How to Trellis, Train, and Prune Tomatoes Naturally for Healthier Plants and Bigger Harvests

Tomatoes taking over your garden already?
You’re not alone — and you don’t have to let them turn into a tangled jungle. With just a little intention, trellising, training, and pruning your tomato plants can transform your garden from chaotic to thriving.

In this post (and the full YouTube video below), I’ll walk you through how I support and guide my tomato plants the holistic way — no synthetic sprays, just smart structure, simple tools, and hands-on care.

Why Trellis Tomatoes?

Trellising lifts your plants off the ground, which:

• Improves airflow to prevent fungal diseases

• Makes it easier to spot pests and ripening fruit

• Keeps fruit clean and less prone to rot

• Saves space, especially in small or raised bed gardens

I personally love using the Florida weave or single-stake system for indeterminates — it’s affordable and easy to maintain all season long.

Training Your Tomatoes: What It Means

Training simply means guiding your tomato’s growth. Most often, that’s directing the plant to grow up a single (or double) central stem, instead of sprawling and producing unnecessary foliage. This helps the plant focus energy on fruit production instead of wild leafy growth.

A simple clip or tie as it grows is usually all it takes to stay in control.

Pruning 101: What to Cut (and What to Keep)

Pruning tomato suckers — those little shoots that grow in the "V" between the main stem and a branch — can dramatically improve your plant’s performance.

✅ For indeterminate tomatoes: I prune all lower suckers and leave 1–2 main leaders.
🚫 For determinate types: Be gentle — over-pruning can reduce fruit production!

I also remove the lower leaves that touch the soil to prevent soil-borne disease from splashing up.

My Natural Tomato Care Routine

Here’s my simple, holistic approach throughout the season:

1. Mulch the base to retain moisture and suppress weeds

2. Tie or clip growth weekly to train the leaders up

3. Prune suckers once a week (and feed the trimmings to my rabbits or compost!)

4. Support with compost tea or worm tea every 2–3 weeks

Watch the Full Walkthrough

🎥 I take you step-by-step through my exact method in this video:
👉 Watch on YouTube – Trellis, Train & Prune Tomatoes Naturally

You’ll see exactly how I set up the trellis, which tools I use, and what to prune and when.

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