How to Make Tomato Cages

I started the Great Tomato Experiment with enthusiasm. But once I put the tomatoes in the ground I followed through just enough to keep them alive. Gardening did not lose its luster. Rather, my son was born! Just his presence was easily enough to distract me from the garden, not to mention the lack of sleep that came along with him. More specifically, you might say I waited weeks to fully support my tomatoes.

That's right. I waited to put in tomato cages.

Tomato cages are important. Without them, your tomatoes will just fall over (I’m so sorry about that, Yellow Pear). Now, falling over is not the worst thing that can happen to tomatoes (right, Yellow Pear?). But, tomato plants growing along the ground are much closer to all the bugs and beasties that may want to get a taste of them, not to mention the increased likelihood of rot with closer proximity to wet earth.

When the poor Yellow Pear plant fell over, I knew I had waited too long. In order to avoid any additional catastrophes with the remaining 10 plants I had to get tomato cages, fast.

Need: 1 roll wire

Imagine my horror, upon arrival at the local hardware and gardening supply shop, when I saw the flimsy build and price of their pre-built tomato cages. With my hoard of 11 tomato plants, it appeared I needed to be prepared to spend a good amount to support them. Donating plants to friends became a serious possibility.

But as often occurs when I encounter prices too steep or items I consider inadequate, I became stubborn, obstinate, and then declared I would do it myself. I bought a roll of Galvanized Wire Fencing for $25 (see left). The wire I bought is meant to be used as fencing to keep rabbits out, but works for tomatoes just fine, not to mention the additional uses available around Easter. When I got home, I started making tomato cages. Making the tomato cages is easy, provided you have a few simple tools. 

You need:

• A roll of wire mesh fencing (easily found at the local hardware store)
• Gloves
• Wire Cutters
• Long Nosed Pliers or a Multi tool*

 

*Note: often long nosed pliers and multi tools (e.g. Leatherman, Gerber, etc.) also have built in wire cutters, making the need for wire cutters obsolete. .

Once you have your roll of wire and your tools, you will need to decide how wide your cages need to be. I eyeballed it and chose 13 “squares” of fencing, which provided me with tomato cages that were approximately 17 inches in diameter. This, of course, can easily be wider if you so choose.

Wire wraps, looking nice

Next, cut the section of wire free from the roll. This can be annoying, as the freed wire springs back and forth with some sharp points. Watch out! While cutting, leave one edge flush. Leave the wire lengths free on the other side so they can be wrapped the edge of the other side when you begin to connect your cage.

To connect the two sides of the cage, use the pliers and begin to wrap the loose wires around vertical lengths of the flush side. This can be done simply and quickly like wrapping a twist tie around the mouth of a bag of bread. Done more carefully, this can look quite nice (see image). As you twist the wire and begin to reach the end, the task becomes more difficult, and the pliers are essential. The last few turns need to be clamped down so that no sharp edges extend out from the cage. Think of yourself in the fall, collecting your tomato cages: The fewer injuries the better!

Tomato cage: Complete!

Continue down the cage until all of the loose wire lengths are secure. Once finished, the cage is often bent out of shape due to the earlier steps. I tend to bounce and roll it a bit into a circular shape, then go through the horizontal segments and try to straighten out the kinks as much as possible. While I am sure the tomato plants don’t mind imperfect cages, I do!

Best of luck, Yellow Pear!

Some people like to stake down their cages, to prevent them from being blown or inadvertently knocked over. This is a consideration to take, depending upon the placement of the plants and the weather in your area. I don’t get a lot of wind here, and the plants are protected between the house and other barriers, so I have not staked my cages. 

Maybe I should stake down that Yellow Pear’s cage, just in case…