DIY Network

Tomato Types, Easy Trellis Tomato Types, Easy Trellis From "Fresh from the Garden" episode DFFG-110

Though tomatoes are referred to as a vegetable, they're actually a fruit native to Mexico and Central America where they grow year-round. There are thousands of varieties of tomatoes. A trip to your local market is a great way to find the types of tomatoes you like and would be good choices to grow in your garden....

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	The first Spanish explorers thought tomatoes were deadly. Luckily for us, they were wrong!
	The types of tomatoes you plant will be determined primarily by how much space you have.
	The first step in making a support for tomato plants: using a circular saw, cut two 2"x2"x8' pieces of lumber down to a 6' length.
	Sharpen the remaining pieces of lumber on one end by cutting off the squared tip to form a point.
	Use 3" galvanized screws to attach the two 6' top support pieces.

• You can choose tomatoes for sauce like Roma tomatoes, cherry tomatoes for salads or large slicing tomatoes for sandwiches. Each tomato has a slightly different texture and flavor. Choose the type that's right for you and a variety that grows in your climate. Your local garden center will have seedlings available in the spring or seeds are available year-round if you want to start your own.

• When Spanish explorers first discovered tomatoes they thought they were poisonous. They looked similar to another plant that was known to be toxic so many people were afraid to eat them. Once the explorers realized tomatoes were safe they were quickly adopted as part of their diet. They carried seeds back to Europe where they became wildly popular. Many hybrids have been created from those first seeds. Now tomatoes are popular around the world.

• One of the first choices you need to make when choosing the type of tomato you want to grow is based upon the amount of space you have to work with. There are 2 basic types of tomatoes, determinate and indeterminate. Determinate types are shorter, bushier and have fruit that ripens close to the same time. Indeterminate types are taller and more like vines. They need to be staked and pruned, but they produce fruit over the entire season as long as the plant is healthy. If you have a small space garden you're better off choosing the determinate variety, if you have more space you can plant either type or a mixture of both.

• To build a trellis, you'll need the following materials and supplies:

  7 2"x2"x8' pieces of lumber
  Circular saw
  Cordless drill
  Sledgehammer
  Tape measure
  3" and 1" galvanized screws
  4 cleats
  Twine
  Safety gear

• Using a circular saw, cut two of the pieces down to a 6-foot length. These will be the top rails of your trellis. Sharpen the remaining 5 pieces of lumber on one end by cutting off the squared tip to form a point. These pieces will be the support stakes of your trellis. At the end of your bed hammer in one of the pointed stakes to a depth of 2 feet and then tamp the soil around it to make it sturdy. Make sure you put your trellis through the middle of your planting bed so that the tomato bush has plenty of room to spread out.

• Place the support stakes 3 feet apart and hammer all 5 pieces in to the ground. Then use 3 inch galvanized screws to attach the 2 6-foot long top support pieces. Be careful to make sure both pieces were secured well to the center support. You could also use galvanized nails to attach the top rails.
  

  ALSO IN THIS EPISODE:
  	Tomato Types, Easy Trellis
  	Top-Notch Tomato Planting
  	Managing Growth Problems, Insects and Disease
  	Fertilizer Facts