Growing Unstaked Tomatoes
Unstaked tomatoes are usually grown for processing into paste or for the hawker trade. As the input cost of this type of production is far lower, it is often used by new tomato producers.
But as tomato plants are spread on the ground, both the leaves and fruit are vulnerable to disease, especially when the soil is wet.
Another disadvantage is that spraying is less effective than with staked plants.
Unstaked tomatoes are only suited to a dry climate, such as winter in the Mpumalanga Lowveld and summer in parts of the Cape.
IRRIGATION
With this in mind, you should use either drip or furrow irrigation for unstaked tomatoes, never overhead irrigation.
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