[JackE]

Mark - put a rebar stake on the downwind side of the cage - 1/2" X 5" for a 5' cage (leaving 4' above ground and attached with one tie of wire).

We always plant in the direction of the prevailing southerly wind here, but a big thunder storm can wreak havoc with cages under a heavy load of fruit.

I know a home gardener who weaves indeterminates using t-posts. It takes one 6' post for every two plants though, and with t-posts now at seven bucks each it's not economically viable for a market gardener. Also a lot of heavy labor to drive them and even worse to pull them out again. Tractor Supply sells a t-post puller that works great for pulling them, and it doesn't bend them - still a lot of work, though.

We space rows of determinates at 4' and indeterminates at 6'.

We are considering some indeterminates for next year as a way to beat our sunscald problem. They provide shade for the toms if you don't prune. As a home gardener before I retired, I never had sunscald in indeterminates, but these commercial tomatoes expose the ripening fruit to the full force of the sun, which has been hotter and earlier every year. Also, you have fewer weed problems inside the cages due to the shade. So, Im also weighing support system options for the big vining toms - it's a tough (and for us an expensive) problem all right. They are also better slicing/eating tomatoes and the harvest time is extended by several weeks. They don't have TSWV resistance though.

One thing I WON'T do is to let them sprawl! I tried that once - what a mess!!

Jack