Lattice for Growing Tomatoes

Lattice

• Traditionally lattice is made with narrow wood lath strips assembled into a crisscross pattern. Lattice, in small sizes suitable for container plants or large sizes assembled as fence sections, is decorative and utilitarian. Wood lattice can be trimmed or cut to fit specific garden spaces. Plastic lattice is more durable than wood lattice because it does not rot or splinter and does not break easily. Wood lath is favored for its natural materials and economy. Plastic lattice is favored for its permanence and color variety.

Tomatoes

• Tomatoes develop fruit on stems and vines. As the fruit matures, it weighs down the foliage and can break plant branches. Training the plant on supports such as lattice reduces vine strain and keeps fruit off the ground. Lattice, chosen to fit the plant height, allows the plant to be supported as it grows. Short or bushy plants need tying only when branches become too heavy with fruit and sag toward the ground. Taller plants such as standard tomato or vining cherry tomato plants are tied along the lattice as they grow. Because the plants do not have tendrils that support the plant weight, gardeners must attach the stems to supports using flexible garden tape, cloth strips, string or adjustable plant straps.

Benefits

• Tomato plants are vulnerable to fungus diseases such as leaf spot, fusarium wilt and mildew. Tomatoes are affected by anthracnose fruit rot, a disease that causes fruit decay. Air circulates freely around lattice-staked tomato plants, drying wet foliage and discouraging disease. When a plant's foliage is held above the ground by the lattice, the roots can be easily watered without getting the foliage wet. As tomatoes mature, large tomatoes or cherry tomato clusters ripen more evenly when exposed to sunlight and air. Lattice-supported fruit hangs freely from branches and does not rest on the ground where it is vulnerable to insects and other pests.

Tips

• Lattice is a decorative support. Use the lattice as a garden or yard divider and grow tomatoes against it for privacy. Maximize small garden space with vertical gardening. Stake a sturdy lattice a few feet from a fence and plant tomatoes, peas, beans, cucumbers and other vining plants. The small footprint means maximum use of space because the plants grow upward instead of sprawling across the ground. Lattice-grown tomatoes are easy to maintain because they are reachable for pinching, spraying and harvesting. For mobility-limited gardeners, this means no kneeling or bending to inspect or care for the plants.