I just built a raised garden bed that's perfect for growing tomatoes, but I'm worried about animals eating my plants if I leave it uncovered. My concern is that tomato plants can grow quite tall; I know they can reach up to 6 feet, but I can only make a cover that's a maximum of 4 feet high. Is there a way to manage this? Can I prune my tomato plants to keep them shorter? I'm currently growing Principe Borghese. Are there other types of tomatoes that tend to stay smaller?
3 Answers
Using chicken wire for the cover could be a good idea! Just make sure it allows enough space for bees and other pollinators to access the flowers. You wouldn't want to hinder their ability to help with the tomato plants' growth.
You might want to consider growing determinate tomato varieties, which naturally stay smaller and bushy. Alternatively, you can train indeterminate tomatoes to grow sideways along a trellis rather than letting them shoot straight up. That way, they can fit under your cover without too much trouble.