The Ultimate Tomato Cage in 5 Simple Steps

[Denim Deb]

Don't know about anyone else, but my tomatoes grow taller than that. I have cattle panels in the garden already for my tomatoes to grow against. And to support them, I have cedar posts that are even taller. I get the posts for free in the woods next to me. I'll be stringing some baling twine between the tops of them to give them more height. Then, I'll just tie the plants to the panels.

 

[MoonShadows]

The cages pictured are 48" high. You can buy cattle panels 60" and I believe 72" high, or you can cut the 48" ones horizontally rather than vertically and make cages as high as you need.

 

[Denim Deb]

I've only found them at 50" high. And, that's an awful lot of work and expense. I have 2 panels. I can put 10 tomatoes against each one.

Plus, making the cages makes it's hard to store them. I can just prop my cattle panels up against my garden fence, and they take up almost no room. B4 I decided to go w/growing my tomatoes this way, I had actually thought about doing something similar.

 

[MoonShadows]

Whatever works for each of us is the answer, I guess.

BTW...easy to store, since the cage is made from 2 right angle sides that you can separate at the end of the season; you can store the pieces within each other.

 

[Denim Deb]

But you need a place to put them. And if you don't have a place, then storage can be a problem.

And you're right, whatever works for each of us is the answer. I've tried all different kinds of ways to hold them up. This will be the first year for me to try growing it against the panel. And if that doesn't work, I'll try something different.

 

[Beekissed]

Sure thing! I've tried many a different trellising and staking for maters, but I like this setup the very best. No tying, no worry about the fence sagging or leaning from the weight, etc. Just that weaving as they grow and suckering them good to keep good light and air into the interior of the plant.

 

[Beekissed]

Thank you! It does look neater than any other garden I've ever had, mostly due to the wood chips and permanent trellis cattle panels. Usually my gardens are a hot mess, particularly when everything is in full growth. I got tired of sagging tomato stakes and trellises making the garden look bad, so took this route to keep things looking and performing as they should.

Around here one can get cattle panels for $18-$20 per, so we tend to buy them a couple at a time and use them in multiple ways. I'll be building an arbor for my son's garden from cattle panel and wood this week, weather permitting.

I'm also using cattle panels split lengthwise to form rings around my apple saplings and later around the mature trees, to hold wood chips, straw, grass clippings, leaves, etc. so I can keep a constant compost at the foot of my trees.

 

[Denim Deb]

Some really neat ideas there.

 

[Mini Horses]

They are so versatile. I have used in the style of the greenhouse, etc with a tarp for "temporary" sun shade in a pasture that has no permanent shelter. Fast/cheap. Works!
Not as good for goats because they think that they must jump on top. Side walls needed there. But my mini horses love it.

I must have 75-100 of them here & move them around.

These panels are great! The pig ones are shorter, more small areas at bottom....cost more, sadly. My 2x4 space opening ones are 5' tall...very costly but I got mine 2nd hand yrs ago.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I wouldn't know how to do anything on the farm without panels! We've got the big ones, the shorter ones, ones with graduated openings and ones with big openings. I move and change things all the time and besides being a little heavy, they are easy to work with. The hard ones are the 20' long ones with the 4 x 4 openings. They are a booger - but I like 'em anyway.