To maximize your crop, and minimize disease and insect damage, stake or cage tomatoes. They will reward you with more and tomatoes and will be cleaner as they will not be sitting on the soil. The race is always on in my neighborhood to get the first ripe tomato of the season. But, most of us also grow and await the beefsteaks. One slice form these delicious beauties more than fills a sandwich.
Tomatoes experience some insect problems with cutworms and a few other garden pests.
Also, if not staked or caged, snails and slugs will munch on the ripening fruit. Tomato plants emit a mild toxin that discourages many small insects from bothering them. A number of plant problems can arise, usually in mid summer heat and humidity. Blights and fungus infections can occur in the high humidity. Early treatment with fungicides is effective.