DIY Tomato Cages!

So we have had some spring rains here in the hill country and my tomato plants are growing fast. It is time for them to need some support. Don't we all? You know the drill with tomato cages. They are warped and too small and really do not serve the well intended purose in which we buy them. My mother, however has the Texas tomato cages, which are strong and functional....and expensive. My mom suggested I make my own. And that is exactly what I did.

What you need:

14 gauge 4' wire fencing - 50' roll (approx $50)

Bag of zip ties (tiny ones) ($5.50)

Wire snips

What to Do:

1. Determine how large to make your cage. Plants very dramatically by type and what kind of support they will need.

2. Snip the wire the height of the roll. Hint: I snip right up against the wire so I only have to bend the wires every other cage I make.

3. Zip tie to the approximate circumference you decided. Hint: I snip right up against the wire so I only have to bend the wires every other cage I make. Then I snip the plastic tail off the zip tie.

4. Then snip the bottom wire off the cage. This will make 4" of wire to sink down into the soil to stabilize your cage. Perfect no damage root systems, but strong enough to handle wind and elements.

5. And voila!

6. In time, snip out some wires if you have largers hands, to grab fruit as needed.

This Juliet tomato plant will produce until it freezes in the fall. It also will over take the rest of the tomato plants, so I planted it in a planter and made the cage really large. It grows HUGE!