
A lot of gardeners know that planting tomatoes right on the ground leaves the fruit open to animals, bugs, and wet soil. Not only are the tomatoes dirtier, but they are often damaged by hungry critters. Also, it’s easy to miss ripe tomatoes that are hidden by plants or, even worse, step on them as you move around the garden.
Staking or caging tomatoes reduces these problems, but growing tomatoes on an arch has greater benefits. A tomato archway is pretty much how it sounds. Its a curved, tunnel-like structure, anchored on both sides with sufficient height under which one can walk. The height of an arched tomato trellis allows the vines to grow up the side and overhead. Here are a few reasons why this is beneficial:
- It is easier to harvest because you don’t have to bend, twist, or kneel to pick tomatoes. The fruit is highly visible and within reach.
- Better yields—Less fruit is lost because of disease or damage.
- Makes the most of space—removing suckers lets vines grow closer together.
- Better air flow means that tomato plants are healthier and fruit is less likely to get sick.
- More sunlight—As the tomato grows up the trellis, it gets more sun, which is helpful in gardens that don’t get much shade.
How to Grow Tomatoes Up an Arch Trellis with Nicole Burke of Gardenary
FAQ
Can I grow tomatoes on an arch trellis?
What type of trellis is best for tomatoes?
How to trellis tomatoes for maximum yield?
Can a tomato plant grow next to an arch trellis?
This is your vining tomato plant, the type we want to grow next to an arch trellis so that it’ll climb up the side. Vining tomatoes will literally grow and grow and grow and never stop until the temperatures don’t work for them anymore—either it’s too hot or too cold.
How do you trellis a tomato plant?
Use nylon or hemp rope to attach strings in the middle of the arch. Secure the strings around the tomato plants. Train your plants up the string as they grow. Or omit this step and only grow your tomatoes along the arch structure. Using a string trellis method, however, will give your plants additional support.
How tall does a tomato trellis grow?
This type grows to be about 4 to 6 feet tall, produces all its fruits at once, and then finishes growing. This is obviously not the type we want for a tall trellis. This is your vining tomato plant, the type we want to grow next to an arch trellis so that it’ll climb up the side.
How often should a tomato plant be tied to an arch trellis?
Keep the golden rule in mind. About once a week, tie your tomato plants along the rungs of your arch trellis to help them stay securely in place no matter what kind of weather they might be exposed to. This utilizes the arch trellis to support your plant and encourage as much production as possible.
Can Tomato plants grow back down a trellis?
If your tomato growing season is long enough, you can even reverse your vines to grow back down the trellis. Plus, tending is easier because you’re holding the plants upright on a support structure and can easily train vines upwards. Fruits are held in place, making harvests extra convenient.
Do Tomatoes need a trellis?
Which means you’ll need a good trellis for them. For indeterminate tomatoes, cages need to be at least 5 feet tall. To make a cage high enough, sometimes you’ll need to put one cage on top of another. A determinate tomato plant, however, will grow for a shorter season and might not need trellising at all.