I use those cheap, small 3-ring tomatoes cages they sell for a couple of bucks each. The ones I have are maybe 3' tall. These cages are not at all large enough to support indeterminate tomato plants but they are great for most pepper plants. For the kinds of pepper plants that get really tall, like ancho gigantea, (which hit 5' tall and 4' wide in my garden last year) I use regular home-made tomato cages but I generally cut them in half, height-wise, so they are only 3-4' tall instead of the 7-8' tall ones I use for tomatoes.

I grow a lot of pepper plants for canning and in order to share peppers with our friends, so I don't have enough cages for all of them. Once I run out of cages, I stake the plants with a stake hammered into the ground near the plants on the same day they are planted. (Coming back and hammering in a stake later on can damage the roots.) With the staked ones I space them only 15-18" apart at planting time, which means they sort of grow into a hedge of intermingled , staked plants that help hold each other up.

I have had good lick planting peppers in a triangle about 12-18"s apart then just tying some string around them aall. They pretty much support themselves.

Mike

This year I am going to us the small tomato cages and also rebar driven deep so the whole thing doesn't blow over. I got a 10 pack of cages at HD for $10.
Last year I had a couple small cages but one day the wind blew them over and I lost almost the whole plant. the ones that weren't caged were a total loss.
kim

I use my trellises, hay binder twine, bamboo or other type of stake, and cut up strips of old tee shirts.

As I have gotten older I leave the trellises up from year to year. They are very sturdy so will meat about any need, and it is much less work than having to remove them each year. Last year I started using bamboo in a lot of places, and like it. The main support is from T post about every 7'
I hope to have trellises on at least half of my rows..

Larry

everyone, many thanks

I use the three ring 'tomato' cages, too. I have a bunch of remesh tomato cages that could be cut down, if you want.