Disclaimer: This post was originally posted by Hero Member, PaulB. The user is located in Southeast New Mexico, zone 7. This was originally posted on April 16, 2010.
I will indeed be training the plants to lie on top of the trellis, using the green plastic ties. I do have a 6 foot ladder that I can use, but as I stand over 6 feet tall myself, I can almost reach the top of the arch. The tree doesnt overhang the trellis. I can prune it, but as I am renting the property, I cant remove it. It is actually toward the northeast of the boxes, so it wont be much of a problem.
I purchased the remesh screen at one of my local lumber and building supply companies, not one of the big box places like Home Depot. It is for reinforcing concrete, so you might also check with a concrete supplier.
The whole idea of this design is to let the tomatoes hang down so that they are easier to pick. A step ladder should be fine for harvesting, and the other ladder should work for training the plants.
Next year, I intend on making this into a rainbow of tomatoes, planting different colors of heirloom cherry tomatoes, one color after another. This design can easily be added to in 8 increments by adding another panel.
