Tomato Roller Trellis

I have used several methods to support my tomatoes: Wire tomato trellis, Florida weave, and not supporting them at all and just letting them sprawl out on the ground. This method of stringing up tomatoes using a roller hook and tomato trellis clips is by far my favorite. It is definitely the most costly and requires some carpentry skills to set up. If you want to set up a permanent tomato trellis area in your garden, it is worth it.

I’ll list out our supply list and measurements below. Basically there is a box at the bottom which acts as a support for the top bar. I used cup hooks to hold the roller hooks and then the string is anchored by a 2″x2″ on the ground. I spaced my plants 6″ and then tried to keep them pretty well trimmed. I was focusing on only one runner per string. If you want to let your plants grow a little bushier, I would space it out 12″. I also did a row of Florida weave tomatoes next to the roller trellis. Both honestly did well. The main thing I noticed was my mistake of accidentally putting determinant tomatoes on my roller trellis. Call this an error of labeling. The roller trellis is best for indeterminant tomatoes because the idea is that you ‘lean the tomatoes’ or pull the string down as they grow so you can continue to harvest the tomatoes that are growing off the main runner. Determinant types do well with Florida weave or basically any other trellis type. I ended up mixing up 2 types of tomatoes so I had a determinate cherry tomato on the roller trellis and my San Marzanos on the Florida weave. In the future, I will be more careful with my labeling.

You can see how the San Marzanos are just overwhelming the Florida weave. While the left side of my roller trellis is going strong and was much easier to harvest. The smaller determinant cherry tomatoes on the right side of the roller trellis would have done well with the Florida weave. Below you can see my planting process with my seedlings and some updated growth photos through the season.

We had a great year for tomatoes this past summer. But more importantly, Once the trellis was in place, it was so easy to just prune the plants and use the little clips to keep the main runner on the string. Then I would just go out and harvest. And now that it is in the ground, I have a permanent spot to plant my tomatoes every year. I felt like it was a good investment. If you have dedicated garden space and the time and budget to install it, the roller trellis will last for several years and you can re spool the string. The clips are inexpensive and you can can take the time to unclip them each year and reuse them if you want. The system is not compostable so if you want to compost the tomatoes you do need to cut them free from the string and clips or unclip them before composting. Overall, it is higher cost than the Florida weave but I will likely only use my roller trellis next year because the yield was so good, I don’t really need the additional tomatoes from another system. The supply list is listed below.

• 6- 2x4x12
• 2-2x4x10
• 1-2x2x12
• 4 pack of 4 inch corner brace
• Cup Hooks
• Roller Hooks (24 count from Johnny Seed)
• Tomato Trellis Clips (100 ct from Johnny Seed)

Here is a rough drawing of our trellis. The 2x4x12s make up the frame of the trellis. Cut them down to 10 feet first. Use the L brackets to secure the corners. Take a third 2x4x12 that is cut down to 10 feet in length and turn it on its smaller edge or 2 in side. Lay it across the top of the frame and screw up into it to give the top if the frame more support from sagging. We actually added this later which is why you will see the addition of the extra support in the later photos after planting. You will need to dig down about 2 feet into the ground to anchor the trellis in the ground. We did set each side with concrete. Then back fill in the holes. Then create a box for the base. Using 2 of the 2x4x12s, cut them down to 10 feet, then make a box that is 2 feet by 10 feet for the base. I spaced out my rollers every 6 inches but you can also space them every 12 inches if you want more space between each plant. Measure out the distances for each roller then use 2 cup hooks to attach the roller to the top of the frame. Cut the 2x2x12 down to 10 feet. Once they are all attached, run the strings down to the 2×2 on the ground and try them down to secure them. The rollers keep tension on the string to support the plant so to release the string, you just have to squeeze the rollers. Plant one plant at the base of each string and use the clips to support the main runner of each tomato plant with the string. AS the plants grow, you will need to prune and support the new gown with additional clips. Once the tomato plant grows beyond what you can reach comfortably, then squeeze the top of the roller to release more string. As you release the tension from the roller the plant will “lean” and allow you to continue to harvest off the new fruits.