Budget Friendly Tomato Trellis: Easy to Put Up, Quick, CHEAP! (Progress Update!)

 Budget Friendly Tomato Trellis: Easy to Put Up, Quick, CHEAP! (Progress Update!)

Cheap, Easy, Quick Tomato Trellis Idea (DIY)

    Hello everyone! Today, we're going to discuss the tomato trellis situation I've got going on! We're going to look at:

•  Why I changed how I'm trellising (vs cattle panels & fencing)
•  What it cost me to make this change
•   How far those materials went
•   A unique twist I added to this version of trellising
•  What I'm expecting to achieve with this trellis

    We're also going to touch base on:

• My high intensity gardening approach (and why)
• How many varieties I'm growing (and a sneak peek at a few of them!)
• Tomato health & the importance of trellising
• My plans for upgrades and improvements for the future
• This year's pruning experiment overview & goals (leaving suckers, pruning leaves)

Green tomato early in the 2025 season.

    I trellis almost all of my tomatoes every year, as it's so very important for their health. 

    When left on the ground, you face incredible pest & disease pressure. Therefore, leaving my tomatoes un-trellised isn't an option; but, what do you do when times are lean and funds are short? 

    You improvise. Granted, there are even cheaper ways to achieve a well-trellised tomato garden, especially if you're only growing a handful of plants. Options include:

• Using fallen limbs & twine
• Collecting free fencing scraps and lumber scraps from online posts
• Utilizing existing privacy fencing
• Using old wooden stakes

    However, I'm growing roughly 120' with these trellises, which makes finding materials to upcycle a little difficult. I would likely invest more time, gas, & labor into sourcing "free" materials than I've put into this system- don't get me wrong, I love a good deal. Upcycling. Free stuff. Unfortunately, free isn't always truly free. Time and resources are at a cost, too. 

Easy, budget friendly tomato trellising for 120 feet of tomatoes! This is the 2026 tomato garden!

Why Did I Stop Using a Cattle Panel Tomato Trellis for My Plants?

    First and foremost, I will say that cattle panels are my favorite way to trellis tomato plants! They're sturdy, reusable, and easy to clean at the end of the season. I also have livestock, making them one of my most valuable resources next to t-posts! (Fencing is a very close second, and I have a scrap piece that I may use on another round of grow outs.) 

 

    So, why am I not using them? 

    The cost.

Tomato plant climbing a cattle panel trellis.

    Cattle panels would have cost me around $400. The netting? $15. In addition, I'd have needed extra t-posts in order to utilize cattle panels, as a panel needs a minimum of 3 (although, the third post can be used as the first post for the second panel, decreasing costs a bit.) 

    I didn't stop using them, I simply put them to work elsewhere (goat pastures), and I don't have the funds to purchase several more at this very moment. Next year, I'm hoping to fully outfit my tomato grow out operation with cattle panels; if funds allow.

The tomato garden from a distance (well, most of it!)

Materials I Used for This Cheap Trellis (Cost Breakdown!)

    For this trellis build, I used some cheap plastic string netting, t-post insulators, and t-posts. The netting came with zip ties included, so I used those the add a little extra staying power on the clips. I will add amazon links to the products used below, as well:

• $15: 5'x30' Trellis Netting (4) : https://amzn.to/4ozDKgt
• $72~: 6' T Posts (12) (see your local farm store for these!)
• $14: Electric T-Post Insulators 25 CT (2):  https://amzn.to/4vjnQJs
• $0: Zip Ties (included with netting)

Total Cost: Just Over $100 for 120' of Trellis!

This is the star of the show: the incredibly cheap tomato garden netting I used!

Here's the video!

Why Were Electric T-Post Insulators Used for the Tomato Trellis?

    When I was younger, we had horses & electric fencing. I know how strong these little t-post clips are, especially when they're used for holding up electric wire while being under stress due to the tension from tightening that wire.

    What better way to leverage the strength of a t-post when using a flimsy trellis netting? Not to mention, they're affordable, easy to use, and the netting weaves right through them! It's simply a sturdier way to mount the netting to the t-posts. Zip ties don't hold a candle to these things, but I did use those to keep the strands of netting within the hooks of the insulators, making it that much stronger.

T-post insulators will work perfectly with garden trellis netting because they're strong! They'll hold onto the t-post far more securely than a zip tie, and the netting won't slouch and fall down the post (even if it sags in the middle.)

Durability Vs Ease of This Tomato Trellis Installation

    This tomato trellis was very easy to install. However, durability is a big concern with this netting. It's unlikely that this netting will survive past this season, meaning it's single use. I'm not a big fan of that. When compared to cattle panels, the netting is weaker, less durable, has a shorter lifespan, and is plastic based; however, cost was the biggest factor this year, time being a close second. 

    It does seem like the netting is guaranteed to sag, as well. As long as my plants are off the ground, everything will turn out fine. However, I may still opt to add more t -posts along the length to help combat sagging in the upper netting, adding to the cost of this trellis.

    If I were to continue using netting, I would have to take it down, clean it, and store it every fall; that's going to be a rough task considering the material. Takedown will be an absolute nightmare, without a doubt.

I expect the netting to sag heavily later in the year, when the tomato plants spill over the top. Here, the tomato trellis is sagging under the weight of my hand. 

What I Expect to Achieve with This Cheap 120' Tomato Garden Trellis

    Ultimately, my expectations are very low for this tomato trellis. I simply hope to keep my tomatoes up off the ground; nothing more, nothing less. I cannot place unreasonable expectations on this setup, as it was designed to be cheap and temporary; just to get me through this particular season. 

Issues I expect to have:

• Sagging as the plants grow larger and spill over the top
• Possible snags and breaks as pressure builds (or if I accidentally nip it with the pruners)
• Premature degradation due to UV damage
• Single season use

In this screenshot, I'm tugging on the netting quite hard, and this tomato trellis is holding quite well. The strength is there- it could hold a lot of weight. However, it'll still sag. 

The Importance of Trellising Tomato Plants 

    Trellising tomatoes is important for protecting plant health, yields, and your sanity. Without a trellis, plants will crawl across the ground, making it difficult to manage them, harvest them, or weed around them. It becomes a very big headache. The plants will have lessened air flow, inviting fungal infections. Ground contact increases the risk of picking of various diseases through the leaves, while also leaving the fruits vulnerable to premature rot, slugs, and snails. So, when I say my expectations are low for this trellis, I simply expect it to do its job to the best of its ability; success looks like:

• Lessened disease 
• Lessened weed pressure
• Ease of harvest
• Minimal slug/snail damage
• Minimal fruit rot due to ground contact

Trellising tomatoes is a great way to prevent fungal infections, increase yields, and reduce loss of fruits to slugs and snails. It also makes it harder for rats and voles to target the tomatoes!

Overview of This Year's Garden: Design, Experiments, and Growing Methods

    A lot has changed in my tomato garden for the 2026 season. I'm going to briefly touch base on everything, and I'll explain my reasons for changing my growing methods this year.

    I have recently discussed my kiddie pool micro dwarf tomato grow out in a blog post as well, so be sure to check that one out if you're interested in the micros. 

Intensive Gardening Tomato Spacing

    This has remained the same! The plants are spaced at most by 12". This allows me to fit lots of plants in a small space. Intensive growing is incredibly beneficial for both seed production and commercial tomato production. In combination with trellising, pruning, and fertilizing, you can fit a lot more plants into the same size garden. 

Intensive tomato growing means the plants are crammed in tightly- here, they're spaced about 12", but the suckers have been left in place. 

Growing in Bare Soil Vs Woven Plastic Mulch

    Most years, I grow in woven plastic mulch because it's an incredibly easy way to manage a large garden. Weeding is cut by 97% I'd say, due to weed suppression.

    This year, I'm growing in bare soil and I'm weeding. It's a lot more labor, but I needed to be able to fertilize and water easily if needing. This can be more challenging with woven plastic mulch, as I do not use a drip irrigation system. Even if I did, the hard water would likely trash the entire system. 

Growing tomatoes in bare soil, tilled soil, requires tons of weeding. 

Changing Plant Management: Pruning Leaves, Leaving Suckers

    I almost always prune to one or two main leaders, and remove the rest of the suckers throughout the season. This gives you a clean vine, making harvest easier while improving yields on those leaders. I talked about this in my post How to Prune Cherry Tomato Plants for Maximum Yield.

    I also always prune any lower leaves that are positioned on the vine below the highest developing green fruit. 

    This year, I'm changing it up: the suckers are staying! I'll go into detail in the next section. I will continue to prune lower leaves, as the older leaves tend to drain the plant of resources while being most likely to contract disease. Clusters of these lower leaves from tightly spaced plants can also lead to lessened air flow, increasing the risk of disease. By pruning out older leaves, I'm improving air flow, I'm reducing resource strain on the plants, and I'm making harvests easier. 

Diagram of tomato leaves, fruits, and suckers for pruning. 

Tomato Sucker Experiment: Why They're Staying This Year

    Suckers are known for reducing yields when striving for high production. I've nearly always pruned, but I recently had an idea: "What if I prune the leaves still, but keep the suckers?"

    Here are some of the questions and theories I've got about this method:

1. Will overall production increase or decrease by leaving the suckers intact?
2. Can I condense my harvest season into a shorter window with larger average harvests, making seed processing more efficient?
3. Will I get larger harvests out of plants that will decline in health earlier in the season? Can I minimize losses overall?
4. Can I maximize the fruit that a plant will give me within a shorter window, without having to wait for a single vine to progress throughout the season?
5. Will leaving ALL of the suckers provide me with an immense amount of fresh tomatoes at the earliest point in the harvest season?

    Some of those questions sound the same, but I do have an angle for each one, and I hope to be able to answer these questions at the end of the season.

    

    My overall theory:

1. Overall production may be decreased, but this may be irrelevant (plants may stop producing in the height of the summer, or may fail before reaching their prime.)
2. I believe I may be able to achieve larger, earlier harvests, allowing me to process more in bulk. (it takes the same amount of time and space to ferment and dry seeds from 10 tomatoes as it does 30. If you want to learn how to ferment tomato seeds, I've covered that here on the blog, as well!)
3. I think I'll get larger harvests from more sensitive plants that may begin to fail mid-season, increasing the amount of seeds I'm able to save for those varieties. This could, in theory, ultimately reduce losses and increase total yields by thinking ahead. 
4. Pruning to one main leader may yield more fruit over a season, but that will be a drawn out harvest even for the heavy producers. I'd much rather harvest as many as I can, at the same stage of ripeness, as infrequently as I can- rather than harvesting the same variety repeatedly through October. 
5. With heavy fertilizing at tomato planting time, I believe I can achieve large harvests from these plants at the earliest possible point in the season. This not only frees up my time; it may ultimately free up gardening space. As an added benefit, I could get the seeds listed in my Etsy shop far earlier.

Sneak Peek at Some Tomato Varieties!

    In the video, I gave a quick tour of some varieties.

    We have Dr Whyche's growing, which has a reputation for being an incredibly delicious and reliable tomato. I can't wait to be able to offer this variety in my shop; it truly is a wonderful variety!  The fruits are very large (jumbo even) and are quite meaty.

Dr Whyche's Tomato, unripe, green, growing.

    Rebel Starfighter VT-16 truly is a looker. It's uniquely shaped, uniquely colored, and has wispy foliage. Even the flesh is different from your average tomato. It's performing quite well so far, so I have high hopes for this popular, sought after variety.  

Rebel Starfighter VT-16 Tomato, unripe, green, growing.

    Another stunning variety I highlighted is Chupa Chups Pink, which is a beautifully streaked beefsteak. We absolutely love the antho varieties around here! The fruits are really starting to pile up on the plant, so it's shaping up to be a productive variety. 

Chupa Chups Pink Tomato, unripe, green, growing.

    Blue Beauty is a more common variety, offering striking, anthocyanin rich tomatoes. It's known for being a somewhat hefty slicer, and for being crack resistant. Beauty and reliability go a long way in my garden!

Blue Beauty Tomato, unripe, green, growing.

    Triple M is a competition strain tomato, and I'm incredibly excited to dive into the world of mammoth tomatoes! I have quite a few large varieties in the garden, but I'm hoping to yield some 3-5 lb fruits from some of the largest sized varieties. This is a hybrid variety as many competition lines are. Therefore, my plan is to grow a select few tomatoes to increase size- 1-3 per plant, 1 at a time. 

Triple M competition tomato, green, growing.