# How to Build an Easy Tomato Trellis



## cutegirls87505

Why can't just use the cloth lines, tie them through the holes of the t-posts, skipping the eyebolts and turnbuckles? 
Thanks! I will try this kind of support of my tomatoes this year.


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## Tee

Hi J - You could skip using the eyebolts and turnbuckles if you like. You could just tie the clothesline to the T-post. I used them because I was worried about the posts fraying the line and cutting it. The turnbuckles are nice because you can adjust the tension on the line.

This could be important once the tomato plants become large and heavy. The clothesline may sag with the heavy weight and you can use the turnbuckles to tighten the line to decrease the sag.

Thanks for your comments!


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## Commodore_Collins

Would this same system work on melons and other vine type vegetables?
Thanks, C. Collins


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## Melissa_J_White

Tee, I am loving your blog. I am the wife of a worm gardener, so we have great soil for New Mexico, but our growing year is so short, we rarely try a garden. *Reading your blog is really inspiring me! *


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## paul_ynot

Well I am looking at this arrangement and wonder what holds the T post (Australia are called Star Pickets ) from bending from the weight of the crop and the tension of the tie rope


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## paul_ynot

do these post bend with such weight and as well soft gound perhaps ?


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## Tee

Hi Paul,

The T-posts are made from a pretty sturdy construction. I don't think they would bend. It would take a bunch of weight to bend them I would think. 

With that said, it could be possible to pull them over in soft ground, or if you tighten the line up too tightly. You don't really need the line to be super tight, just nicely snug.

I actually pulled on the line as hard as I could and the posts didn't budge. I'm sure I pulled harder on the line than what the weight of the tomatoes would be. 

Well, at least I hope that's the case. This is the first time I tried this trellis method so it's a bit of an experiment, too.

Thanks for bringing up your questions!


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## john_laberge

i have no idea why the person who is so cheap that the cost of the turn buckles which support this well throught out tomato trelliss was something they did not want to spend the extra money on. if there is a improvement to be made it might be in the form of buying two more t bars. these would when bolted in a fashion that is at a 45 angle to each of the end posts considerably strengthen the whole set up. have a look at the way railroad trestles are reinforced when you drive by one to get a better idea of what i refer to.
as for the fraying of the clothesline material that can be got around by using the same type of xleeve that is used to keep antena guide wires from fraying when the turning buckles are tensioned.
the same idea can be used for some pretty heavy fruits and veggies growing the only thing that has to be taken into mind is the need for heavier vertical supports and eliminate the clothesline in favour of manila rope because the fibers of the rope will draw the vines to it and they will support each other. this is a cery old idea from original organic gardening magazine.


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## growing_seeds

Thanks for the tips! I will try making one at home using your suggestions.


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## Angelea

Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful idea. I'm using regular tomato cages and my plants are already getting way to big for them. I'm going to use this method for my fall tomatoes. Thanks again.
Angelea in Texas


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## Tee

Hi Angelea - I'm glad you found the trellis idea helpful! Let me know how your tomatoes produce with it!


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## Bubba

Great idea and cost effective considering a good cage is $5-$6 bucks. Thanks.


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## UncleJoe

Just came across your blog tonight looking for info on the "mortgage lifter" tomatoes I'm trying this year. When I have more time I'll look around a bit more.

The t-post setup works quite well. I use the same principle with a slight variation. Instead of rope I lash 1x2 slats of wood to the posts. The slats don't sag under the weight of the tomatoes and keep the posts from being pulled together. This system has worked quite well for me for several years. 
Regards, Uncle Joe


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## Nadia

I have no doubt, but you may to lower/increase the cord for different grows!


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## Lans

Do you have photos of how well this is working for you?


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## Tee

Hi Lans - Yes, I have a few photos on the Veggie Gardener Facebook Page. I need to go out and take a few of how it looks currently. I will say that I have really enjoyed using this trellis system so far and is now my preferred way of supporting my tomatoes. 

Thanks!


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## Heidi

Ha ha! I just found yet another project to keep my husband busy for at least part of an afternoon. I'm going to use these on one side for my unruly maters and the other for my cukes! Then I'm going to string up some more with netting and angle them back on to posts to make a pea frame to shade my lettuce. Thanks a wicked bunch for the T-post idea!


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## Lowell

Hi Tee,
Thanks you posting these awesome directions on how to build a tomato trellis. I'm going to build this for my tomatoes this spring after my last seasons crop was destroyed by a thunderstorm. The tomato cages I used couldn't handle the weight of the tomatoes and the high winds and the whole thing came crashing down killing them. How did your trellis and tomatoes hold up to storm winds? I'm thinking of using a plastic clothesline also as it seems easier to work with. Did you find using the turnbuckles really put good tension in the line allow it not to sag too much with the weight of the tomatoes? Thanks!


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## Tee

Hi Lowell - the tomato trellis worked pretty well, but there are a couple of improvements I plan to make to it for this season.

1) The clothesline does tend to sag just a bit, but not so bad that it hinders the plants. I plan on adding a turnbuckle to each end of the trellis so I can tighten the clothesline even more.

2) The problem with tightening the line more is the two posts on the ends will begin to pull in towards each other. To help ease this issue I plan to connect each post together at the top with either 2x2 square wood posts or maybe 1 inch PVC pipe. In other words the trellis will have a top rail. This should make the trellis more sturdy side to side so the end posts will not pull in from the tension of the line. The top rail should allow me to tighten the line as much as I want (without snapping the line).

You will still need to go back and re-tighten the line periodically throughout the season since the clothesline tends to stretch with the weight of the plants.


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## Lowell

Thanks for the tips Tee,
I'm in the process of building my trellis. Since I'm growing my tomatoes in a raised bed, I was able to bolt the fence post to side of the garden bed after I inserted them in ground. They are now really stable and should not move much when I tighten the clothesline. I like your idea of using two turnbuckles per line to tighten the line.


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## iris1

I've grown tomato plants since I was a little girl. My dad used sticks to tie to. I use wire cones. Your idea is much nicer and looks great. I will try it. Thanks for the suggestion.


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## Farmer_Joe

My 8ft T-posts from Home Depot arrived today, but they didn't have any holes in them, please make an addendum to your article changing the posts from T to U. I will order the U-posts today.

Great article and thanks for the information. I look forward to growing and trellising some Peacevine and Chadwick cherry tomatoes this summer in my Brooklyn , NY backyard.


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## Lowell

Hi Tee,
My trellis is up and the tomatoes are busy climbing it. Using clothes line instead of wire is working great. I was away from my garden for 5 days for vacation and when I got back the tomatoes where a bit unruly climbing the trellis. The best feature of using the clothes line is that you can untie it and re-adjust it to give you tomato plants better support. I'm also using trellis clips to help train the plant and secure the branches onto the trellis. So far, the trellis is working out really well and the plants are already 4+ feet high this early into the season.


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## Carl

i have done this for the past 6 years. Clothesline rope works great. Weather risistent and does not stretch to much. Use fence t-post and not garden t-post. They are heavier and can be reused alot more. I use velcro to tie the tomato plants to the rope. Just tie the ends of the rope to the t-post. I normally space the post every 3 or 4 plants. End of season take and clean velcro and use next year.


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## mike5

Hay T,I have my trelles in place , And then I saw your post. I was going to use galvanised wire. will this be ok?


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## Bill2

Is this any better than the Florida Weave?


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