Making Tomato Cages

Some consider tomato as a vegetable while others call it a fruit. Tomatoes are used all over the world as they are a tasty seasoning and are highly nutritional. Moreover, growing tomatoes is not at all difficult and therefore it is very much preferred by people who love gardening. A tomato cage is a support given to the tomato plant so that is does not fall or break while it is developing or even when it becomes fully developed. It also prevents the rotting of tomatoes. Tomatoes generally rot, if they come in contact with soil or if they are affected by sunburn. A tomato cage saves the tomato plant from both these possibilities. You have two options for the tomato cage, you can either buy it or you can learn how to make tomato cages at home. Buying a tomato cage can prove more expensive than building it at home. Moreover, purchased cages would not serve the purpose for a long time, as these might break or bend anytime. Making tomato cages at home, requires a bit of hard work and time. But here, the advantage is that you can prepare strong cages and properly support your plant. There are a couple of techniques for making tomato cages, such as the wire mesh technique and the wood technique. Learn how to make homemade tomato cages by both of these techniques.

Making Tomato Cages - Wire method

This is the most widely preferred method of building tomato cages. This method just requires a wire mesh and one wire cutter. Wire mesh is a structure of vertical wires crossed by 11 horizontal wires. You should start this process by measuring the wire mesh and then cut it 5 feet long with the help of the wire cutter. Now, the 11 horizontal wires that cross the vertical ones, form 11 prongs, therefore in order to prepare hooks to close the cage, bend back all the prongs completely at an angle of about 90 degrees. Further, roll the wire mesh to form a cylindrical shape, fix the hooks of all the horizontal wires into each other. This would secure all the horizontal wires. Further, wrap the hooks of all the horizontal wires around the vertical wires so as to secure all the vertical wires. The last step is to fix the cage into the ground. Make sure that the lowermost horizontal cage is at least at a height of about 6-7 inches from the ground. This would secure the position of your tomato cage in the ground.

Making Wooden Tomato Cages

If you are wondering how to make tomato cages from wood, here is a procedure to build bamboo tomato cages. Here you require 4 pieces of bamboo (6 feet long), 12 pieces of 38 inch long bamboos and 12 plastic zip ties. The procedure is very simple. The first step is to place a couple of 6 feet long bamboo pieces on a table, at a distance of about 3 feet. Next, with the help of the plastic zip tie, tie the 38 inch long bamboo sticks, horizontally on those vertical bamboo pieces resembling a ladder. Ensure that all the horizontal bamboo sticks are at an equal distance from each other. Repeat the procedure for the remaining sides of the tomato cage. Next, secure all the ladders in the ground at a distance of about 18-19 inches from the tomato plant. Lastly, in order to close the tomato cage, tie the remaining 38 inch bamboo sticks tightly to the ladders in such a way that a cube is formed and your bamboo tomato cage is ready!

Apart from the above said methods, you can even opt for plastic tomato cages or the ones made out of PVC pipes.

There are many options for making tomato cages. But you need to make a choice of the right method and material for your tomato cage. While making your choice, it is necessary to consider factors such as the durability of the cage, the space required and most importantly, the cost incurred in building it.