Tomato cages
There are good tomato cages on the market and there are some good and easy ways to make your own tomato cages. If you have more time than money, make your own using some of the ideas listed below.
One way of making good tomato cages is to buy heavy duty fencing that is about 4 feet wide. Measure out enough fencing to make a cage 2 feet in diameter--or slightly more. This takes about 6-7 feet of fencing. Using wire cutters, cut right along the edges of the horizontal wire so you have wire ends that can be hooked. It also leaves the remainder of the coil of fencing with a straight edge. Bend these end wires in toward the center of the cage as hooks. Form the circle cage and hook the ends around the other edge of the fencing.
The next step in making these tomato cages is to drive a 6 foot tall stake a foot into the ground about 1 foot away from the plant. Place the cage over the tomato plants before they begin falling over, requiring support. The stake should be on the inside of the cage. Secure the cage to the stake for stability with wires.
Another of the tomato cages that work well are simply two stakes, 6 foot tall, driven 1 foot into the ground opposite each other about a foot from the tomato seedling. You are forming a line: stake, tomato plant, stake. As the tomato grows, you can provide support just under each leaf node by attaching strips of old cloth to one stake, slipping around the tomato plant to the other stake, circling that stake and coming back to the first stake, fastening it securely. As the plant continues to grow, additional loops can be added up the stake.
You can buy folding cages, welded steel circular cages and the loop cage previously mentioned (See: Tomato Trellis). And you can use your ingenuity to create your own versions to fit your garden. Just remember to keep the plants mulched, well watered, properly fertilized, off the ground and you'll be well on your way to a great crop no matter which tomato cages you use!
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