I'm looking for affordable and effective ideas for tomato cages or supports because my tomato plants are outgrowing the standard cages you find in stores. I've heard about homemade cages using cattle panels, but I'm curious about other options. What setups have worked well for you?
5 Answers
Have you considered using a taller cage? Like this one that's 60 inches high? I mean, are your plants really growing that fast? They can spread out a lot horizontally too, especially when they get heavy with fruit!
I use string trellises made with 1x1s. It's pretty effective, and I do some pruning to keep things in check. Keeps my plants manageable!
That sounds interesting! Could you share a picture of your setup?
I grow indeterminate heirloom tomatoes that get really tall and wide, so I made my own cages out of 14 gauge welded fencing, about 60 inches high and 18 inches in diameter. I secure them with zip ties for easy storage at the end of the season!
I have a lot of honeysuckle, so I make supports from that! I just stick a 6-7 foot pole in the ground near my young tomato plants and tie them with natural twine. I grow about 50 plants each year, and while a couple of poles fall over now and then, it works for me!
Nowadays, I mostly grow dwarf tomatoes that only reach about 3 feet. It cuts down on the need for big cages. But for my indeterminate ones, I use bamboo to create a teepee and clip the plants to it. I check on them daily and adjust as needed. It's pretty simple!
Yeah, it takes a little time, but I've seen them outgrow even the larger cages. They just get so bushy!