| I have staked my Beefsteaks, but need suggestions on how to manage the additional vines. I am looking for maximum yield, and don't believe in pruning them. I also will not use the wire cylinders. |
| Beefsteak tomatoes are indeterminate and can produce vines up to 20' long. In fact, they'll keep growing and flowering until stopped by frost or disease. So, if your plants are in a sunny spot, get lots of water and remain disease-free, they have the potential to become huge! You can train the vines on a trellis or other support, or you can just let them sprawl on the ground. If you have plenty of garden space, you might want to allow them to sprawl. Otherwise, you can drive 6'-7' stakes in the ground near the plants and tie the vines to the stakes as they grow. A final management suggestion is to invest in some inexpensive wire fencing and cut it in lengths that would allow you to place a cylinder around each plant to provide support, and allow you to pull the vines through the wires as they develop. |
