Make Your Own Tomato Cages

Intro: Make Your Own Tomato Cages

I started making these cages after being frustrated and disappointed how the small cages you purchase fall down or collapse under the weight of the plant. These cages are made from steel mesh generally used for concrete and can be purchased at most home improvement stores. They are simple and hold up well.

You will have to determine how much mesh you need based on the number of plants you wish to support and how large of a cage you would like. I made this one a bit tighter than my last ones do to the size of my new garden and number of plants I have.

Things you will need:

Roll of steel mesh
- I have used this in the past an in this build but you can use other material such as wire fencing.

Tools
Small bolt cutters for cutting the wire
Pair of pliers for twisting wire
Tape measure
Gloves are also recommended

STEP 1: First Cut

I this step we cut our steel mesh to the length we need to surround our plant. To find out how much you will need you will have to solve for your circumference C=(Dπ). I have chosen to make my cage around 14" in diameter. So 14*3.14=44" (rounding up for easy figures).

Now that we have our length we can cut our mesh to the desired length. We won't cut right on our measured 44" but to the nearest center of the square mesh. Keep in mind we don't need to be exact for this. We will be using the extending wire to tie this all together.

STEP 2: Tying It All Together

In this step we will wrap the cage around to itself. The mesh will naturally want to coil up making this pretty easy. Next you will bend the extending pieces around closing the ends to make the cage.

STEP 3: Final Cut

Here we will cut the very bottom ring off. In this step we will want to cut as close to the bottom ring as possible. This will give us the longest possible wire to force into the earth to secure the cage.

STEP 4: Lastly Install

Center your cage around the plant and press it firmly into the ground. You can use the rings to step on to force it into the ground.

Comments

[russ_hensel]

I have never seen a useful tomato cage in a store. As far as I am concerned this is the only way to cage. I hold my cages together with copper wire from romex house wiring, this makes it easy to open the cages. Two cages make a big cage which you can use to protect a small tree from deer. Put plastic around them in cold/early weather for a boost ( third picture ). Even at 5 feet the plants come out the top.

[SophiesFoodieFiles]

This is great! Also because we can't find these tomato cages here in Belgium! :) Yes!

[Prfesser]

Concrete reinforcing wire works a treat. If the hardware store is reluctant to cut off a length from a full roll, see if they have flat sheets of the wire, 5x10 feet, each makes two cages. Warning: rolling that flat stuff round takes effort, but it's worth it. I have tomato cages made from concrete reinforcing that have lasted for 8 years and will be good for 8 more.

[tomatoskins]

So simple and much more sturdy than the store bought versions!