How to Stake Tomatoes & Peppers: Best Supports and Simple Steps

QUICK SUMMARY

The easiest way to stake tomatoes and peppers is to put the support in at transplanting, before the plants need it. We use long bamboo stakes cut in half, homemade wire cages made from a roll of fencing, and soft velcro-style plant ties tied loosely.

Staking keeps fruit off the ground, where it will rot, lets air move through the leaves, keeps brittle pepper branches from snapping, and makes harvesting easier. Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance!

This year, get ahead of the game by staking your tomatoes and peppers the right way!

I’m sure you can relate… your tomato and pepper plants are thriving and getting so tall, and then suddenly, they’ve fallen over onto the ground and they look terrible. We’ve all been there. It’s sad, and once the plant is that big there’s not much you can do about it. That’s why we need to be proactive.

Like I always say, “The 5 Ps”: Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance!

Using Bamboo Poles for Staking Tomatoes & Peppers

My favorite way to train tomato and pepper plants is to use bamboo stakes. These all-natural sticks are lightweight, easy to cut to size, and blend right into the garden. They’re also a renewable resource, compostable, and affordable.

I buy the long ones and cut them in half because they’re cheaper than buying them already cut. Buy bigger, cut to size, and reuse what you can year after year.

We stake our tomatoes and peppers to wire cages. You can use store-bought circle wire cages, but we made our own one year to save a ton of money. Using a roll of fencing, Dr Z cut lengths of the fence out and wired it into circles. This ended up being a ton cheaper for staking tomatoes and peppers than buying pre-made hoops for each plant.

The other benefit of using homemade tomato cages is that we can customize the height and give each tomato plant the size support it needs. Some varieties will grow as tall as you are no problem so give them room to spread out!

Why Stake Tomatoes & Peppers?

Many tomato varieties will continue to grow throughout the entire season. This makes the plants very heavy, which will pull the vines over onto the ground. Fruit that is touching the ground will rot! Plus it’s much harder to harvest. In the words of Penn State Extension, “Staking is important to reduce fruit rots, sunscald, and foliar diseases” (1).

So we always stake our tomatoes and peppers to keep the vines healthy, minimize the spread of disease, and make harvesting easier. Getting the plants up off the soil lets air move through the leaves so they dry quickly, and it keeps leaves away from soil that carries early blight spores (2).

Peppers need support too. Their roots are shallow and their branches are brittle, so a heavy load of fruit or one windy storm can snap off a branch you have been waiting on for weeks. University of Missouri Extension says staking keeps pepper plants upright, keeps them from splitting under a heavy fruit load, and cuts down on sunscald (3).

How do You Start Tomatoes & Peppers?

We start almost all our tomatoes and pepper plants by seed and we always use heirloom seeds for our flower, herb, and vegetable plants. Once they are off to a good start indoors, we transplant them to bigger pots and begin to harden off our tomatoes and pepper plants. Soon they will be ready to transplant into the garden!

When we transplant them into the garden, we use small “toothpick” like supports. But it doesn’t take long for the sunlight to help the tomato and pepper plants grow! Soon we need to upgrade the supports to these large bamboo sticks. Buy the biggest pack you can get and reuse the bamboo sticks year after year to save yourself time and money.

If you are working in a smaller space, vertical growing helps you use every inch. Our companion planting guide can help you plan a garden that is productive, beautiful, and easier to maintain.

When Should You Stake Tomatoes & Peppers?

Stake tomatoes and peppers when you transplant them. University of Minnesota Extension says it is best to install supports, whether stakes, cages, spirals or trellises, at the time of planting (4). You protect the roots because you are not shoving a big stake into crowded soil later, and you guide the plant from the start instead of fighting it.

The same goes for peppers. Illinois Extension recommends setting the support firmly in the soil at planting and tying the stem to it in a loose figure-eight (5).

Recommended Supports for Tomatoes & Peppers

You can adapt your support size to the size of your tomato plant or pepper plant. With my seedlings I use a skewer or toothpick-type stick (all natural wood material of course). Once my plants are in the main garden area and growing quickly I upgrade.

I love the longer bamboo stakes for my tomatoes and peppers. They are very flexible for whatever varieties you have in your garden, and the sturdy nature and durability of bamboo is a plus also, they will last for more than one growing season.

Be careful of the type of twine/tie you use! I used to repurpose bread ties but in our hot southern summers they rotted away and the wire would cut the tomato plant stems. This hurts the plants and makes it easier for disease to ruin your harvest.

By contrast, this velcro-style plant tie is not only soft, so it won’t damage the plant, but it’s reusable too. You can cut it to the length you need AND you can reuse it for more than one growing season. Win/win.

• Bamboo stakes: Place the stake 3 to 4 inches from the base of the plant, on the side away from the first bloom cluster, so fruit does not get trapped between the plant and the stake (1).
• Wire cages: Set the cage over the plant at planting (4) and anchor it to the ground with wooden stakes so it does not topple as the plant grows.
• Stake-and-string: For peppers in a row, set a wooden or metal stake every 3 to 4 feet and run tomato twine along the outside of the row, adding a new layer as the plants grow (3).
• Homemade fencing cages: Best for big indeterminate tomatoes, because you choose the height and width.

Staking your tomato plants keeps the garden tidy, helps prevent disease, and makes it easier for you to harvest your homegrown produce.

How to Stake Tomatoes & Peppers Step-by-Step

1. Choose the support for the variety. Tall indeterminate tomatoes need tall, strong cages or stakes; compact peppers may need only one stake.
2. Install it at transplanting. Do it while the plant is small, so you do not damage the roots later.
3. Tie loosely. Make a loose figure-eight with a soft tie around the stem and the stake, so the stem has room to thicken.
4. Add ties as the plant grows. A tie that was loose in May can be too tight in July, so check old ties on your garden walk.
5. Keep the ground clean. Mulch under the plants, water at the soil line, and keep weeds down around them.
6. Harvest often. A loaded plant is a heavy plant, and every walk through the rows is a chance to thank God for the blessing of homegrown food.

Early blight guidance backs up steps 5 and 6: mulch, stake or trellis for airflow, prune the bottom leaves, and keep tomatoes and related crops, peppers included, out of the same spot for at least two years (2).

Common Staking Mistakes to Avoid

• Waiting until plants are too big. Sprawling vines break when you lift them.
• Ties that cut into stems. Bread ties, wire and fishing line can wound tender stems.
• Cages that are too small for big indeterminate tomatoes.
• Letting fruit touch the soil. That fruit will rot.
• Reusing dirty supports after a disease year. Penn State Extension notes that sanitizing stakes at the end of the season helps keep disease from carrying into next year’s crop (1).

Staking Tomatoes & Peppers FAQs

Do tomatoes need stakes or cages?

Vining (indeterminate) tomatoes do, because they keep growing all season. University of Minnesota Extension notes that bush-type plants, which reach 24 to 30 inches, do not need staking, while vining plants need cages, stakes or trellises (4).

How tall should tomato stakes be?

Tall enough for the variety. Penn State Extension recommends sturdy wooden or metal stakes 6 to 7 feet long for vining (indeterminate) tomatoes and 4 feet long for bush (determinate) types (1).

Do pepper plants need to be staked?

Yes, especially heavy producers and large-fruited varieties. Pepper branches are brittle, and support keeps the plant from splitting under the fruit (3).

Can I reuse bamboo stakes every year?

Yes. Store them out of the weather after the season and clean them before reuse, especially after a disease year. Retire any stake that is moldy, cracked or weak.

What should I do with extra tomatoes and peppers after harvest?

Enjoy them fresh, share with neighbors, or preserve them for later. Our canning guide and freezing vegetables guide can help you make the most of the harvest.

For extra tomatoes, our homemade tomato bisque is a good place to start.

Keep reading: Dehydrating Herbs: How to Dry and Store Garden Herbs · How to Plan a Fall Garden for a Bigger Cool-Season Harvest · Pollinator Garden Design: Best Plants for Bees and Butterflies