Tomato Plant Support

Emily Wandell

Summary:

Tomato plants require support to keep vines up of the ground resulting in better air circulation to the plants and prevention against pests and rotting. Knowing this many home tomato growers have stumbled upon the cheapest option available, the generic tomato cage. Most hardware stores stock these cages comprised of three circular pieces of wire attached by three straight pieces of wire that can be pushed into the ground. The main disadvantage to these simple supports, they just do not work. The generic supports are not strong enough for robust plants and provide no method for supporting young plants. These supports have caused endless frustration for the home gardener desiring a cheap, but sturdy method for supporting their tomato crops. Many other types of supports exist on the market, but while introducing strength induce a high price. Others are cheaply available, but prohibit growth of the tomato plants due to insufficient design. Therefore, the goal of this design project is to create a strong, functional tomato plant support which can be purchased inexpensively and stored compactly.
Several concepts were considered during the design phase of the project. One concept consisted of four ninety degree angle irons pounded into the ground to form a square or rectangle with holes at various heights. Rods could then be placed through holes in the angle irons to form sides to support plant limbs. Another concept consisted of a center stake for supporting young plants which could then be attached to a square wire frame once the plant grew which would be held down by stakes.
The final main concept considered which led to the final design consisted of four corner poles connected to a center pole via some type of connector. Four square pieces of wire would attach to the corner poles with the smallest square closest to the ground and each square getting larger to assist plant growth.
The final design used the basic model of the last concept but significant developments were made in the design process. The final prototype consists of 5 steel re-bar posts which can be pounded into the ground providing strength. PVC pipe was used to form two cross-bars each connecting two corner posts together and joined at the center post to form a pivot. Wire was replaced by clothes line for the square limb supports to allow the frame to fold flat about the pivot. The clothesline was attached with circle clamps and zip ties. The center post has a smaller PVC pipe placed over the lower half with string attached, to provide tying for supporting young tomato plants.
Therefore, the final design was successful in introducing a strong, stable support that can store flat, and was built inexpensively using cheap readily available materials.