Tomato Cages That Don't Fall Over?

[3riverschick]

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My favorite method for tomatoes is the Florida weave.  Before I knew it had an actual name and was a widely used technique, I just called it a tomato wall.   It requires posts (we use metal T-posts) and twine or rope.  It's pretty simple.  Plant tomatoes 18-24 inches apart in rows.  Then put posts at each end and in the rows so that there is a repeating pattern of "post, 2 tomato plants, post...." and so on, for however long the row is.  Then use the twine or rope to make a tight loop around each set of posts with the plants inside the loop. 
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So the loop is only as wide as the post? And there are several Heights of Loops... each added as tomatoes grow taller. Have I got that right?

 

[3riverschick]

Hey lazy Gardener would Peat Moss work instead of manure for the lasagna Garden ? I really don't want to haul a whole bunch of stinking manure onto my lot with my neighbors as close as they are.
Thanks ,
Karen

 

[Kryden]

Quote:
Yes! We've tried a few different methods for tomatoes over the years but this remains my favorite. Just make sure the loops are tight & that you don't let the plants get too tall before adding the next one up. I think my loops are usually added about every 8 - 12 inches. It just depends on how the tomatoes are doing.


(edited about 6 times because after I hit "submit" and re-read it, I didn't like it)

 

[10 acre woods]

I use cattle panels to support my tomatos. After I plant my tomatos in a row. I put a panel on each side of the row about ten inches apart. I support each panel with three T-post. The panels are usually 54 inches tall and 16 feet long. I plant eight plants per row. They are sturdy and don't rust. I have used the same ones for ten years. I have never had any fall over and the holes are big enough to reach through. So harvesting is easy.

 

[ShrekDawg]

This thread has been so helpful, not just about the cages but that lasagna gardening thing too! I love the no work idea. Sounds like my kind of garden LOL although I don't know, sometimes the work is fun but it seems like it would make the soil excellent! Anyway, I just bought 2 tomato cages and after seeing this I was kinda sad I wouldn't be able to use them but maybe I still can? But now I also have much better and easier ideas too! And who knew cattle panels had so many uses! They seem to be used for everything lol

 

[Maeser]

i made very large tomato cages out of leftover wire fencing. They are 4 to 5' tall. I have found that running a long piece of rebar along the ground and through the tomato cages keeps them from blowing over.

 

[Rooster one]

I make my own cages out of welders wire bought at Lowes. It is a little work to cut the wire and make the cage but they will last a very long time. Plants stand up straight and you can just reach in and pick the tomatoes.

 

[henryraven86]

Howdy y'all.

I've been gardening for decades and for the most part, I've been fairly successful at it. But I've failed miserably at keeping my tomato plants standing. Sooner or later they get top heavy and they fall over, dragging their poor defenseless cages with them! So is there such a thing as a cage that won't fall over before the maters even start getting ripe? What have y'all done?

Donna

I have had a similar thing happen to me but it wasn't the tomatoes that made the cage fall. My squash vine grew up the cage and pulled it down and my tomatoes left on the ground so right now i don't know what to do also.

 

[Rooster one]

I just let my squash grow on a little mound around the plant I make and they do fine for me. The cages I made I have also been using for several years. I check my garden every day. I am already picking squash.

 

[Blueridgeviews]

Cattle panels.
Do you have a Tractor Supply store near you?
They sell 16' long and the shorter 8' which will fit in the back of a pickup.
You can do the Florida weave through them also.
I don't do two rows spaced apart as one of the posters suggested. I just Do one panel long and weave them through as they grow. I put three tomatoes for each 8' panel. But some people do four a panel.
Works great, and there are lots of You Tube videos on "tomatoes and cattle panels."
Good luck!