How to Grow Tomatoes on a Brick Wall

Start tomatoes in spring after the last frost lifts. Tomatoes do best in 60-degree F starts and fail in frost. Always give tomatoes three to four months of growing time before frost descends to ensure a full fruit harvest.

Choose a site on the wall where the tomatoes will get at least six hours of bright sun every day, with good air movement and drainage. No amount of structural support makes up for shade or standing water, which restrict tomato success.

Cut a length of trellis netting for your support system. Cut the netting to 4 feet tall by 4 feet long for one plant and lengthen the trellis according to the number of plants. Hold the trellis netting to the wall and use a high-power staple gun to secure the netting to the brick. Staple at every 6 to 8 inches or best security.

Prepare planting sites 1 foot from the base of the wall for the tomatoes, at 24 to 36 inches in the row. Dig 5 inches of organic compost into the top 6 to 7 inches of soil for a raised bed and more moisture, and mix 6-24-24 or 8-32-16 fertilizer into the soil for vitamins and minerals.

Plant small tomato cultivars like Early Girl, Early Cascade, Quick Pick, Celebrity, Super Sweet 100, Yellow Pear and Husky Red Hybrid for contained growth on the wall. Plant seedlings in holes just deep and wide enough for their root balls to keep their crowns at soil level for air and warmth.

Water the tomatoes with 2 inches of water every week and lay 2 inches of organic mulch over the soil around each plant. Mulch helps the soil maintain its moisture and warmth for better tomato growth.

Tie tomato shoots and vines loosely the net behind them to train them up and out. Always tie sturdy main vines to avoid breakage. Training keeps tomatoes away from disease-bearing soil and gives them better access to sun and air.

Feed tomatoes with 10-10-10 fertilizer at their first fruiting and again after the first harvest. Mix the fertilizer into the soil around the tomato plants, then water.