You will probably get about 6 answers, but here goes. Most people seem to like cages made from concrete reforcement wire which you can buy in rolls and it is five feet tall. It is strong and durable, but stays rusty and ugly and is a little hard to make the cages from. You have to consider a storage location or leave them out all year.

There are lighter weight rolls of wire that are galvanized or other non-rusty metal that can be used but it is not always easy to find one tall enough for a cage, but with large enough mess that you can put your hand in, wrap it around a large tomato and get it through the wire.

I use several things, but really like using cattle panels which I buy at Lowes for about $20 and since they are 16 feet long I can grow several plants on each one. Mostly I weave the plants in and out as they grow but I still sometimes have to add a few ties as well. There is also a man on the tomato forum that made his cages by splitting them lengthwise and bending into a U shape, but I use mine straight.

Then there is also the Florida weave method which you can Google and learn about.

The ultimate cage is probably the Texas Tomato Cage and if I could limit myself to 12 tomato plants, I would probably buy them, but I can't, so I haven't, and they are expensive. LOL

So from what I can gather from reading, Scot uses reinforcement wire in rolls, Dawn uses large mesh galvanized wire (for her 300+ cages), Paula uses reinforcement wire that comes in flat panels, I use flat 16 ft cattle panels, Jay likes to let his sprawl, but also has cages and invested in a few Texas cages this year. He wants it all!!!

Aren't we helpful. HeeHee We are all so different, but yet so much alike when it comes to gardening.

Here is a link that might be useful: Texas tomato cage

Carol, Believe it or not, I've given away a few tomato cages to a dear friend the last year or two and am slowly downsizing a little bit. This year I am growing beans on some of them since I no longer plant as many tomato plants, and I stack 2 cages vertically to give me taller cages. Some of those older cages are getting pretty pathetic and need to be retired.

Dale, I use galvanized woven wire fencing that is not quite as heavy duty as CRW because it is hard for me to cut CRW with my small and apparently weak hands. My dad always used CRW and he used the same cages for well over 20 or 25 years, so they last forever.

One way around the storage issue is to make them in different sizes so you can store them nestled inside one another.

I'll link a website below that has photos of all kinds of tomato cages and support systems.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: Tomato Support Systems

Dale,
What Carol says is basically what I do. Many growers of a number of plants here let them sprawl and also a lot of experienced small growers unless they have lots of wind break. I cage around 50 plants. I started making cages out of CRW 10-12 years ago. I brought my number up to fifty over the new couple of years. Noah and I made cages for all of the family and friends. In my opinion the cheapest and very good cages. I cut the bottom wire on the edge off so I had 6 inches to stick in the ground for support. This has either rusted off or getting very thin and weak on the older cages. If I cut this off it will make them to short for the average cage. So may cut them in half and use for other purposes or use them for beans like Dawn does. The only draw back is stacking them in the winter. I make them all the same size for several reasons. And by doing this you just have to create big piles. With my 2 acres and lots of room in the back not a real issue. But could be for someone with a smaller back yard.

The Texas Tomato Cage is like comparing a Cadillac to a Chevy and the store bought cages many times are a VW without an engine. It is expensive. Very well built and will fold up and very easy to store. Wider openings and easy to pick fruit. By far the best of any commercially available cages I've seen. They are expensive when comparing them to CRW cages. Then again they will last a lifetime with no rust. As I was always told you pay for quality and having someone else doing your work. I originally ordered 6. Then another 6. May order another 6 this year and then 6 per year till I get all of my old CRW cages replaced. It is a personal decision. I kept having growers I respect for the last 2-3 years trying to convince me to try them. I kept saying I loved my CRW cages and would just build more of them. Right now with all of the irons I have in the fire and some family I need to spend time with I decided to try them. I will say so far I like them better than I thought I would. The shipping has went up since I bought my first order. So not cheap by any means. If a person has time to make their own then I would suggest the CRW cages or something like Dawn or Carol uses. If a person wants to buy a ready to use cage then I would suggest the Texas Tomato Cage. Jay

Why not put up a link for Texas Cages? Is there a web site where one can see them and get the figures?

BTW, we simply purchased a bolt cutter for cutting concrete reinforcing wire. It makes a huge difference.

George
(who is a lover of concrete reinforcing wire cages)

Soonergrandma posted a link to the Texas cages. I'd love some of them, but frankly don't want to spend $300+ shipping to support my 18 plants.

At 5' tall, I don't think concrete wire would be tall enough for most indeterminates? I have some tomatoes that are already over 8' tall and have folded over my five foot high supports.

In the tomato forum, some people build arches/trellises by bending cattle panels, and to me this is a fantastic idea, but you need a truck to get the cattle panels, and supposedly it is HARD to bend them. Someone almost catapulted himself out of the garden when his snapped back while he was bending it.

I use the rebar/conduit/nylon mesh system that I guess Mel invented in Square foot Gardening. You pound rebar into the ground, slip the conduit over it, and string nylon tomato mesh in between. It's worked pretty well for me, but am finding that 5' isn't tall enough, so next year I will use those beds for other climbers and build some 8' supports elsewhere. I also built some 4' tall supports in the same way which was a huge mistake.

I don't take mine down in the winter, and so far they are fine. Time will tell.

Jo

Here is a link that might be useful: Square Foot Gardening Tomato Trellis

Jo you can buy 7' CRW in some places. Around here I would have to special order it or go to Amarillo,TX or Garden City, KS. At least the last time I checked that was the case. I fully understand the cost issue. The comparison I would use is some choose to purchase Lee Valley tools and others like me choose to spend less and buy used tools at auctions. It is a personal decision. I have never seen a Lee Valley tool in person but know from reading and looking at pictures they are very high quality. So are the Texas Tomato Cages. If I was building them I might make a few minor changes. But that is always the case. I just decided after trying a few that I felt they were worth the long term investment to me. For convenience of use & storage and the fact I will never have to replace them. I don't think I will hang them on the wall but they are still attractive. LOL. If you want to bend the cattle panels just get 1-2 small ratchet straps and pull them into shape and you don't have to worry about them springing back on you. Your method sounds great and if it works for you and you are happy with it that is what is the most important.

George when making the CRW cages I use bolt cutters. And also I cut a short piece of steel tubing that will fit over the end of the wire. Makes bending the wire around easy and fast. Jay

Dawn--

Do what George says and ask for one of those big bolt cutters for Xmas. It's the only way to go for those of us with small, weak(er) hands!!

Jay, I got up this morning thinking I was going to ask you what the verdict was on your Texas Tomato Cages. I would say you've answered my question: if you're replacing your CRW cages by spending money on the TTC then they must be something indeed.

Marcy

Marcy,
I'm not replacing all of my CRW cages with Texas Cages. With the addition of so many containers had a need for more cages. If I had thought about how many containers I was going to add early on I may of just planted those plants in the caged rows 4' a part and let them sprawl. And also like I stated earlier I needed to either replace or shorten 4-6 cages where the ends in the ground have rusted off. I will know more by the end of the season. But so far very satisfied. Wish they were cheaper but then you usually get what you pay for. Jay

If the Texas tomato cages ever go on sale I'll let you all know. I've been stalking them for months. Maybe they will have a winter clearance. Hope springs eternal!

Jay, you are right about different people and money. I have $3 tools from discount stores, and try to find the cheapest way to build and support my beds.

However, I do spring for decorative items like solar path lights and statues. My garden is very zen and calming to me, and I feel better when it looks good. I go there several times daily and just stand and breathe and am happy that it's pretty and peaceful.

To most serious gardeners, the things I choose to spend on would be a complete waste of money!

Jo

Y'all, I am through making cages! I hope I never have to make another tomato cage for the rest of my life. I've cut back from 300-400 tomato plants to 100-140, so I still have about twice as many cages as I need. That's why I use them as supports for melons, cukes, beans, etc.---because I don't need all of them for tomatoes any more.

We probably have bolt cutters, but I haven't built new cages in about 6 or 7 years and don't think I'll be building any more. All I did every year for our first few years here was build, build, build more tomato cages to go with the ever-increasing number of plants. I'm in the opposite mode now, cutting back on how many I grow and experimenting less. If I ever need more cages as replacements for the ones I have now, I'll likely buy the Texas Tomato Cages.

Jo, I have 3', 4' and 5' tall tomato cages. I just fasten two cages together, stacked vertically, using zip-ties to give me cages that are 6', 7' or 8' tall. I usually don't go any taller than 8' cages, because I'm only 5'3" and have to climb a stepladder to harvest tomatoes from the top of the plants in 8' cages. Some really vigorous growers, like Tess's Land Race Currant, climb to the top of the 8' cages and then cascade back down to the ground in a sort of 'weeping' manner. With a cage that tall, you really have to stake them with something strong. I use one or two 8' tall T-posts, or for Tess's, I use 4 or 5 of them.

I also have a few of those little 3-ring tomato cages they sell in stores, sad and pitiful things that they are. Mine are about 25 years old and look pretty beat-up, but still do a good job of supporting jalapeno pepper plants. I sure wouldn't use them for a tomato plant though.

Dawn

CRW for me, but those Texas cages look pretty cool. It would be nice to store them flat like that when the season is over.

My DH would probably spring for the Texas cages if he thought I would just grow 12 or 18 plants, because he hates, hates, the tomato cages in the winter. However, he knows me well enough to know that I would just add 18 additional plants if I got 18 new ones.

I am adding a link to a thread on GardenWeb, and after reaching the link, go about 2/3 of the way down the page and look at the pic posted by tomncath, or do a search (or find) on the words "Why wouldn't it work for tomatoes?"

I like the looks of these and it looks like he got three cages out of one $20 panel, so that's pretty cheap. They would need to stay in the garden all year, but that isn't going to hurt a cattle panel and I don't mind the look. I have cattle panels used three different ways in my garden, but not this way.

I have three panels that are just straight and horizonal to the ground. I have one that was cut in half, and then mounted vertical, making an eight foot tall straight trellis. I also have one arched one, but is isn't just a rolled panel, but has a bend in the center giving it a bit of a gothic arch look. It is really had to get a picture showing the arch, especially with Tess's Land Race on one side and Zuchetta squash on the other, but it is an amazingly strong structure.

Here is a link that might be useful: Look for 'tomncath'

3 cages for $20 is more my speed. I might have to look into borrowing my friend's truck and grabbing a bunch of cattle panels next year. I like these.

Jo

I've been using cattle panels for several years now. The cages just never worked well for me. My experience is that the plants outgrow them quickly. My method is to hang the panel on 2 or 3 t-posts. Then, as the tomatoes grow I try to weave them a bit but the best method my wife figured out. She likes to quilt and has a box of leftover strips of cotton material anywhere from 12 inches to 36 inches long and about an inch wide. As the plant grows I use those strips to tie the plants to the panel, being careful to leave the knot loose enough for the plant to continue growing without being girdled. I learned early on not to use the red material strips. I kept checking each one thinking it was a ripe tomato! ha The material is gentle and doesn't cut into the plant. Plus my wife thinks it is pretty. :)

At the end of the season I can remove them pretty quickly with a sharp knife. And if I miss a few they usually decompose before the spring. I grow my cucumbers on the same kind of panels. I'll never grow them on the ground again. They love to climb the wire and the cukes hang free and are easy to pick. They are much cleaner, too.

The lesson I have learned with the panels over the years is to run them north and south instead of east and west. I live on the Oklahoma/Logan county line, and when the wind comes sweeping down the plain it can catch the plant-filled panels like sails and wreak havoc. So my east/west rows are now north/south rows. At the end of the season I take them down and stack them and they are ready to go for the next year.

This spring I decided to try some smaller cages for some of my determinants, and I now regret that. I hate those CRW cages, but they work better than anything else for me.

If my plants were not all in raised beds, I think the cattle panels would be the way to go for me. I will try to incorporate some next year if I can figure out how to do it.

The CRW 150' rolls that sell from $95 to $120 at Lowes and Home Depot can be had for about $80 at a lumberyard near HW 169 in Tulsa. Cattle panels can be had for about $17 at Atwoods and Tractor Supply at times. Both are difficult for me to get to the home in my pickup and finish out, so I can imagine how hard it would be for someone like my wife to try to do it.

If anyone in south Tulsa or in BA/Coweta wants to get some CRW I would be willing to deliver it for you whenever I have my pickup in that area next time. Seriously, there are a lot of times I am stuck needing something but don't have a way to get it to my farm, and I hate that feeling, so I would be more than happy to drop a roll at your place if it is in the area.

Scott, along that line, I think I'll mention this: if you carry cattle panels arched in the back of a pickup don't stand behind the tail gate when you drop it! It can be lethal. Someone here in Tahlequah, last year, apparently got hit REAL BADLY by doing this. Our Atwoods will no longer load more than three to a pickup, which, in my opinion, is reasonable. What I do, to unload arched panels from our pickup, is I tie them, front to back, with several lengths of binder twine. I then drop the tail gate, go to the front of the bed (nearest the cab) and without getting my hands or arms entangled in a panel, I CUT the twine. The panels straighten out... BOING! with quite a bit of force. But then I can unload them safely.

Joellen, Baker Family Heirloom regularly reaches 10' in a season. But 5' cages do well for it. The plants grow up and over, and touch the ground. But the tomatoes are supported.

George

I went by the Tractor Supply store today to look at the panels. Holy cow, they are big! Since they are just over 4' x 16' long, I was THINKING about cutting them in half and making 4' wide by 8' high tomato supports for my square foot garden next year. (about $10 for each 4'x8' support).

However, on further reflection, it sounds like too much work for me hauling and cutting those monsters, and it seems that the flexibility of the nylon mesh netting would be more forgiving on tender stems than hard wire.

I can buy rebar for a buck a pop at atwoods...conduit is I think around $2 for 10' if I recall correctly. I would need 2 pcs of rebar and 3 pcs of conduit to build a stand 8' high by 10' long. Elbow connectors are $2 each (need 2). So far I am at $12.

Burpee sells the nylon trellis netting in a 5'x60' roll for $20. I'd have to think about that. If I could get away with stringing the supports 3' off the ground (so from 3 feet to 8 feet high had netting), one roll would take care of ten foot beds. Cost per bed= $$3.33. When added to the other materials, the total cost to support 10 linear feet of beds at 8' high would be $15.33 (vs $10 for cattle panels).

Food for thought about pricing and different systems.

Jo

Jo,

I have cut the cattle panels as you described and used them (on there ends) as a trellis for vines to clinb on the west side of my house to shade our boys' bedroom from afternoon sun. It worked really well, but those things are hard to cut. I drive by that TSC every week coming back to Bixby and I carry bolt cutters all the time, so I'd be happy to pick one up and cut it for you.

Like George said, it is extremely dangerous trying to load and unload them alone.

I like the picture of the 'cut and bend' panels that I linked to, but you would probably really have to watch early in the season and tuck branches into the sides. With some plants you would probably need to also use cord or something to wrap around the front and back on very vigorous plants.

Someone on the Forum (Is it you, Marcy?) grows by placing two panels close together forming both of the sides of a cage, then puts the plants closer together in between and has a 16' fence of tomatoes. I would think that would work and look very nice.

I haven't been there this year, but I know a lady at Zena that plants under a slanted cattle panel. They go up on one side of it, then through the panel for support and grow on that side.

I don't grow sprawlers, and couldn't in my climate because they would all rot, but I think if I wanted to let them fall, I could just mount a panel flat (parallel) to the ground above several plants and let them sprawl on top of the panel. You would need to establish a weed free zone because you couldn't work under the panel. I have thought about this for people in a wheel chair and wondered if it would work if it were 18" off the ground or so.

There is another thing we haven't talked about and that is to build a frame and tie cords from the top for each plant and gradually just twist the main branch of the tomato up the cord as it grows. That works also but it has to be strong. Imagine a swing set frame (although you don't have to make angled legs), Tie drop cords from the center bar that goes across, down to each tomato. I have one of those also, but didn't plan to use it this year and didn't get it up until after the plants were bigger. It is working, but doesn't look nice. I use it over my containers. When I lived in southern OK, I had a source for oil field pipe and I could have made some strong frames from that. After it is used in the field tho, it doesn't hold paint so I would be back to the rusty look like the CRW cages again. LOL

I'm just rambling, but just some thoughts I have had.