Great video. Stoked we get to see this from the start. I find it awkward when the vines get long enough and it’s time to wrap the vines around and head back the other direction. I’d love a few follow up videos throughout the season and see you move the hooks. Maybe one early so we can see the setup while things are easier to see (it’s hard to see how it works with all the vines wrapping around) and then one a little later when they’re a little longer. I think it would be a cool series. 😁
Did this last year thanks to your advice. It was my first year attempting to grow anything. My tomato trees ended up being 10-12' each. Improving it this weekend and spacing my plants farther apart as I put them 1' apart last year. Way too close haha. This year I'll do 1.5' and think I'll be good to go. No one believes how big they got til they see the before and after photos.
WOW! Looks like a partial pergola, absolutely a beautiful work of art. I’ve noticed as I’ve almost watched all of your videos that you are quite the carpenter or basically a “jack of all trades”. I bet there’s not much you can’t do. I love it and I’m sure that Emily is very appreciative. As to my garden…I’m behind but I think that it’s okay since just last week we had 2 nights of bad frost and one other of temperatures in the mid 40’s. My plants, those that survived the “hardening” off precess are definitely ready to go into the ground. Unfortunately, thanks to you (I’m not upset but rather very excited) I’m putting in a raised bed. My husband (the engineer who is OCD, and basically an over achiever) has over designed it. I’ve had health issues for a while and I’m finding it harder and harder to “stand on my head” to garden at ground level. So in order to save my back and reduce the amount of work it takes to do an in-ground garden, mine is being constructed of the same type of block as your beds. However the dimensions of mine are 4’-12’ and 24” high so I can sit down and not hurt my back. Unfortunately it’s too high to do the tomato trellis like you do. However, the tomatoes and other things requiring a trellis will go off the front porch which gives me plenty of height for trellising. Please keep doing what you do. Your enthusiasm is catching, thank you. Can’t wait for real tomatoes, zucchini, and cucumbers, along with all the other “real” veggies.
Hey Brian! I started watching you last Spring - 2021. Not sure I have commented before, but I absolutely love your videos, as well as your gardening IQ. We immediately implemented your tomato trellis and purchased 2 orders of your hooks. It was our first time having a garden, and our first time growing tomatoes. We planted 67 tomato plants (several varieties, just to try) in a 20’ x 10’ area. We live in a subdivision and just have a normal size back yard. Your method worked amazing! I have no idea how many pounds we harvested, but we canned 90 quarts of salsa, several pints of tomato sauce, gave a bunch of tomatoes to friends and neighbors, and ate a boat load of BLTs!! I have a notebook of notes from most of your videos, and this Spring I even started 300 tomato seedlings indoors. I will plant 60-80 again, and give the rest away.. This year we are building raised beds, and we plan on building your beefier trellis. 😍Thank you for all that you do! Keep up the great work!
OOOH! It's tomato time with Brian!! What a great way to enjoy my coffee today :). The garden beds look really good. I love the stonework surround. Thanks for the video. Looking forward to seeing the garden grow :)
Looks good i built the same but made my at 6 high last year but it was working that well. So i just Raised it to 10' high. You should have put your eye hooks on first and then fasten your timber as this would have saved you time.
I thought you planned the shirt! 🤣 Thank you for showing my wonky trellis. I struggled a bit without exact equipment list but it worked throughout the season and I was able to move it and got it set up this season. My issue is I keep planting tomatoes of varying stages of growth which makes the wrapping around a little chaotic.
So funny your video came up as I was reading your book. 😆 Are you excited about the pruning that you've missed out on since the move? tee hee I do believe the t-shirt is your favorite. You wear it a lot. 🤣😂🙃
Just a suggestion if you know your spacing is consistent across your top rail, you may want to use a scrap piece of wood that can be used as a spacing piece to save on measuring each plank of wood.
Just found your channel a week ago, I was getting frustrated because everything I planted didn’t look like it was doing well. Well, after watching several of your videos, made some changes to my irrigation system and soil and already my garden is looking a ton better. Also, saw your older trellis in your videos and literally just built mine yesterday and put in my garden beds. Thanks for all the great info!
I’m always learning something new from you! I always thought I knew a lot about gardening because I grew up watching my old world Portuguese grandparents do their thing in their big garden. You have tips and techniques I’ve never seen before, it’s impressive. Keep up the great work.
We built this last year and loved it! It was so much easier to maintain. I, like others, did end up overcrowding a bit at 1’ between each plant with some basils sprinkled throughout, so I will be spacing them out a bit more this year. My main problem was that I didn’t properly anchor the landscape pins tethering the string to the ground, so as the vines got heavier, the string and pin would be pulled out of the ground. I tried burying the pins to have more resistance, but that didn’t help much. I haven’t figured out how to better do this part yet :(
Last year was my 1st year ever gardening and somewhat successful. Prior to that, I could destroy a fake plant 😂 but with watching all these videos and lots of notes….a total of 40 tomato plants in (36 to trellis and 4 determinant in my asparagus beds). My garden is small but high intensity and every square inch accounted for. There are a couple of you gardeners that I couldn’t thank more. Absolutely amazing how you have helped transform non-gardeners into gardeners.
Plumbed, not 'leveled'. In cold zones, be sure to put posts deep enough past the frost line or the posts will heave up...and out. Fair weather states have it so easy (gardening-wise at least)
There are some really pretty designs but if I ever move and get a bigger yard, I am going to go with your new design. I think it is the most beautiful.❤️
I'm a brand new Gardner. Found this two weeks ago. I could watch all day. Just ordered your book. I have learned so so much. Best part is you explain everything so well. Thank you
My husband built me a trellis last year and I got tons of tomatoes. Love your design! Question though - this however eliminates the possibility of doing crop rotation. What can be done to prevent some of the problems of having my tomatoes in same place year after year, beyond fertilization and thick mulching.
Using a spacer block (it looked like you were towards the end), using clamps to hold the cross pieces while you're screwing them into place, and also drilling and installing the eye hooks before you hang the cross pieces, so you don't have to climb and work upside down!! Woodworking nitpicking aside, this is a great video and by far the best thing I've seen so far. I am planning what I will plant this fall as it's already much too hot here in June.
Love your new place, looks beautiful. The trellis looks kinda like a pergola against the house when you step back👌I might try a mini version about 6 ft long as I’m using grow bags this year. Weird weather last year, I had cherry tomatoes in November, in Ireland! And the year before my plum tree grew blossom in October🤔 Time to get a new T-shirt I think 😂 looking forward to the next update.
I'm so excited for this year. I just got my tomatos in the ground after finishing building your trellis and raised bed late last year. Now I'm fighting the urge to replace the original trellis system with this one lol
I have your system on my 4 ft x 8 ft x 29 in raised bed. My husband made it all for me as a Mother's Day present last year. Had tomatoes on one half and pole beans on the other end. Love, love it.
In areas with shorter growing seasons... there may come a time that it's necessary to top the tomato plant to encourage ripening. I grow mine vertically and have had to do that the past 2 years. Even after having done that, I still had 25 pounds of green San Marzanos on the vine when we got our first frost. So, I cut the vines at the base, removed excess foliage, and hung them in my sun room with stems in buckets of water. It took 1-1 .5 months for them to all ripen. This year I will top them sooner.
Brian, your book does not disappoint! We started a little late this year. Very cold spring. Studied the section on attracting beneficial insects first. Will definitely be planting some of what you suggested. Last season I found a hornworm on a tomato plant. Luckily for me, a lacewing had done her job and the hornworm was so covered with the chrysalises that the worm was already immobile so no damage to the plant. I heartily agree with you that it also makes the garden prettier and more inviting. Looking forward to learning lots more! Thank you, Brian. Many blessings to you and your family.
Amazing trellises! I will be doing this next year since I'm on a budget. Your an amazing Gardner! Thank for all that you do to help us amateurs and seasoned Gardners, I'm still learning and I'm on my 9year of gardening and learning ! A big Thanks! Brad, NJ Zone 6
Was WOWED by the amount of production. I have been trying to get back into gardening (long story..it's not good).. But I have always been intrigued on how the pros used the vertical growing method. Thanks for sharing
You can't go wrong with toms on a trellis, cucumber's too! My extra toms that end up in pots or staked elsewhere that I can't ever face throwing away because I seed too many, never perform the same, despite getting the same care as the trellis toms. The plants hold up soooo much better in bad weather with wind too, they just bend & flex with the string rather than snap like I've experienced staked. I find less maintenance too. You'll find this method in professional grow houses. Give a little water in hole when planting out (egg or sardines are popular too) but withhold water for a week then you get lovely deep roots as the plants searches deep for moisture & lovely strong plants for the season. Hope you all have lovely toms this year & if questioning this method give it a go, you won't regret it! :)
I built the old style trellis but put it directly in the ground in my garden. I'll probably build another raised bed next year when we expand the fenced area (deer and armadillo problems) and go with this style. Right now my tomatoes are only about 36" and starting to set fruit so it'll be a bit before I have to move them over to another hook.
Hey Brian this is Ricardo I've been watching your videos I really like the way you explain everything that this year I'm going to start my vegetable garden first time ever and I would like to follow your steps and hopefully I'll get a great garden like you do I'll be posting and updating see how it goes anyways thank you for all your tips I really like it hi all the way from Pomona ca
I love the way you explain your videos! I also love the view from your property. The hills in the background look exactly like the hills in the background of the old M.A.S.H. tv show.😆
Good looking trellis. One tip i would give is to pre-drill some holes so that it wont split your lumber. It'll work perfectly fine and im excited to see it in bloom. Id love to see a future video on cost/build per area in your garden. Retaining wall/raised beds/trellis, etc.
Love the system and the hooks!! My kids got so excited when they saw a photo of our trellis too!! 💚👩🏻🌾… Your new trellis is going to be gorgeous full of tomatoes, can’t wait to see it in full bloom
Hey Brian👋👋 I just moved to Kansas after 30 years in Escondido. Got hooked on your channel a couple years ago and trying to adjust in many ways. I have heirloom tomatoes sprouting from the seeds I saved from the little shop on del dios road. Check them out, you'll love it, mostly organic.
You rock!! I watch every week and love the new trellis. I’ve already planted this year but I look forward to that new trellis product. Thank you for all you do.
Can't wait to get mine built. Shame our Home Depot - literally around the corner - burned to the ground (Made the national news and everything!). Guess I'm heading to Lowes... I love your growing/pruning method. It is insane to see how productive tomatoes can be!
Hi Brian, I love your channel and learn new things every time I watch. ! I am in the process of building your new tomato trellis and need to know how long the cross pieces need to be. Also is 12" spacing adequate when growing cherry tomatoes?
Amazing 👏 you are amazing 👏 can't say it enough I learn alot from your videos I hope my tomatoes come out as good as yours do see you in the next video 😀 😊 ☺
#1 Are they pressure treated lumber? 2. Can I use this with a container instead of a bed. I JUST converted over to container but I like this set up the best of all I have seen.
I watched this even though I rent and can't do anything like this, but I love watching all your videos anyway. I did want to give a little suggestion - maybe you can get a little wireless microphone, cause when you turn your face away from the camera the sound goes down and then goes back up when you're near it and it's a little hard to hear sometimes.
Bryan, thank you for the very informative video. And of course it received a big 👍. I am nearly done building a similar tomato trellis for this growing season. To start, my garden will contain six indeterminate tomato plants. My question is instead of rotating the plants around the trellis in a circle as you instructed, is there any harm or disadvantage in just lowering each plant straight down as needed while coiling the trunk vine below?
Just finished ordering my hooks from you. Not quite ready for them yet but i would rather have them now than not be able to get them when i get ready to redo my tomato beds and trellis
great idea, i have time to build a small trellis while my tomato plants are getting big enough to plant, maybe by next year I can have enough room for all 100 tomatoes
I found your videos about a month ago and I'm so very thankful! I love what you're doing. I'm learning so much! May I suggest you wear a mask when using concrete mix? It's super dangerous to your lungs if inhaled. (I'm a nurse)
LOL Having trouble watching this because my kitten is trying to give you kisses all the time. She loves her videos but really seems to respond to you. I think she loves your voice (and she said she thinks you are cute too.)
Last week I was lamenting not finding a video where I could see how the strings work late in the season and boom, you delivered just in time. I used the strings last year, but didn't take advantage of moving them around. Also wasn't as good as I should have been about getting all the suckers. Still curious about how shallow that bed is. Even planting them sideways it doesn't seem like enough depth, though I suppose you could add a level.
that's really cool, nice san marzanos. I got the crazy idea to grow them in containers on my roof in New York City this year. What size container do you recommend? got tons of room but no water supply so I have to figure out how to collect rain water. Also trellising might be pain with the wind. Plan on putting them up there after mothers day, and hopefully the wind isn't a huge problem
Wow looking foward to doing threllis this year after 30+ years of start with cages and move onto concrete wire. quick question since I like to donate veggies to folks who needs them . I have looked around other videos that did not answer, but how far can I put the rows between the trellis's? Enjoying all your videos!! :) Max
Excellent video! Thanks. Question...how do you deal with calcium or soil nutrient deficiency through the season, growing this many vines so close together? What kind of fertilizing/ feeding schedule is required?
Great video Brian. I am in Queensland, Australia. I built a trellis similar to yours last year and it has been very successful. My omly issue is the string i can source has only lasts about 6 months and is deteriorating in the sun and breaking. This is damaging my plants. Can you let me know what type of string will last in the garden as i can grow tomatos all year round where i am?
I've just came across your channel recently and like the info you share. A question about your permanent tomato trellis. I like to practice crop rotation which doesn't seem possible with your trellis set-up. Appreciate any comments.
