Staking Tomato Plants With Bamboo – 3 Benefits To Doing It!

Gardening has options. You can even have a plethora of choices regarding what you want to use to stake your tomato plants, so you may be doing your research on this: staking tomato plants with bamboo. 

When looking for sturdy, attractive ways to stake your tomato plants, bamboo may be a great option that you haven’t thought of before. 

Bamboo could be your secret weapon to having the best-supported tomatoes in the neighborhood. Read through this article to learn more about how this is done! 

Is Bamboo Good For Staking Plants

Yes, bamboo is suitable for staking tomatoes.

When looking for stakes, you may turn to wood or metal to make your stakes. If you’re not purchasing it from a plant store, you’ve got to build it yourself. There is at least some labor involved.

Bamboo eliminates the need for any additional work because bamboo stalks are shaped like poles and do not need to be bent in any way. 

All you will need to do is cut your bamboo down to the size you need – so much easier!

What Type Of Bamboo Is Used For Stakes

There are different kinds of bamboo, but timber bamboo is one of the best for stakes.

If you’ve seen bamboo growing naturally – I didn’t know this can grow in several climates until recently – you may have seen the bamboo with very thin poles. Of course, that won’t be good for staking.

On the other hand, Timber bamboo is much sturdier and is used for its poles, which are anywhere from 3 to 5 inches in diameter.

The thicker diameter means it is better for projects like staking tomatoes.

How Long Do Bamboo Garden Stakes Last

Bamboo garden stakes are relatively hardy, but you can expect to have your stakes for about two seasons.

The bamboo stake beneath the surface of the soil will be the first to be eaten away. If you make your bamboo stake taller than you originally needed, you can cut away the rotting part each season.

The bamboo stake will also be hit by different conditions like sun, rain, and wind, but this part of the stake will last relatively well. 

Since bamboo is generally hardy, a little bit of wind will not be enough to crack the stalk in half and ruin your bamboo stake. 

Using Fresh Cut Bamboo For Garden Stakes

The good news is that you can use fresh-cut bamboo for garden stakes.

Since bamboo is a plant by itself, so it does not need any more preparation than a simple cutting.

Do not waste your time treating your bamboo garden stake in any way. While you think it may help seal the bamboo stalk, it may cause the stake to decay faster than it is exposed to air. 

If you have bamboo growing on your property, bamboo stakes can be one of the easiest, fastest ways to get stakes for your garden – no messing with wood or metal, no going to the grocery store, and best yet, no spending any money!

3 Benefits Of Staking Tomatoes With Bamboo

Bamboo has some great benefits as opposed to other methods of staking tomatoes.

It Is Sturdy 

Bamboo is as sturdy as anything else you can find on the market.

Natural bamboo isn’t going to be any weaker than metal or wooden stakes that you may have initially been tempted to use.

You are not foregoing sturdiness when opting for bamboo. 

It Is Neutral And Attractive 

Bamboo stakes are neutral.

If you’ve ever seen mass-produced tomato cages or stakes, you might have noticed that they are often brightly colored.

Bamboo is great if you want something subdued yet beautiful for your garden. 

It Is Eco-Friendly 

Since you’re passionate about gardening, chances are you care about the environment too.

Bamboo is a wonderful product to use because it is eco-friendly. Once done with these stakes, you can break them down and toss them in your yard as mulch.

Wood stakes can be burned, of course, but metal stakes are harder to dispose of without causing them to end up in a landfill. 

How To Stake Tomato Plants With Bamboo – Step By Step

Staking tomato plants with bamboo stakes is easy! You can set your tomatoes up for success with a few simple steps. 

Step 1: Plant Your Tomato Plants

This may go without saying, but the first thing to do is to plant your tomato plants.

Give your tomato plants enough room to grow. Each tomato plant should have about 2 feet of space if you plant them in the ground. 

Remember: Tomato plants need 2 feet of space all around, so don’t plant the next row too close! 

Your tomato plants won’t grow as well if they’re too close, but you’ll also need to fight between them to harvest the tomatoes.

Step 2: Prepare Your Bamboo Stakes

Prepare your bamboo stakes or purchase them if you have a place to source them.

Make sure that your bamboo stakes are big enough for the job. You may think a few feet will do the job, but your bamboo stakes should be at least 6 or 7 feet tall!

In addition, find bamboo stalks about 2 inches or wider in diameter. This will ensure that they can withstand the weight of the tomato plants.

Step 3: Put Your Bamboo Stakes Into The Ground

Now that your bamboo stakes are ready, you need to push them into the ground when your tomatoes are about a foot tall.

Don’t be shy when you are driving them into the ground. Put them at least 15 inches into the soil. Wet the soil to make this easier.

Do not be too rough with your bamboo stakes while you are doing this; you do not want to crack them. 

Use a mallet on the top of the stalk to help you if your stakes are wide enough to withstand the gentle banging. 

Step 4: Secure Your Tomato Plants To The Stakes

Your tomatoes may need some help getting secured to the stakes initially. 

Use strips of cloth or twine to securely tie your tomato stems to the bamboo stake to train the tomato plant to crawl up the stake. 

Watch how tightly you tie your tomatoes! Their stems will get fatter as they grow, but you do not want to snap your stems in half while securing them to the stakes.

Step 5: Replace Bamboo Stakes As Necessary

Finally, you will need to do regular maintenance on your bamboo stakes.

You probably won’t need to replace your bamboo stakes during the growing season unless one of them snaps or falls over.

From growing season to growing season, you may want to replace your stake so they can continue to do their jobs – though you’re only looking at doing this every 2 or 3 years.