You could try growing some determinate or bush tomatoes that are good for containers. Or, you could definitely top your indeterminates to the size you want. You'll just lose out on any tomatoes that it would have set on the taller vines. I suppose for some it would be heresy to trim up your vines, but, hey, they're your 'maters!

This year I'm trying beefsteak and roma determinates and 4th of July and black pearl (cherry) indeterminates. I have square tomatoe trellises which are only 4 feet high so I'm in the same boat as you. I'll probably have to trim up by season's end.

From a design sense, 9' would be about the perfect height for a 14.5' wide garden.

9 x the golden ratio = 14.5623059

What a great observation! You can't argue with the aesthetics created by the golden ratio (1:1.618).

With regard to the golden ratio - I just put in tomatoes here, in two rows of three each 2/12 feet apart, with two stakes criss-crossed next to each pair, for staking later. (There is a stake across all three pairs of stakes, tied to them, for stability.) The bed is 8 feet long.

Without realizing it I put in the stakes so they would be close to 5 feet tall in the raised bed (almost exactly the golden ratio), and I love the way they look. Accidental on my part, but I really like it.

I am going to remember that guideline in the future. Thanks for sharing it. :)

With regard to the golden ratio - I just put in tomatoes here, in two rows of three each 2/12 feet apart, with two stakes criss-crossed next to each pair, for staking later. (There is a stake across all three pairs of stakes, tied to them, for stability.) The bed is 8 feet long.

Without realizing it I put in the stakes so they would be close to 5 feet tall in the raised bed (almost exactly the golden ratio), and I love the way they look. Accidental on my part, but I really like it.

I am going to remember that guideline in the future. Thanks for sharing it. :)

So do you go by overall garden size or the size of the bed with the obelisk in it?

If you wanted to take it further, your beds inside the garden could be 5.5', and the garden could be either 14.5' or 23.5' long.

Based on this interesting and helpful feedback, I just splurged and ordered obelisks. I ordered two 8' obelisks (one each for the furthest northern locations in the two northern beds). I also ordered 4 (!) 7' obelisks. I am going to try tomatoes cheek-by-jowl a la square foot gardening. I plan three obelisks each in the northern beds, oriented north to south in the center of each bed with the 8 footers in the back. I hope it works. I guess the theory is more production per square foot rather than maximizing production per plant. Considering that I want more varieties, this seems like something worth trying for me. We'll see! There's always next year. LOL.

If anyone is in the market for obelisks, I found a great coupon code for 30% off at well-known catalog company (P&H). I bit the bullet and considered this a one-time investment that will give me lots of flexibility in the future, too. Gotta love being a single woman sometimes. No one to second guess my splurges! LOL. Can't exactly hide obelisks like you can expensive shoes. Ha ha. Of course, all six obelisks cost less than one pair of Manolo Blahniks--how's that for justification?

Lisa

By the way, I don't own any Manolo Blahniks. I'm a garden-ista, not a fashionista. LOL.

You're definitely a gardenista, lol! Those are gonna be some pricey tomatoes! Did you buy the Classic obelisks? I have one of the 8 footers I use for flowering vines. It's very sturdy. Where did you find the 30% off coupon?

Lisa, never mind ... found it. Bought a few things myself. Thanks!

Glad you found the coupon, natal! Yes, they are the classic obelisks in bronze.

The obelisks arrived yesterday morning. I was surprised to see them so quickly. UPS guy didn't look happy, especially because he had delivered a heavy wooden door to me the day before. I also hadn't thought about the assembly required--LOL. In retrospect that seems silly--what did I expect six big 7-8 foot packages? I have four of six assembled (it actually only takes about 10-15 minutes per obelisk and is very easy).

So far, I am very pleased but do need to figure out how to secure them in the garden. Any ideas? I am afraid a strong wind will knock them and my precious tomatoes to the ground. I've seen mentions of staking obelisks but don't really know what that entails.

Thanks in advance if anyone can help,

Lisa

Lisa, the 8-footer I have has never budged ... not even during Hurricane Gustav. Wonder how much lighter the smaller obelisks are? Hmmm. Guess I'll find out.

I have a different obelisk in the kitchen garden that I stake with a few of these ...

Lisa, sorry about that. I just checked the P&H obelisk and realized those stakes won't work. The other one I have sits on a flat base with no legs going into the ground, so it's easy to stake.

Lisa, did you ever figure out what to use for stakes? I still think it might not be necessary. I got 2 of the 5' obelisks. They seem just as sturdy as the 8 footer.

You know, I think they seem awfully sturdy, too. So far I haven't felt a sense of urgency to stake them. I might end up regretting it, but so far none of them have budged in a few windy storms. It has occurred to me to tie them to each other since they are all in a row, but I don't know if that will help or hurt? Glad the 5' obelisks are nice, too.

Lisa