Tomato cages--what do you use?

[Pilot]

Never liked those wire cages. Came up with a new solution, but maybe you have something better.

My design is simple, using PVC pipe and twine. Cut the PVC to 5 ft., drill 1/4" holes about every 10 inches, pound 3 of them into the ground around the plant, thread the twine thru the holes to make a loop. Can easily store and reuse the PVC every year.

Any better ideas out there?

 

[jlgurr]

I use the Florida Weave which I learned about on TBN. Basically a solid stake at each end of a row. Tie string on stake and weave in and out of the plants then come back by weaving on the opposing side. As the plants grow add another height of string. We have a "hedge" of tomatoes now about 5 feet tall.

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[Oaktree]

I'm not real big on tomatoes myself, but put in a couple plants for my wife. I just use wooden stakes and tie them to that with twine.

 

[polo1665]

I think it is cruel and inhumane to cage tomatoes. I will only serve free range tomatoes at my house.

..........kidding...............I made my own cages out of 1/4" roundstock steel about 6 or 7 years ago. They hold up well, but are a pain to store. Might have to try your idea.

 

[Mendonsy]

We do it a bit different. We set a fence post at each end of the row and run a cable between the top of the posts. We use twine to tie each plant up to the cable.

 

[Ed of all trades]

We just drive a metal fence post next to each plant an tie them to that. It is important ti turn the post so the knobs are away from the plant and wrap the string around the post and then tie up the plant. We have used ours for 10 years and the paint is still good on them. Ed

 

[flyerdan]

I made some out of some .375" heavy galvanized cut off from truss rods used on gates. There was always plenty of drop at work. If I had a way to roll rings I would have done a heavier version of the wire ones, but the triangle ones seem to do fine. They don't rust from being in the ground, and the zinc doesn't seem to bother the plants. Been using them for years, need to make a few more as I had a bunch of volunteers this year.

 

[Creamer]

I took a 50" tall by 16' long livestock panel and split it both directions with bolt cutters. Then i bent each piece in half. I now have an "A" frame that I put between four tomato plants planted in a 2' x 2' pattern. I then use twine to help get them started to climb up the support.

I did this after I got tired of all the work of tying them to a wood stake or setting up cages that either break or blow over. Now I have rigid support that are easy to set and then remove in the fall and they never fall down. They are made out of 1/4" rod and the sharp ends stick in the ground. The A frame shape and 2'x2' base make them very sturdy. I have been using them for about ten years now.

A new livestock panel is $15 locally and I can cut it in about 5 minutes.

 

[hosspuller]

Best part of the typical tomato cage is they nest together .... I've too much stuff already to store.


I do like the idea of the Florida Weave :thumbsup:... If I have a row of tomato plants in the future ... I'll use that.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I made mine out of concrete reinforcement wire. They are tough; takes bolt cutters to cut the heavy wire. They are very strong, and work fine. I have room for storage, so it's not a problem.

 

[Creamer]

Mine being A shaped stack very well for storage

 

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

I made mine out of concrete reinforcement wire. They are tough; takes bolt cutters to cut the heavy wire. They are very strong, and work fine. I have room for storage, so it's not a problem.

Yep mine have lasted 30 years and show no signs of giving up. Put the cage around the plant when plating, the cage and plant are one, no work needed. Use a 3' 1/2" rebar as a stake, reuse the same ones over and over again. We have 25 cages, also good for pole beans and cucumbers. In the fall leave them up, in the spring the tomato plant is dried and falls out very easy, reuse, a wonderful thing.

 

[sseelhoff]

We grow our tomatoes in raised beds. I run cattle panels along the sides of the bed and plant the tomatoes next to the panels. Then strap the panels as the tomatoes grow.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Yep mine have lasted 30 years and show no signs of giving up. Put the cage around the plant when plating, the cage and plant are one, no work needed. Use a 3' 1/2" rebar as a stake, reuse the same ones over and over again. We have 25 cages, also good for pole beans and cucumbers. In the fall leave them up, in the spring the tomato plant is dried and falls out very easy, reuse, a wonderful thing.

Yep, beans and cukes grow quite well on them too. I stagger mine in the raised bed, and tie them together with zip ties...makes them very stable with heavy plants and in the wind. I had one turn over a couple weeks ago; it was standing by itself, had a big tomato plant in it. Figured out later that a deer was eating the top of the tomato plant and turned it over.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

FWIW, our tomatoes this year are as big and beautiful as I have ever seen. Except for a "Mortgage Buster" and a "Cherokee Purple" (which aren't doing much), I planted all "Super Fantastic"...in my opinion, for this area they are the best!

 

[RalphVa]

I just drive multiple stakes, as needed, into the ground and tie the tomatoes to them as needed. I stake volunteer cherry ones once and then kinda let them sprawl.

I've tomato plants all over the place this year.

Ralph

 

[xzcVAbc5]

I made mine out of concrete reinforcement wire. They are tough; takes bolt cutters to cut the heavy wire. They are very strong, and work fine. I have room for storage, so it's not a problem.

Same here for cages. I leave the cages full height. Run a T-post in the ground next to the cage and then put two zipties from the cage to the post.

As far as storage I lay them on their side and then stack them the way pipe would lay row by row. I used to tie them down before winter because I thought they would blow over but it didn't happen the last two years.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Hah. I put mine in the "corral"...a fenced in area I built and planned as a compost area, but which turned out to be large enough to compost half the city. :laughing:

 

[varmint]

I'd second or third the idea of using conc. reinforcing wire- we nip off about 6' of 5' wide rolled wire, and make a cylinder that's about 23" in dia., 60" tall, with wire ends that poke into the ground, to hold the cage. Only the largest, most unruley plants required stakes of 1/2" rebar to hold them in place. The wire ends eventually rust and break, which means rebar is required after some season's of use.

 

[lakngulf]

I made mine out of concrete reinforcement wire. They are tough; takes bolt cutters to cut the heavy wire. They are very strong, and work fine. I have room for storage, so it's not a problem.

For the most part I use cages from ^^^^^ this wire as well. Last forever.
I have also tried cattle panels two different ways, and both work:

(1) Horizontal



(2) Vertical