Don't know the leg measurements of the Burpee ones to say for sure, Dave's link from Gurney's looks nice to me for a determinate though it doesn't use all the rectangular space you have and in the best of all worlds I want as much space as I can get since I can't prune a determinate.

I don't like the plastic Ultomato as being too flimsy. The 20" Texas Tomato Cage also doesn't give you full coverage and if you have an Earthbox original that's 13.5" on the short length of the area, I doubt it would fit inside making you need to secure it outside. (I do love the TTCs though after setting someone up with them this season very impressive). My Guess is the 20" TTC will need a 14 3/8" x 14 3/8" square footprint, based on my belief the 24" ones are about 19"x19" footprint.

Does Raybo's option require some adaptation for you to make? If so it sounds like you prefer to get something less DIY but I haven't looked at his and guess it is.

I would get whatever was 4" feet tall from soil level for my local FL OP determinates as a minimum (but I'm all smiles with 5-6 feet). But you say determinates now and then you get hooked and are stuck with short cages (then you decide to expand and the garden gets taken over by tomatoes by three years from now). Also it depends a little on which "determinate" variety as to how tall. Determinate "Dwarfs" can be 2 feet high, my Rutgers was 7 feet tall. and called a semideterminate, but often is sold as a determinate and there are different Rutgers out there but unless you have good seed you'd be trusting transplant vendors knowing the very fine points of the variety. Other dets are not so variable but my heads up is that heights do vary quite a bit. Finally the worst thing in the world is not having an overflowing cage with Green Beauty's mane of tomato vines tipped with yellow flowers undulating in the wind :-)

One other to check out is AM Leonards. They have never disappointed me and have fantastic customer service but you better call them to find the lengths of the feet to see if they fit on the inside, and still there is no full coverage with one cage though two might do it. I'm assuming the Burpee's are higher priced per cubic foot of volume encompassed by the cage, but am unfamiliar with them so for all I know they are similar.

Cheers

PC

Dave, it looks like this cage fits down into your earthbox without benefit of alterations? You've just pushed the supporting legs down into the growing medium? Thank you for sharing a photo and the name of the cage. If I didn't have to do anything other than push it down into the box, it would be ideal for me. I notice you also don't use a cover on the box ... just a mulch. Beautiful healthy tomato plant. Thanks for sharing.

Mary

No alterations. They go flat for storing and expand to full sq. if desired. They are also stackable for more height if needed. I open them just to point where the 6" prongs slip down into the front and back of the box (the grooves are in the plastic). That way the front and back hinged corners kind of lock down over the edges of the EB. Very stable on the EB.

Dave

Thanks! Now I have more questions!

Dave - Looks great! What is the width of those? I couldn't find any dimensions on the Gurney site. And if I can use only 1 cage per EB as opposed to 2 per box, that saves $$.

PC said "...if you have an Earthbox original that's 13.5" on the short length of the area..." Hold up! I'm not home so I can't measure, but the Earthboxes that I ordered this year say the dimensions are 29"x11". Does this mean that NONE of these options will fit? I picked all of these cages based on what I saw on the Raybo posts about his cages for the Earthtainer also fitting the EB. So now I'm confused.

PC also said: " But you say determinates now and then you get hooked and are stuck with
short cages (then you decide to expand and the garden gets taken over
by tomatoes by three years from now)."

Love this! I am sure it is true. In the past, I have always just let my tomatoes sprawl. (Did I mention I am a lazy gardener? Actually I just hate gardening out in the heat, but the result is the same.) But back then I was planting in raised beds in the garden. This year with the EBs on the deck, I know I won't be able to let them sprawl.

Besides being lazy, I am also kind of cheap. So I've never put any investment into good cages. I've purchased a few of those little circle "tomato cages" from HomeDepot or Walmart that are about 2 ft tall, but they get swallowed up in a minute and seem to cause more problems. Mostly the tomato plants pick them up and carry them around in tangles while they grow and grow and sprawl on the ground anyway. So now I use those upside down as a support for my peonies, and they're perfect for that.

" Also it depends a little on which
"determinate" variety as to how tall"

The determinates I will be planting out this year are:

• La Roma III
• Red Pride
• Plum Regal
• Margherita
• Yaqui
• Charger

I am off to make a spreadsheet of costs and variables for all the cage choices.

Jen,

I think it is 29" L x 13.5" W with 11" being height, but that doesn't matter when looking specifically at the TTC and I can't check because my SWCs are not EB originals.

In the context of the Texas Tomato Cage, it is an inflexible ring that determines the footprint which I believe is 14 3/8" x 14 3/8" which you asked about, so the medium 20" TTC won't fit inside and I don't think they have a smaller model and therefore I ruled it out if you wanted to plant it inside rather than inventing something to support it somehow on the outside.

If you buy a square model that folds and can be used semi open, and it is collapsible you'd open the diamond shape as much as you could for maximum stability but might not be able to get full open to the square shape (which maximizes inside space for the plant). Also depending on how high the first rung is, it might be able to rest on the top edge and add stability, or it might get in the way. Dave has a proven decent fit and the discounted price is right, so that all the other ideas will have to be compared to see if they measure up if you really want to see if something better for your tastes is out there.

Also note the feet are closer together than the length of the full square they hold up on some designs so for example a collapsible 18" sided square shape would fit fully opened if it is less than the 13.5" (or 11" which someone can clear up or you can check). So a bigger option is possible depending on the positioning of the feet.

Cheers

PC

Better pic of ones I just planted. The black EB gets just one as it is indet. and I'll be putting some lettuce below it for shade. I have another det. to add to the tan box below.

Thank you, Dave, for these additional photos. Looks perfect for my needs. I'm off to place an order. BTW, do you just use some type of mulch on the top of the potting mix or leave the potting mix uncovered? This is my first year with the EB.

Mary

I use a couple of inches of pine bark mulch (bark fines) on top but I still have more planting to do in them and it is too early to mulch these just-planted ones yet.

Dave

So Dave, you don't use the mulch covers that came with EB? I notice you don't mound up the soil either.

No I don't use the plastic covers for several reasons. They over heat the soil - at least in my climate - and more importantly because I use liquid supplements that need to get into the soil. The band of fertilizer they recommend isn't enough for the entire season and can burn new young transplants so I place it further away from the plants than they recommend and supplement throughout the season as the plant grows. But you can't use liquids with a plastic cover.

And I don't mound up the soil as I leave an inch for mulch to fill up to the rim of the EB. The just-planted plants in the photos above haven't been mulched yet as I still have planting to do and I want to make sure the plants settle in and take before mulching. Once they are settled the boxes will get a bit more soil and then mulched to the brim.

I have 12 EBs and have had most of them for 8-10 years and I have learned over the years that many of the things the company recommends don't work for me. I use a much better mix than theirs and my ProMix BX and MetroMix 360 is already pH balanced so doesn't need lime. PLus it wicks much better. And I find that Osmocote or similar slow-release for the fertilizer band is far more effective, especially than their organic ferts (which they should know better than to push for use in a container). I also don't use their plant numbers that heavily over-crowed the containers IME.

Dave

I made a comparison chart of all the cages from different sources, sorted by price. The Ultomato is the cheapest overall, but I agree it's pretty flimsy. I bought one of these a couple of years ago and it fell apart in the garden.

I have 10 Earthboxes. I calculated based on having 2 cages per box (using all possible available space as per PC's advice). If I use them like Dave does, then the amount needed would be half.

The pea fences are pretty short and will take a small bit of engineering to tie together I think. Raybo's instructions say 1 fence per box, but I used 2 because they may need to be stacked for the appropriate height.

I think I will go ahead and order 6 of the 20" TTCs to use with my cherry tomatoes and my Cherokee Carbons out in the garden beds. Then I can play with how they might fit in/over the EBs.

Burpee has a 20% discount if I sign up for a newsletter, so I sorted the list using the discount prices. The more expensive Burpee cages at the bottom of the list have the extenders.

Still unsure about the height to get. Based on this list, which cages would you choose? Price matters a little, but I want something that will last and be sturdy. Some of these things look like the exact same item, just sold by different companies.

Wow! I've never seen something so methodical! I would make my final decision weighted towards the gauge of the wire, going for the heavier, more quality construction, which is not a selection criterion directly, and I'd sort them by the net price per cage, but that's me, and if I made a spreadsheet, I'd put a column to see the total growing volume enclosed which is what I'm paying for...

Don't forget the $25 off orders over $100 promo code on Gardener's Edge should be at the top of the splash page. Re: TTC's: it seems such a loss to me to get the 20" cage if your heart is set on those, when the 24" is the same price. This will depend on your growing style and needs, but I don't prune anything (nor should you for determinates) and the 24" cages are just wonderful. I am currently stuck with my DIY 20.5" cages and miss the 24". Unfortunately it was a limited planting area and spacing was predetermined so I couldn't use the 24" diameter currently, but it was my biggest mistake. As your TTC seems more an investment for general use consider if there is a reason you must go with the smaller cage at the same price.

"I have 10 Earthboxes. I calculated based on having 2 cages per box
(using all possible available space as per PC's advice). If I use them
like Dave does, then the amount needed would be half."

Rather than call it advice it's really just an observation. Whether you want to plant one or two determinates, surely the single diamond will give the stem(s) support, but I know I would have too much gushing going on in there since my plants always expand into the space allotted. On the other hand for a single plant and Dave's example would be efficient enough for me.

Perhaps as a first time orderer you can make use of intro promos on two places. It is always nice to have options.

I would not use any of these and just put CRW around the perimeter since I have 150 feet of it that's 72 inches high that needs to stop cluttering my driveway ASAP and will get sold for $12 scrap if I can't re-purpose it. I know that is excluded as too labor intensive, but I would risk getting cat-scratched from it and clip four 72" high panels the exact size of the containers in the form of panels with plastic zip ties which are at Harbor Freight for $2 per hundred and just cut them and lay the sides under a workbench when the season was over. And after making 10 I'd still have more than half of the danged roll cluttering up grrrrr!

Cheers

PC

If it is any help, just to clarify the first pic I posted is 2 determinates in 1 cage and height is more than sufficient.

I have no vested interest in these particular cages, just something I found that works well for me.

All the plants on the right are 2 determinate per box and cage.

Dave

Container Plants - Summer 2015 · More Info

That's a pretty set up ^^^ and looks very efficient.

Another consideration is really how much sprawl you want beyond the edges of the EB, which might depend on whether the growing area is limited. In the illustrations I see pots which have round cages with more plant volume and diamond cages for the double planted containers. Great to have options. I believe EB markets a flat trellis, so I'd say one diamond formed cage is a big improvement. If the plant or plants can fill more space, even better. We've come a long way from staking determinates at this point.

Depends a lot on the variety. and how much sun you have available among other variables. If sun limits for example, I'd say more open is more desirable. Another option for one cage is a sturdy larger commercial rather than home garden cage which could be re-purposed for other situations, too, like this at $12.99 each and the same $25 off over $100 promo code:

AMLEO 15" cage

You may find this helpful if your are a numerically person to verify coverage and lengths:

Find A, B, q, h, P, K: Given a,p

Cheers

PC

Yeah the round pots on the left are all indeterminates 1 to a 15 gallon pot.

Dave

Here is a photo of my earthboxes from last year. I used a Gurney's pea fence, item 12826. You can form them into a rectangle that is just right to sit on top of the earthbox's rim. I used the ubolt (not sure it's the right name - see photo below) to secure the cage closed and to connect the top one to the bottom. And the cages are zip-tied to the EB and the cage is secured to the deck railing. It was secure through 40 mph winds.

This worked perfectly for me however I can't take credit for it. :-)

Got the idea from bdank on the EB forum.

Pam

Digdirt, with regard to organic fertilizers in containers; would you say no to Epsoma Garden-tone in an Earthbox?

Almost same as above, also from the EB forum ( which I can't seem to find anymore). No ubolts ( I returned them) , just zipties. I also learned on the EB forum when the pea fence was on sale and/ or shipping was discounted. I stick four of the ends in the box. These are two Dwarf project plants, and the cages got stacked later in the season.

Blistering, dry sun, so I shoot for afternoon dappled shade.

BTW , I use Gardener's Supply and Texas Tomato Cages on my old Gardener's Supply self watering containers (Far right).

I LOVE seeing all the photos of everyone's Earthboxes with cages! Thank you!

I narrowed my choices down to the Burpee Pro Series, the red ones from AM Leonard, Gurneys, and some I found from Hoss Tools that looked really nice.

I ended up getting the Burpee 48" cages, without the extensions. They weren't the cheapest, and may not be the sturdiest, but in the end, it was the COLOR that swayed me. How silly is that?

I don't like the feel of bare galvanized metal, and I wasn't sold on red cages, so Burpee won simply because they offered green coated cages. They will be delivered tomorrow! I sure hope they meet my expectations.

nanelle - is there a reason you let the additional spikes hang over the edge of the box rather than bending them and sticking them into the soil inside the box?

Primarily in case I needed them to not be bent in the future. I also think it was easier to leave them out.

@digdirt2, mad props to you for the diamond shaped cage idea. Came home to wind whipped plants this evening, hadn't staked yet, and thought of your pictures! I don't think I can leave two plants in that situation, but it should work until the long weekend!

No I agree with the plants that far apart it will be trouble. But if next time you plant each just a bit more towards the center then the diamond shape works fine.

Dave

Thank you Digdirt.

Two "Dwarf" plants in one diamond? I think these are ....here we go. Copy and paste from the order.

Rosella Crimson Tomato

New Big Dwarf Tomato

Loxton Lass Dwarf Tomato

Loxton Lad Dwarf Tomato

Dwarf Sweet Sue Tomato

Dwarf Golden Gypsy Tomato

Plus a Wild Fred from last year's seeds.

I'm having problems with my cages not being sturdy. They aren't going all the way down to the bottom b/c of the screen in the Earthbox, and I think they need to be deeper to be sturdier. Does anyone else have this issue?

Depends on what cages you are using as they all work very differently. Sometimes you can jiggle them around a bit until the prong slips into one of the holes in the screen but in many cases you have to find another way to secure them to the box or deck rails or something similar. The ones I use snap right on to the front and back edge of the box.

Dave

Here are my tomats in Gurney's stacked pea cages today. I did not leave them in diamonds, but I use those cages on my old Gardener's Supply SIP for single plants like New Big Dwarf.

Dave, I actually just ordered the Gurneys that you recommended. You don't need to do anything special with them? I'm actually in a "save my tomatoes mode." and I'm sick about it. I used those small spirals, my tomatoes got so tall the boxes tipped over. I tried getting the spirals off and was causing more damage, so got some bolt cutters. I have some older Blue Ribbon cages that I have on there for now. I seriously doubt any of them survive b/c the branches are all broke, leaves look bad and the tomatoes I had fell off. So upset. Thanks for the advice! Fingers crossed at least one lives!!

"Dave, I actually just ordered the Gurneys that you recommended. You don't need to do anything special with them?"

Initially when I first got them I tied them off to the deck rail behind them as added insurance. The following year I drilled a small hole just below the lip of the container where the cage rests and tied it off with a plastic tie wrap on the front and back. Makes it very sturdy.

Most of the time I don't even do that anymore as the determinate plants just don't get all that big. The cage hinge just locks to the lip when I get it right. But in my case the house blocks the majority of the wind. So if wind or storms are a concern or if you are growing indeterminate plants then the drilled hole and heavy duty plastic tie wrap should solve the problem.

Dave

EX: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06W5K1K3L?psc=1

Just wanted to update to say how happy I am with the cages I chose. My Burpee Pro 48" cages are essentially the same cage as the Gurneys, just in a different color.

I experimented with a couple of different ways of using them (and the EBs) based on all the comments in this thread.

Jeri - sorry to hear about your tomato/cage damages. Mine have been very sturdy so far. Here's what I did:

For most of the EBs, I put 2 square cages to a box, side by side, but installed them upside down, with the flat (upper) edge against the EB and the "legs" in the air. I gained more height this way, and I didn't have to poke holes through the plastic covers or let the legs hang over the edge.

I also experimented with Dave's method of planting, by planting in the center of the box, leaving off the plastic, and covering with pine mulch. I did 2 boxes of La Roma III as a comparison, one the EB way, and one Dave's way.

To hold the cages on to the EB, I used the rim clamps that come with the EB and clamped the edge of the cage onto the edge of the EB. I then wired the two cages together at the top using green floral wire. The cages are remarkably sturdy like this.

The plants are really really big now (bigger than I ever expected!) and I've had no issues with any of the cages falling off or blowing over or anything.

I even have two plants, which I have marked as Charger, but I wonder if I didn't tag them wrong, because they are really tall and outgrowing the top of the upside down cage.

The deck is like a jungle now (the pictures don't really capture how huge these plants feel), and I fear these boxes are way too crowded together. Now I need to find a way to get more room and spread them out!

@ jenswrens, amazing follow up! Thanks! When you say "the rim clamps that come with the EB ", was that with an accessory or something?

Thanks nanelle! And yes, an accessory. EarthBox Rim Clamps. They only come in grey now. :-(

Finally got the grey rim clamps. Haven't made them work yet.

The rectangular tomato cages that exactly fit the earth boxes are as follows:

Retailer: Summer Winds Nursery

OEM: Mid-west wire works

Item # 4508