Tomato Cages - do you want some ?

8 years ago

I have found an alternate to
the CRW cages (which to me are too heavy, too rusty and not tall enough).
The material is called "deer fencing" as well as other names.
It is 12.5 gauge, 8 foot tall, galvanized and painted black (not always
painted). It has 6 in square holes with smaller 6 in x 2 in holes at the
bottom 18". I like them because they are manageable and when you put
them up with a long 9 foot stake (which I always use) in the center with 4
suspension strings it looks like it will work. The 12.5 gauge are stiff
enough to hold the branches, etc, yet thin enough to bend with a
strong gloved hand. I came across a sample from the trash and made a cage
(pictured below). They are made in a similar manner from a large roll.

So here's the deal, this
stuff comes in a roll that is 330 feet long and weighs 300+ pounds for about
$400+. Add another $150 to ship the stuff and it becomes undoable
due to cost, etc. I did, however, find a leftover piece from a fence guy
here in West Caldwell, NJ. He has 300 feet of the stuff and is willing to
"negotiate" a bit. You need about 6 feet of the material to
make a cylinder 20 inches in diameter (8 feet long). My guess is we can
get the material for $1 - $1.25 per foot which would make the cost less than
$10 per cage for galvanized 8 foot tall. Send me an email to tmorganjets@gmail.com if you are
interested. I need to know by this weekend.

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Tom Morgan
Original Author

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

I am having trouble pasting a photo. I will keep trying.

grubby - Actually 5 foot can be rolled into a 19" with separate clips. If you ever try rolling CRW in that direction you will find it crazy hard and dangerous.

digdirt - Is that you from the old Gardenweb forum ? My best year ever (2006 in Jersey) had plants 10 foot tall, yielding 50 toms each x 20 plants = 1000 toms. It is my goal each year and the closest I've gotten was 500 last year. I want tall cages which are sort of self fulfilling (ie. you don't have to do much except tuck in the branches). I've had 9 foot stakes for a decade and putting in 20 reasonably straight is actually a pleasure.

Let me try again with the pic post. Its not working....I click Photo, Browse to the photo, Click open, and the screen comes back to this view and nothing happens. Any ideas ?

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Comments (10)

grubby_AZ Tucson Z9
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
>> ...the CRW cages (which to me are too heavy, too rusty and not tall enough)

You may have a conceptual block. CRW cages from a 5 X 150' roll can be 18" in diameter and 150' high!
digdirt2
8 years ago
Don't see any picture posted but why would you want 8' tall tomato cages much less have to climb a ladder to drive in a 9' stake?

Dave
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Commercial growers worry about things like ease of harvest and uniformity of fruit size, and they tend to have much more intense disease pressures than hobby growers. People who cage generally just let the plant grow as it will. Pruning is reserved for dying or diseased leaves, aside from aggressive removal of leaves from the bottom of the plant to keep foliage away from the soil. Some people will prune off growing tips once the end of the season gets near in order to try to ripen up the fruits already on the plant before frost. Others don't bother and say it doesn't make much of a difference. Some will cut off the tops once the plant grows as tall as the cage, but others will let the vines flop over the top of the cage and continue to grow and hang down. Regardless, the leaves are where the plant produces the sugars and other nutrients that go into making the fruit, so there's some logic to the idea of keeping as much of the foliage as possible. Disease is what you have to weigh against that, so it's a balancing act. Length of growing season is also a consideration. Is there a point in letting a plant get huge and wild and produce a gazillion flowers and set a ton of fruit if you don't have the time for those fruit to mature before frost? Also, if you want to plant a lot of varieties but have insufficient space to let them all grow into huge, caged plants and are OK with a smaller harvest from each plant, you could prune enthusiastically and grow the plants closer together. It's really a matter of what your goals and needs are.
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lucillle
8 years ago
I spray painted my CRW cages, and using two layers made them 6 feet tall. I leave them out, so they heavy duty nature is a plus.

The really tall tomato plants grow all the way up and then spill over and hang down and still produce.

Some may prefer really tall cages, not me, I don't want to get on a latter for a tomato. One fall, at my age, and that would be the most expensive tomato cage in history, after the hospital bills.
Tom Morgan
Original Author
8 years ago
I am 6 ft 4 in tall no ladder needed. Doesn't the spray paint peel cause of the rust ? If you leave them out doesn't it complicate putting in new plants cause they are heavy ?
digdirt2
8 years ago
Some may prefer really tall cages, not me,

Same here. For over 40 years my 6 foot CRW and galvanized fencing cages have been just fine, even for my 10 and 12' tall plants. No where is it written that the entire vine has to be supported, just the primary core. The rest of the top growth drapes over the cages just fine for me.

Whatever works for you.

Dave
Tom Morgan
Original Author
8 years ago
What galvanized fencing do you use ? Do you have a pic ?
lucillle
8 years ago
Tom, I think Rustoleum inhibits rust, there is some but not a lot. I would estimate that with periodic respraying of Rustoleum it might take decades for the cages to get to a point where they could not function. I took some snips and cut 'windows' in the cages near the base where I can reach in and do work such as weeding (or replanting). The baby plants go in just fine.

Considering that there are Home Depots everywhere in the U.S., and HD sells the CRW, to me, it is the perfect homemade cage.
Seysonn_ 8a-NC/HZ-7
8 years ago
Though cages offer a lot of convenience in supporting tomato plants , to me they carry a big overwinter storage problem. That is why I use a combination of stakes and wooden structure.( cedar lumber) I unscrew and take them apart at the end of season.
digdirt2
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago

6' welded wire galvanized fence

Once the cages are made you just take your wire cutters and cut out a few wires in 4-5 places to make 4x4" holes for harvesting.

Dave

Tomato Cages - do you want some ?

Tom Morgan
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grubby_AZ Tucson Z9

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Tomato Cages - do you want some ?

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