Whenever we plant tomatoes, they grow very big, about 7-8 feet tall and yield a lot of tomatoes. I am not complaining. (we use chicken manure and sometimes fertilizer).
But, my question is what do people use that is cheap and sturdy and can support such a big tomato plant.
Galvanized cattle panels, cut in half to 8 foot lengths, and supported by 2 steel fence posts. They will last forever.
Charlie
Pieces of leftover farm fencing built into cages. ;-)
Tonight, I welded some leftover Schedule 40 water pipes together, need to add a few more pieces and I will be done for good.
i
tried them. I will never use them again except possibly for cherry tomatoes. A heavy period of rain softened the ground so much they fell over. Also I had a bunch of fruits that got severely bruised when they grew up against the wire of the cages. I am back to using cheap 1x2 lumber usually called furring (sp?) strips. The 8 foot lengths usually last at least 2 or 3 years; by then they might be getting a little short for tomatoes but they come in handy for a lot of different things around the garden. I guess if I was doing a LOT of tomatoes I might try to devise something more permanent. Chas
You can use 1x1" wood sticks/poles. Put four of them around the tomato and then use strong string wrapped around the four poles at various places.
Regards, June
Hmmmm...
I use the cages for cherry tomatoes and steel ladders for the beefsteaks.
You can make your own steel ladders (cheap, but a pain) or buy them (not cheap and easy) but the they last a very long time.
Enjoy Life ... Dan
I ended up doing this:
1) on two ends of the row, I sledgehammered two pipes into the ground so that 1 foot sticks out2) Put larger pipes on top of those. So they are removable.
3) To the top of the pipes, I welded other pipes so that they look like letters "T"4) I put a 2x4 by 14 feet boards on both sides.
5) I used little 1x2 boards to lean from the ground to these 2x4The total cost was $16 for the 2x4s, I had the rest.
I can post pictures if anyone is interested.
Back in Aug., 2006, "gonzo" said, "An easy home-grown alternative if you don't mind the rustic look:
a single concrete reinforcing mesh panel (I forget what the dimensions are, but it stands 4 feet tall). Available at any home DIY store, I think I shelled out 4.50 each for the 3 I have a couple years ago. Roll into a cylinder, and wire up or bend the panel ends over to keep the cylinder shape. I've seen some books recommend just snipping off the end and sticking the cylinder into the ground, but I'm sure my plants would topple that. I use a metal stake pounded into the ground and wire/string the cylinder to it.
Openings in the mesh are 4-6 inches, just right for harvesting tomatoes when the plants reach up and over the top. My plants can look me right in the eye, and I'm just 6 foot. No special plastic mulches, etc. The plants seem to love it.
Added bonus: wrap the cylinder in early spring with plastic for a mini-greenhouse.
Now I have a handful of those silly little commercial tomato cages that I see everywhere in the spring I use for marking special plants, holding up peppers, etc. Tomatoes get the support they need with the heavy duty cages :)"
Thats what I saw being used at a community garden I visited, and the material can be purchased by the foot from a mason yard.
To find the length of reinforcing wire needed multiply the diameter you want by 3.1416
Thats what I use. It seems to work the best.
I finally ditched the wire and bought Texas Tomato Cages last year. I only regret that they do not sell them in pairs, as I'd like to get two more:
My wire cages had rusted up and were always a pain to deal with in the fall.
:Whenever we plant tomatoes, they grow very big, about 7-8 feet tall :and yield a lot of tomatoes. I am not complaining. (we use chicken :manure and sometimes fertilizer). : :But, my question is what do people use that is cheap and sturdy and :can support such a big tomato plant.
There's lots of different ways. One good way is just stakes. I have a very good book that has you plant your tomatoes in a box in the soil, made out of masonite, with no bottom and stakes in the four corners angling slightly away from each other, probably around 8 feet above the ground. The plants have side suckers removed and are tied to the stakes at intervals.
I used to do this but now use bamboo for stakes and a modified method without the box scenario. I have bamboo stakes set in the ground and tie more bamboo between them as needed and tie the plants where appropriate. My neighbor has a tall stand of bamboo and I always get as much as I need free.
Dan
Not cheap the 1st year, but mine are now over 20 years old and still good as new. I bought a roll of 6 foot wide by 6 inch square mesh concrete reinforcing wire. I cut it into 30 inch lengths, then connected 4 pieces together with the cut wire ends acting as hinges. They fold when not in use to 6' X 5' X less than an inch thick. I use them to also cage cukes up off the ground. I also made some 2 foot square by 3 foot tall for peppers and my old timer tomatoes that don't get as lanky!! The rust coat hardened by the 2nd year and no deteration has taken place since.
Tom J
Tom J
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.