From flora2b; a roll of 6' tall concrete reinforcing wire [or so called pig fence] from the hardware store and cut it into pieces, forming circular columns. I cut off the bottom row of wire so I could insert into the earth and add a rod on each end. I tie them all together and have yet to have a wind take them anywhere. I don't prune until end of July when they start to grow out the top (supposed to help the fruit size up) The spacing is 6" x6" so it is easy to access the fruit or get in and prune if need be. In spring I wrap with plastic for extra heat boost and usually remove end of June. From Wally; I cut the wire so that the ends can be formed as a hook to the other end so they can be laid out flat at the end of the season to store without using up too much space. There were a few years back, one they called "Japanese tomato ring." This was a permanent structure. It was filled with soil, manure, compost, etc. At the top a bath type or depression was made in the soil which would be planted with herbs, etc. All watering is done thru the top and all tomato plants were planted around this structure. By this process the tomato plants would receive food and water on a regular basis. This would require each cage wires to be cut about 12 feet long and anchored with steel fence posts. It also would not allow for the added protection of the plastic wrap unless you ran extra steel fence posts outside this area as to be able to wrap the plastic. If you use the concrete reinforcing wire which will not give when or bend well you could cut it into 4 even sections with each hooked together with the wire from one end to the other allowing the structure being folded away at the end of each season for easy storage.

Jill, I make them in various sizes so various ones nest inside the others for storage. I don't know the exact # of inches per cage because I made them so long ago....some of mine are at least 15 years old. I use the cages that are largest in diameter of the indeterminates that get the largest, and the medium for those that are average and the smallest cages for the taller determinates. This afternoon, I'll take a tape measure out and see how some of the cages measure out. I have them in all heights, too, from 3' tall to 6' tall, and I can use zip-ties (I love zip ties and use them for lots and lots of stuff) to stack two 3' cages on top of each other to make a 6' tall cage, or to stake a 3' cage on top of a 6' cage to make a 9' tall cage for some of the more vigorous growers, like Sweet 100, for example. I use smaller cages for some peppers, esp. bell peppers since the plants are often heavily laden with fruit. And, I plant all my muskmelons, cantaloupes, smaller gourds, cucumbers, smaller summer squash and mini-pumpkins inside cages and raise them vertically which lets me grow at least 4 times as many plants in the space as I could if I didn't use cages. Personally, I feel like I never have enough cages....and I have 300 or more. I use them for all kinds of stuff, esp. to protect crops grown outside the garden fence from wild animal. I used to cut legs in mine, but have removed most of the legs (or folded them under) because they poke holes in the fabric landscape mulch cloth and weeds and grass come up wherever a hole is poked. In beds that don't have the landscape fabric mulch, I do still use the legs. Sometimes I use them as an annual trellis to grow vines. Today, I even put a tomato cage over the disturbed soil when Mama Turtle laid her eggs this morning in an effort to keep the dogs, cats, raccoons and other wild things from digging up the eggs. See, there's always a use for excess cages! Dawn

I read all the posts about trying to SPEND LESS MONEY on building tomato cages..even the one that wanted to built them for less than $3.00 each. There are a lot of suggestions...like buying fencing on a roll as a ONE time investment that LAST a life time. Well...to buy tomato cages or even to construct TOMATO cages for LESS than $3.00..........TRY FREE! CONSTRUCTION companies tear down a lot of old buildings, gates, fences. THEY HAVE TO PAY SOME DEBRI COMPANY TO DUMP THEM...so if you approach them for FREE MATERIAL..THEY ARE SO HAPPY to GIVE YOU ANYTHING you want that you can haul away yourself!. I built or use fulton bed Frames or mattress metal frames for trellis for cucumbers and string beans so they can climb up. IT'S FREE! For tomatoes, I found BIG HEAVY DUTY TALL tomato cages that I found in GROCERY OUTLET for $2.99 EACH that would have gone for $10.99 - $15.99 at HOME DEPOT. EVERY CITY HAS A "DUMP" day where tenants and homeowners leave out items on the sideways for pick up. YOU CAN FIND SOME REALLY NICE STUFF in them piles. One homeowner landscaped their house and left out a lot of big black empty planters holders (3 gallon - 5 gallon) which would have costs me $3.00 - $5.00 EACH if I have to buy them ..(FREE, FREE, FREE!!!) so I used them to plant all my herbs. I got fennel, dill, cilentro, parsley, oregano, basil going. AND do I HAVE TO PAY FOR THE HERBS or my VEGGIES? Heck no!. I use ROOT ALL or a ROOT HORMONE powder ($4.00 at WalMart) and CLONE all my veggies off from my friends or neighbor's garden. (Other than the $4 bucks that I have to spend for the rooting hormone).....otherwise it's FREE, FREE, FREE. What? "Buying" STRING to string up trellis? STRING is so FLIMSY!! If you go to HOME DEPOT or OSH...there are those LONG plastic "fastener"s that is WRAPPED around wooden boards. Those are cut and thrown to the ground as the boards are lifted up on to the display area. I picked them off shipping area grounds and use those PLASTIC string and string them across to the stakes for support for the tomato. They are STURDY and they are NOT FLIMSKY. (FREE, FREE, FREE). Got to go.... HOPE THIS ALL HELPS. FROM "FREE IS ME!!!"

I think this is a good thread and it shows diversity in supporting tomato plants. I , for one,. use CAGE, Stake and WEAVE ( not necessarily FL). I like cedar stakes. Just yesterday I bough 3pces of 2"x4" -12ft cedar board at 70% off, at HD. I cut them into 2pce, 6ft each then I rip the into 3 pces. Each 6ft stake cost 65 cents. I can even make cages with them but cages are hard to store off season. That is why i like stakes. I have considered using EMT and PVC, but so far cedar stakes have won the contest in my garden. For some DETERMINANTS top notch 3-ring cages will suffice and they are convenient. But for INDETs, you will need CRW material that you can depend on. So the bottomline is that there is no single right way. If you are busy, have job, family to take care, probably caging is the best trouble free option. But you want to do lollygagging in the garden ( have lots of free time) do staking, weaving, tying, more tying :-)