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Growing Tomatoes

I grow my tomatoes in cone shaped cages from Walmart!

15 years ago

And I'm proud of it! Who's with me?

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Comments (13)

drtomato
15 years ago
Stand on a mountain top and sing it girl! Woo hoo!!
city_tomato
Original Author
15 years ago
Girl? Uh-oh...
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I hate tomato cages.
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Comments (45)
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.
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Can I use this to make tomato cages?
Q
Comments (7)
A couple of years ago, we purchased 8' x 16' sheets of CRW to do an approach for our driveway. Long story short - we ended up not using it for that. (Thank you, Cleveland County road resurfacing!) And then I found out about making tomatoe cages with them..LORDY...was that a God-send! They have the 6" squares that make it so easy to stick your hand thru and tuck in any strays that think they can grow outside the cage! (We tell them often "No arms outside the cage!!") Our panels are 2' across by 6' tall after they were all cut up. We use them as 3-sided cages. We use cheap zip-strips to join them. At the end of the season, just a few snips and they fold flat for storage! This year, we used them in new raised beds and it only took 5 of the panels to make a cage for 2 plants. Imagine an ellongated diamond shape with a line across the middle. They work great and I imagine we'll have them for years & years. Yes, they are rusted...as in VERY. But do you really want something shiney to attract the attention of critters? or worse yet...someone who won't grow their own? LOL! I don't think you'll ever be sorry with your find. In the long run, these are way less expensive than other ways of caging. And so it's not shiney....use the money you save to buy something that is...(like....tell DH you need some new bling!) Paula
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How do I use tomato cages?
Q
Comments (3)
I use CRW and Texas cages and never prune and that includes lower branches. I might snip any that are hitting the ground but it's rare. I install my cages soon after transplant. Even the lowest ring helps keep foliage off the ground so get your cages on early. Every week or so gently bend any branches that have grown out and away from the cage back inside and pointing upwards. After a few weeks you may need to do this every other day because your plants are growing HUGE and quickly. Once the tops of branches grow above the top of the cage just let them fold over the top rung and start growing back down. This may seem like a lot of work but it's hardly anything at all for say 20 plants. The wider the cage the easier it is to keep the branches growing upward and inward. You are going to fall in love with those Texas cages...Congrats!
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My Container Sweet 100 from Walmart Reaches 7 Ft! Very Pic Heavy
Q
Comments (13)
Thanks Lori! I agree ~ I needed something somewhat attractive, since I am in a front-facing condo. So I ventured into the woods and cut down a bunch of 3/4-in or so bamboo, and used twine to lash it together. It has worked pretty well thus far. Unfortunately, during a couple thunderstorms, the whole thing ~ pot and all, has toppled over. Luckily the vines escaped unscathed, with only negligible tomato and small branch casualties....however, the bamboo cage broke apart at a few junctions, so I have had to re-lash with more twine here and there. I have since drove 2 stakes into the ground, diagonally behind the pot corners, and secured with rope to the lower bamboo junctions for additional support. If a considerably strong thunderstorm is on the horizon, I carefully pick the whole thing up and move it to the patio...ugh it is so f*ing heavy & tall! ~Caroline
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johnny_tomato_seed
15 years ago
Sure. Some people like filet mignon and some people like london broil or chuck.

My cousin-in-law did the same thing. I tried to tell her, but most people like seeing their mistakes than learn from others. I can't wait until the plant topples over or grow 4 feet wide.

Send us some pictures when the plant is full grown and show them proudly.
rnewste
15 years ago
city (person),

I ONLY will use the 18" by 54" Walmart tomato cages - - nothing else comes close to their structural stability. Their 3/16" construction surpasses anything I have seen at Home Depot or Lowes. I am able to "reverse stack" 2 on top of each other to get a 78" useable height for my EarthTainers:

{{gwi:1345718}}

Funny this is that is the first Walmart product I have ever purchased there that was MADE IN THE USA!!!

Raybo
davidandkasie
15 years ago
my wife and i were in wally world last Thursday and they had maybe 100 cages for abotu 1.40 each. i told her i needed to get about 25 of them but we were in the car so i would have to come back. well, Sat she took my truck and went to get them, and they were sold out with no idea IF they would get any more. so she goes to Lowes and gets 14 (all they had) at 1.22 each. problem is the lowes ones are flimsy and SHORT. she told me they were jsut as good or better than the wally world ones, but one look and i knew different. i guess they will hold, and i will probably have to invert them as pictured above since they are less than 30" above ground.
rnewste
15 years ago
Just to clarify, I use only the Walmart HEAVY DUTY model that most of their stores carry (may be sold out now, as they will not restock this late in the season. These cost $5.25 here in California. They are made by Glamos Wire Co. Here is the barcode to look for:

Raybo
johnny_tomato_seed
15 years ago
Thanks for the clarification Raybo. But then again, you did modified it bit with the wire strap and double stacked. I am thinking city_tomato is talking about those thin ones.

How many stalks to you have in each cage ? I hear 6-8 or more is the norm.
drtomato
15 years ago
Actually saw those when I was there the other day and they looked nice (heavy duty ones). But I have 47 plants, thats almost $300. Na- I don't think so. I use 10 Foot 2" well pipe pounded into the groun 3' deep. String heavy wire across garden secured to the pipe on each side of the garden. Then tie plants to horizontial wires. Works great.
city_tomato
Original Author
15 years ago
I can't wait until the plant topples over

That's not very nice, mister! I grow in containers. Even with a CRW cage, they'd still topple if the soil got dry. They are heavy gauge ones. Not the little flimsy ones. Anything that grows over the top of the cage gets tied up to my eavestrough.
johnny_tomato_seed
15 years ago
Okay, thanks for the clarification. Sorry if I sound mean about the toppling over. I am directing more to my cousin in law.

I grew them from seed, baby them by taking them in and out of sun every day. Then after I gave them to her, they didn't seem to grow much. I try to tell her she needs better cage, but she didn't listen. So I am waiting for the result and will "try" to humble and help her.
doof
15 years ago
Man, I hate cages. My watch and sleeve buttons always get snagged on them when I'm pruning or picking bugs off or moving things around. And the plant always outgrows them to where they look like they're trying to put on a 40 year old military uniform, buttons-a-poppin' every which way.

This year, I'm using the no-system-at-all method. I had planned to go with a weave, but my laziness overcame my ambition. I have so many stakes, I just stick another stake in the ground in a strategic spot whenever I need to block a vine whenever it starts to intrude on my personal space. It looks crappy, but it's working better and easier than the the last two years I've grown.
rnewste
15 years ago
doof,

Up here in Silicon Valley, property is extremely small, and I have to make use of available "vertical" space.

{{gwi:1345719}}

...and here's proof that the Walmart cages can handle the chore;

{{gwi:1345720}}
8'6" as of today

While I am going to top my other plants at 6'6", I just wanted to let a Cherokee Purple grow to its natural height.

Raybo
vegjoe
15 years ago
i grow with walmart/home depot/menard's/whatever wire cages. the short and the tall ones. also grow up against 48" chainlink and tie plants up with cotton yarn. also go with bamboo stakes and yarn. whatever. wherever!!

wire supports and up against chainlink have been best.

bamboo and (continual) wrapping branches with yarn is a lot of work. fun at the beginning - tedious as the months go on.

someday i hope to have a heavy stake/string setup like in the "Godfather" and prune to one central branch. i don't know that i'll ever have the discipline!

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