tomato cages

have to work this weekend,so I had thursday and friday off,went to PA and made some tomato cages for the small garden near the house,also did some repairs on the barn and sheds, I made the tomato cages from concrete reinforcing wire and drove a fencepost in the ground to hold them,Got the fence posts cheap at a going out of buisness sale,I have had them for a while and finally had time to use try out the tomato cages this season.

I did that for a long time but now I just pound a stake and tie to it.
I did go with a tube pounder to set the stakes...Home Depot, 17 lb and slick as all get out... a couple of hits with the tube pounder and then just leave it on the stake as you reach for the other... no more sledge or mashed ends of the stakes. Best money I spent.

I used cages out of 6x6x10 concrete mesh for years. Actually worked better than boughten ones. Make them big in diameter to minimize tipping over.

I use 6 x 6 10-foot reinforcing panels too, except I stand them up. I have two rows, 16" apart, 30 feet long. I cut some wood strips 18" long and made a saw kerf one inch in on each end. The kerfs fit over the wire and hold everything in place. As the tomatoes grow I add more slats to support the plant. I had the concrete supplier cut me some 5/8" re-rod for stakes to hold the panels. Then I zip-tie the panels to the stakes. Makes a very stable cage. It does take a lot of slats, but I re-use them year to year. I'll post some garden pictures soon. I also use panels to suport my cukes and pickles.

Larry

I use 16' wire cattle panels. Plant the tomatoes 1' apart and use a panel on each side of the row. Use 3 tee post per panel and zip tie the panel to the post. Been doing that for 25 years now. Makes it easy to put the fence up and take down. Plants are closer than normal and helps keep the sun from baking them. Can't remember but the panels are 52" or 54" high and lift them 6"s off the ground to tie to the post. Vines come out the top and sometimes go all the way back to the ground.
Have to water a lot like that. When plants get first 10 tomatoes on them they need what's equal to one in. of rain a day.

I started making my tomato cages from heavy gauge reinforcement wire back in the late 70's.
I cut the bottom horizontal wires off so the cages don't need a metal post. I used heavy plastic ties, but they don't last very long being left out in the weather. I found heavy twine off bags of shelled corn last a long time.
You can see the twine in some of these pictures. I use to mulch the tomato plants with grass clippings. Hal

I have a friend that is a fence builder and he gives me ends and cutoffs from the rolls he puts up . They make great cages . The ones they sell in the stores arnt worth bringing home !!

My grandad would string one row of cattle panels down his garden. He would then plant his tomatoes and cucumbers in the same row. As they grew up the panels he would tie them off. The cukes were easier to see and pick and weren't spread over the garden.

As most of you know, we garden in raised beds. I have taken old crates and pallets, dismantled them and used the lumber to make simple adjustable slat trelliss that we adjust to the plants as they grow. They are screwed together with deck screws, so they can be moved from box to box with little effort. Once the plants are well established on the first tier, we cut all the under growth below allowing air to circulate under the main body of the plants. This allows us to water them easily from beneith, without getting the leaves wet. Far less disease, using this method. I also have a pile of "cut offs" from a steel roofing job that fit perfectly on the slat rails and work well to shade young plants from the sun early on in the season. They worked well to protect the plants from a hail storm that came through a couple of weeks ago also. You might also want to try an A frame like this for peas. I built this one from an old crate, nylon rope, baler twine, and deck screws, in about a 1/2 day. It is 8' tall. The wifey will need a ladder to pick them LOL. Our tomatoes are late, as we never got our plants in the mail that we ordered. The plants in the second pic. are all seedlings that sprouted from last years crop. We are looking forward to see what these plants produce. If we are happy, we will persue this next year. These plants yielded 1-3# fruits last year, and we canned 73 qts. of V8.5 juice last year, and want to do more this coming year. With the farm for Venison, fish, beef, and pork, we don't buy much at the grocery store. I need to start growing barley and hops though! LOL

I made my cages out of reinforcing wire too, tacked them together with a mig welder so they are less wobbly. I put a wooden post in deep at each end of my tomato row (about 60' long) and run a fence wire between the posts and fasten the baskets to the wire. Works good, never had a problem with them blowing over.

I've got wire mesh cages too, Larry, but I plant the tomatoes in pairs about 18" apart, then one "T" post will hold up two cages at once. I leave about three or four feet between the pairs of plants so you can get around them easy. I stole that idea from a friend.

You always have nice pictures.

Paul

Larry...Bought some of that wire at an auction once, they called it "pig wire"
What do you call it there.??
Used some as reo in a carport, you have given me ideas for the balance of it.

I use'em also I think I cut them every 11th vertical wire. I use to loop the wire to sew them up but have went to concert ties they also have a special tool to twist the ties. I put a T post every 4th cage and run a wire thru the top from one end to the other end of the row... It will keep them from tip'n over in a storm...



http://www.gemplers.com/product/160...u=160251&gclid=CILY85Or1bACFQrf4Aodbi1b0w

http://www.simsupply.com/p-33492-hand-wire-tying-tool.aspx?CAWELAID=1303431867

I tie are fence most every thing,,, When it comes time to take it all down I pull the wire and stretch it on the fence in the back ground its ready for the next year...