Tools & Materials: You will need concrete reinforcement mesh (available at any home improvement store like Home Depot or Lowes). You will also need wire cutters.
* Note: The cut ends of the mesh can be super sharp! You may want to wear a pair of work gloves to avoid some bloodshed.
1. Cut the concrete mesh into 54 in ( 137cm ) sections. Make sure you end with the horizontal wire sticking out. This will make a tomato cage with a 16 in ( 41 cm ) diameter.
2. Clip off the horizontal wire on the start side (if it isn't already). You will now have one smooth vertical end, and one vertical end with horizontal wire poking out.
3. Roll the wire into a circle and wrap the horizontal wires on the end a couple of times around the smooth vertical surface at the beginning (see my photos for details).
4. Cut off the horizontal sections on the bottom so that you have long vertical wires exposed to stick in the ground. You will want at least 10 in (25 cm) to put into the ground to keep the cages stable.
5. Keep in mind that you will need to cut a couple holes in the cages so that you can easily prune the plant and pull the ripe tomatoes out. Imagine your hand holding a softball - that's how big you need to cut the holes. I cut at least 3 holes at various heights on the cages so that I have easy access to the tomatoes on top as well as bottom of the plant.
Instead of simple cutting the wire out to create holes (they leave super sharp edges - ouch!) cut the wire and bend it back so that your skin won't be scratched by the sharp edges. See my photos above for details.To make your own tomato cages:
Tools & Materials: You will need concrete reinforcement mesh (available at any home improvement store like Home Depot or Lowes). You will also need wire cutters.
* Note: The cut ends of the mesh can be super sharp! You may want to wear a pair of work gloves to avoid some bloodshed.
We grow several varieties of heirloom tomatoes in our urban garden every year. We've found that the standard tomato cages available at the hardware stores just aren't tall enough and often collapse under the weight of our larger heirloom tomato plants (which can reach 6-7 ft tall). I wanted cages that would be able to handle these larger non-hybrid varieties that wouldn't cost a fortune.
What are you most proud of?
We've been using these cages for 3 years now and they are still in great shape. They are so much taller than standard tomato cages that they can also double as vertical supports for pole beans, cucumbers or peas. They are also great supports to reign in wandering tomatillo plants.
What advice would you give someone starting this project?
Wear gloves and watch out for sharp edges! This is a super easy project - have fun and enjoy your tomato crop!
Fantastic idea. I tried it this year on one of my plants and it was so much better than those wimpy cages they sell at the Depot. Some of my plants over grew the traditional cages so much that I couldn't control them. The concrete mesh can be lethal.. I bled a lot!
That a great idea! I too grow lots of heirloom tomatoes and find them slightly monsterous by late summer and hard to rein in. I will have to try this next year...thanks!
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