The garden does not reward laziness when it comes to support. Let tomatoes sprawl and beans tangle, and chaos takes over faster than a summer storm rolling across the horizon. Stems snap, fruit rots ...

Among the garden staples, tomato plants are some of the fastest growers. While this can be a beneficial trait, it also means that they need support early on to prevent breakage, disease, and crowding.

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Ripe red tomatoes on the vine covered with water droplets - Phetchanat Phonchan/Shutterstock (Phetchanat Phonchan/Shutterstock) ...

A plump beefsteak tomato can weigh up to a pound—that's a lot of weight for the flexible branches of a tomato plant to support. Add the bulk of several fruits ripening at once, and you have the ...