Left to themselves, tomato plants send their main stem winding all over the place and throw out so much leaf that weeds are smothered beneath them. Grown flat on the ground, one unstaked plant crops like three staked ones, as long as the fruit never rests on damp earth — a dry mulch settles that, and the harvest runs to the first frosts.
Without any of the hassle, too!
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The first requirement to succeed in growing no-stake tomatoes is space: in the garden, a single tomato plant will cover more than a square yard (meter). Varieties that have limited growth – ‘Felicia’, ‘Ferline’, cherry tomato, plum tomato – are perfect for this technique.
After planting, your tomato plants will feel right at home and spread around. The main stem will wind all over the place, and the plant will grow many leaves: two sure signs that fruit-bearing will be abundant.
Plant your tomato plants in late spring, early enough for an end-of-summer harvest lasting even until the first frost spells. Add a handful of crushed nettles in each planting hole, and water once or twice to ensure settling in.
Unless your soil is rocky or sandy, it is best to cover the ground with dry mulch (straw, flax or grass trimmings) to keep moisture away from fruits: it would otherwise rot them. You can also lay crates or wooden pallets around the plants for this. Lastly, you might consider plastic sheeting, but this will require cleaning up once the season is over.
The goal is to keep fruits from touching the soil directly.
This planting technique is also appropriate for use in a greenhouse. Inside, since soil stays dry, tomatoes will form well even if they rest upon it.
→ Note: in this case (greenhouse), it helps to set up an irrigation system because trudging through your ‘maters at knee-height isn’t something you want to do every day.
Left flat on the soil, the fruit has to be kept off damp earth. The article suggests several ways of doing that, each suited to a different situation.
| Ground cover | What it does | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dry mulch (straw, flax, grass trimmings) | Keeps moisture away from the fruit | Most garden soils | Fruit resting on damp soil would rot |
| Crates or wooden pallets | Lifts the stems and fruit clear of the ground | Plants laid out around a fixed point | Needs laying down before the plant spreads |
| Plastic sheeting | Forms a dry barrier between fruit and soil | Gardeners wanting a quick cover | Has to be cleared away at the end of the season |
| No cover at all | Stony or free-draining ground stays dry itself | Rocky or sandy soils | Any moisture-holding soil needs covering |
| Bare greenhouse soil | Soil stays dry, so fruit sets well on it | Growing under glass | Set up irrigation, since walking among the plants is awkward |
In every case the aim is the same: the fruit must never sit directly on damp earth.
Once your plants have settled in, prune the two topmost leaf crowns and only keep the lower ones. After that, just let the stems run around. Water reasonably, once a fortnight with drip irrigation if the weather is dry.
To ensure success in your sprawling plantation, it is best to preventively spray against downy mildew and tomato leaf spot, just as for staked tomatoes. That’s all. No need to prune, no need to tie stems everywhere. The plants will crawl around and cover the ground with their many leaves that will choke out any weeds. Even suckers become useful and start bearing blooms and fruits.
Minimal care for maximum harvest!
→ Read about the opposite: how to stake tomato
M.-C. H.
This system actually reproduces how tomatoes naturally grow in the wild. They would either climb up over shrubs and bushes, or crawl along the ground to spread.
