[feldon30]

Originally Posted by BigdaddyJ

feldon, my math shows the large Texas cage @ $21.40 each with shipping. I have no need for the 2' extenders. They are already 6 feet tall and my plants will grow up about 8 feet and then start growing down again and the Texas cage works fine.

How much would the concrete wires ones come too if you added up how much your time was worth to go buy the concrete wire rolls, cost of the wire rolls, bring them home and make the cages? Plus the gasoline to get to the store and back?

For us non handymen these Texas Cages are great!

I don't mind building things. It took me a few hours to make 24 cages.

24 Texas cages are $513.60.
24 of my cages were $140. Plus $3 gas. If I charge myself $50 an hour for 4 hours to make the cages it still comes out to $343.

I say people should get whatever works. Texas Tomato Cages are a good investment since they will last forever, collapse for easy storage, and need no support. I just couldn't spring the extra $375.

Originally Posted by Worth

I am a handy man and I have checked out the price of building my own cages and this is what I came up with.
The T posts where going to cost me $5.00 each and I figured I would need two of them.

This is also what I found. So instead, I bought a spool of medium gauge wire for $10 and tied all the cages to each other and then added a couple of screws to the raised bed planks and did wire ties from the cages to those screws.

Despite some heavy winds, I had no problems with cages falling over.

Staking is not an option. Most of the tomato varieties we grow have 8-12 "main leaders". The cages at Wal-Mart are too small. And I really dislike the idea of dealing with rusty CRW.

Originally Posted by worth

Then the trouble of making them and putting them away in the winter and so forth pretty much sealed the deal for me.

I feel no need to put the tomato cages away from December through March. I do remove the cages so I can clean out and mix up the beds and add more organic matter but then I put the cages right back and just let them sit there.


I was just bringing this all up because for someone who wants to spend "about $150" for their tomato supports and have it last a few seasons to see if they really like growing tomatoes, there really are no good options besides Florida weave.


I should add that I am seriously considering buying some Texas Tomato Cages. I know how popular they are. As gregg said, if I buy them a few every season, I can spread out the cost. I can use those cages I've already made for other things like cucumbers and melons. and beans.