3 Ring Tomato Cages Falling Like a House of Cards!

kimpossible · July 25, 2006

As a side note to the VERY BAD 3 ring tomato cages - I have used the large ones this year ... I didn't have time to make the CRW's ... and anticipated that I would drive a stake near the edge of each cage for support, and then drive 8' rebar or T-stakes, two at the ends of each row, & wire them all together & add binder twine from stake to stake lengthwise along the row to add another couple of feet of "cage".

Well, today we got some sudden severe weather - over the course of three hours we received 2 1/2" of rain, high winds, tornado warnings etc.

I haven't added the extra stakes & wires yet, and my tomatoes & "bad cages" got blown over in a domino effect! I had about 20 plants lying sideways ... they've been rescued & temporarily staked, & DH & I immediately took a trip to home depot for all the necessary supplies to make those Gosh Darnnoodley "cages" work!

I know what I'll be doing this winter - kicking hubby & his racecars into the quonset hut, taking over the shop, and making my award-winning prototype tomato cages that will be making me rich! :wink:

Fert1 · July 25, 2006

I do think there would be a market for decent tomato cages if they were easier to find, say in the stores for example. A lot of us are just too darn lazy to make our own, but wish for something better. We, (DH & I), usually rig something with the lousy cages, stakes, chicken wire, twine, fence posts, etc. String it all together to make it stronger and tie it off onto the deck. It works for the most part, but is far from ideal. We are masters of half-assed engineering!

username5 · July 25, 2006

Like many, I too played with store bought cages and posts and twine and various combinations thereof.

For reasons I don't really understand I resisted a really simple method of supporting them until this year.

Now I simply don't know why I didn't do this earlier.

The method is simple and easy.

Drive 8' tposts in the ground 4-6 feet apart.

From this suspend nylon trellis netting such as can be found at numerous nurseries as well as online at Burpee and elsewhere. To attach the netting to the posts I use plastic cable ties although a roll of flexible metal wire would work well too.

Next plant the tomatos. As they grow wind the stems into the netting once a week or so. That's it.

Seriously. That's it.

The netting is deceptively strong. It holds up far better than the steel cages with their weak welding. The t posts don't blow over in the wind. The plants don't grow into an impenetrable mess.

Both the posts and netting can be left outside during the winter with no significant degredation.

Cages are passe. Break the habit today!

QAGuy · July 25, 2006

This winter would be a good time to make some of my PVC
cages.

I use 3/4 inch schedule 40 PVC and drive them a foot into
the ground. They won't fall over. They've stood up to a tropical
storm in Florida.

Here's a link to pictures and a write up about them.

http://www.feldoncentral.com/garden/tom_pvc/

Click on the little pictures for big ones.

BTW - those cages are designed by the guy who invented Slinky.

Polar_Lace · July 26, 2006

username5,

You can get a smaller roll of the nylon trellis netting - 5 ft. tall by 30 ft. long for $10.00 + $3.00 S&H here: http://www.heirloomseeds.com/supplies.htm

landarc · July 26, 2006

I had not such good luck with the nylon netting, ended up having to rig it with the basic materials of twine, cane, rebar and branches from the mulberry. My sister used some kind of wire mech fence panels, and concrete reinforcing panels (4X4/4X4) that worked well for both toms and beans.

July 25, 2006	#1
kimpossible Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Z5b SW Ont Canada Posts: 767	3 Ring Tomato Cages Falling Like a House of Cards! As a side note to the VERY BAD 3 ring tomato cages - I have used the large ones this year ... I didn't have time to make the CRW's ... and anticipated that I would drive a stake near the edge of each cage for support, and then drive 8' rebar or T-stakes, two at the ends of each row, & wire them all together & add binder twine from stake to stake lengthwise along the row to add another couple of feet of "cage". Well, today we got some sudden severe weather - over the course of three hours we received 2 1/2" of rain, high winds, tornado warnings etc. I haven't added the extra stakes & wires yet, and my tomatoes & "bad cages" got blown over in a domino effect! I had about 20 plants lying sideways ... they've been rescued & temporarily staked, & DH & I immediately took a trip to home depot for all the necessary supplies to make those Gosh Darnnoodley "cages" work! I know what I'll be doing this winter - kicking hubby & his racecars into the quonset hut, taking over the shop, and making my award-winning prototype tomato cages that will be making me rich! :wink: __________________ *So Many Tomatoes ... So Little Time*

July 25, 2006	#2
Fert1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Upstate SC, Zone 7 Posts: 543	I do think there would be a market for decent tomato cages if they were easier to find, say in the stores for example. A lot of us are just too darn lazy to make our own, but wish for something better. We, (DH & I), usually rig something with the lousy cages, stakes, chicken wire, twine, fence posts, etc. String it all together to make it stronger and tie it off onto the deck. It works for the most part, but is far from ideal. We are masters of half-assed engineering! __________________ Holly

July 25, 2006	#4
QAGuy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Glendora, CA Posts: 167	This winter would be a good time to make some of my PVC cages. I use 3/4 inch schedule 40 PVC and drive them a foot into the ground. They won't fall over. They've stood up to a tropical storm in Florida. Here's a link to pictures and a write up about them. http://www.feldoncentral.com/garden/tom_pvc/ Click on the little pictures for big ones. BTW - those cages are designed by the guy who invented Slinky. __________________ "We have met the enemy and he is us" - Pogo

July 26, 2006	#5
Polar_Lace Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Z8b, Texas Posts: 657	username5, You can get a smaller roll of the nylon trellis netting - 5 ft. tall by 30 ft. long for $10.00 + $3.00 S&H here: http://www.heirloomseeds.com/supplies.htm __________________ It's not how many seeds you sow. Nor how many plants you transplant. It's about how many of them can survive your treatment of them.

July 26, 2006	#6
landarc Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Left Coasty Posts: 964	I had not such good luck with the nylon netting, ended up having to rig it with the basic materials of twine, cane, rebar and branches from the mulberry. My sister used some kind of wire mech fence panels, and concrete reinforcing panels (4X4/4X4) that worked well for both toms and beans. __________________ Lets see...$10 for Worth and $5 for Fusion, man. Tomatoes are expensive! Bob

July 25, 2006	#3
username5 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Zone 5 Wisconsin Posts: 117	Like many, I too played with store bought cages and posts and twine and various combinations thereof. For reasons I don't really understand I resisted a really simple method of supporting them until this year. Now I simply don't know why I didn't do this earlier. The method is simple and easy. Drive 8' tposts in the ground 4-6 feet apart. From this suspend nylon trellis netting such as can be found at numerous nurseries as well as online at Burpee and elsewhere. To attach the netting to the posts I use plastic cable ties although a roll of flexible metal wire would work well too. Next plant the tomatos. As they grow wind the stems into the netting once a week or so. That's it. Seriously. That's it. The netting is deceptively strong. It holds up far better than the steel cages with their weak welding. The t posts don't blow over in the wind. The plants don't grow into an impenetrable mess. Both the posts and netting can be left outside during the winter with no significant degredation. Cages are passe. Break the habit today!