Build a Wooden Tomato Cage

A DIAGRAM FOR THIS WOULD BE SOOOOOOOOOO HELPFUL!

I am 62 years of age and beleive or not I have just got interested in Gardening,I have roses,and a lot of perrennials.I have the red bells,Hosta,they were all planted in the wrong places but look beautiful.
Last year I did an upside down tomatoe Plane,I had huge tomatoes,but I think the birds kept poking them.My peppers grew like crazy but they kept getting ate.
Is it easy to build a wooden box or is there something earier for me?

I am 69 and have been putting in small gardens for years, and my space has been really limited, I have MD and am at a point of a wheel chair. My garden plans have got to the point of height limit, which is what I can reach sitting down. This seems like a very easy system and I'll try a couple of them. PS, handicap garden plans or Idea's would help.

Is a photo available of the finished wooden tomato cage? I have several tomato plants and it sounds like a good project to make and use.

photo please!!!!

Buy some 8' lengths of 1" x 3" studding. Cut them in half (two 4' pieces) or in 5' and 3' lengths. Then rip them in 3/4" x 3/4" sticks. Use 5' lengths for verticals and 3' lengths for horizontals. Connect them by drilling 1/16th inch holes, and inserting short lengths of stainless steel wire (available in rolls at Harbor Freight). Just bend the wire to secure the connections - there is no need to twist them tight. You can shape your supports any way you want, and you can take them apart and use them again year after year, and it won't bother anything if you have to drill new holes. And you can even save and reuse the wire pieces!

I agree - a picture is worth a 1,000 words! or a least a diagram????

diagram of assembly would be nice too!

diagram of assembly would be nice too!

A diagram or picture would be great.

You really need to show the item being built. The bill of materials and the step by step construction are only two thirds of the plans.
Michael Michaud

Or if you want to see something similar that will give you useful ideas that you can adapt to your particular needs, visit the Burpee Seeds website. They are very good at answering questions, and providing information free of charge.

Sometimes we join clubs believing that these will be of greater assistance and, much to our dissapointment, it is not as we are made belief. Some of this clubs are just book/items sellers that fill you with unwanted items that you must pay or return.

Good luck to all.

I am a new member and already I have to agree with icdavilla about the lack of useable content on the website, Basically it seems it is all about avertising that you get on the web with no membership. So what does a membership get a person??

To pashaw and others like us which are physically limited (handicapped):

I became paralyzed and wheelchair bound 4 yrs ago after a failed lumbar (low back) surgery. I'm also 24/7 in pain which limits even more my physical activities, but it has made me create some ideas for gardening.

For planting climbers like roses, pea pods, beans, cucumbers, watermelons, squash, pumpkins, etc:

Buy 1" x 2" x 8' or 10' lenghts of studing and have the store (I go to Menards or Home Depowhich do it free of charge) cut them in half. Take 3 pieces (4 or 5 feet lenghts) and tie them at the middle with wire (they sell small rolls of soft, fine wire). Open up the legs and place them over the plants which will grow up and climb by attaching themselves to these legs. (You can practice the ties with toothpicks, and then indoors with seedlings).

I also use a similar approach with these and tomato cage wire for the tomato and pepper plants. Except that I start with the center 1" x 2" x 4' stake which will guide the plant and 4 corner stakes which will help keep the plant straight with wire at different heights, specially if surrounded with chicken wire mesh (the easiest to handle is a vynil coated very fine green wire roll that comes in rolls 3' wide x 15' or 25' long).

Hope this ideas are helpful to you, and others, as well as they are to me. Feel free to contact me at icdavilla@aol.com.

Good luck

To fontime:

I've been a member since 12/2009 and so far, NOTHING of great value. This is basically a book club website supported by advertisers. They mail you books for you to preview, pay $29.95+ per book or return them. Some give you useful ideas. They should at least provide info on its content and ask you if you want to receive the book. For people like me, wheelchair bound, it is easier to pay than to go the post office to return the unrequested book. And if you, by mistake, accept the 'Free' Life Membership offer, then you have to pay an additional $21.45 per month. They send you a sunflower (logo) keychain, a magnetic sunflower (logo) strip, a membership ID card and, a once in a very longtime magazine full of advertisement. Oh, and they bill you on the internet before you even receive the books.

I hope sometime, something of some value comes FREE of CHARGE. I am now paying for my mistake.

Feel free to contact me at icdavilla@aol.com

photos would help greatly....

Come on!!!!!!! a garden club hat misspells tomoto??chorse451@aol.com

I agree with the comments that the article could use some more photos, especially of what you're supposed to be building. As someone who's not very handy at all, but willing to try something new, reading the logistical side of it without a diagram to help me understand it made my eyes glaze over. I could still attempt to make it with advice from family and friends but still....
Also regarding all the comments about the club, I can understand the frustration with the website, but I've actually really liked the magazine, it's been helpful and informative for me at least. I am pretty new at this, but I have liked the "Gardening Essentials" book too, although I do understand the trouble of having to pay or send back a book, that is annoying. happy gardening to all!

I am a new member of this club, and so far enjoy it.
I, like everyone else, have tried a lot of different tomato cages.
I think everyone may have a different sitituation. The one that works best for me is an old 6' steel fence post, a 3' or 4' length of old 48" high woven wire fencing form a farmer neighbor. Roll the fencing to tube which will be 12" to 18" in diameter, and 48" high.
After you plant the tomato plants, drive the post in the ground about a foot, and attach the woven fire tower to the post top and bottom. Plant another tomato on the other side of the post, and attach another wire tower to the same post. Repete for as many plantd you want. No matter what your climate, you should never have to store, or fix the tomato towers.

Yes! Photos are better than words.

I am afraid I have to concur with the rest of the group, A photo or diagram would be great. We have all winter to build them for next spring.
I like melson's idea, but I think that 4' tall square fencing like used in concrete floor reinforcing would be easier to use in the long run.
I really like the idea of one post for two plants. ( my being cheap )

I agree that a photo/diagram would be very helpful.

Regarding the club, I have requested by phone that I receive no more books that I did not request. However, I continue to receive them. My answer is to mark the unopened package "Delivery Refused" and return it through the USPS. At least, this method saves me the return postage but does nothing for the aggravation of delivering the package to the post office as it will not fit in my mail box.

I'm also disappointed in the new item member tests. I have not received anything of much value to test.

Could you add a diagram of the cage?

A very -- VERY -- easy way to have tomato support is to buy two (or more if needed) 4'X8' re-mesh. This is the pre-formed stuff that can be put down to stabilize concrete that is going down for a walk or the like, with about 4" grid. Use some strong "twist-ems" to fasten two of the long sides together. Now simply open up the two pieces of re-mesh, into making a triangle with the open section on the ground. Use some tent pegs to fasten the bottoms onto your garden soil. Plant tomatoes inbetween the two sides, and you are done. If you get galvanized, it will last several seasons, and is a piece of cake to put up, take down, store, and reuse -- plus if you buy the re-mesh on sale (Home Depot, Lowes) it is really cheap. It is strong, and there is plenty of room to reach through and pick the tomatoes -- and best of all, when the tomatoes get really big and heavy, the re-mesh NEVER falls down.

I have not had a garden in years...Would like to know when i need to start planting the following items. I live where the ground is sandy and was thinking about using Miracle Grow in the garden to help with fertilizing. Here is what i am going to plant...Serno, Jalapones, Eggplant, Tomatoes, Cabbage, corn, squash, carrots and bell peppers.

Please someone help me so i do it right.

I would appreciate a photo.

Please add a diagram or a visual help of any kind would be wonderful!!

I had just seen these in a garden in our small town and it makes the garden look so clean. rather than the plants laying sprawled every where because the wire cage wasn't strong enough to hold.
Thanks for the plan, I intend to get started now.

it would be nice if you had a picture of the finish product-your instructions are NOT the best

The quickest way is to use concrete netting used for renforcement. It comes in five foot wide roll of about ten feet long, cut to the desired diamenter being very carefull as the edges are very sharp. If you have lots or wind you may need to stake the cages down. Remove after the growing season and store in a dry place as they will rust. It works great for cucumbers also.

picture diagram something to show what you are building

will not even give the slightest thought to building something without a picture, what were you thinking.....obviously not thinking

definately need a picture. Let me know when you get one

Since this has been a project since may of 2010, apparently no one has pictures of what this looks like and they never look at any of the comments that ever get posted.

I need a picture of your tomatoe cage. thanks john ryan

since this has been posted as a project for a year and the first comments suggested pictures, it is probably a lost cause to hope for a picture or that anyone actually cares or reads the comments, starting to think that recommending that no one ever join gardening club and since I have not yet paid dues, I probably will not, not worth my time or effort, they do not care and post projects without adequate instructions or diagrams, a total waste of time

I went so far as to use the contact us method of getting a response and ask for more information and the reply I got was sorry we cannot understand your request. They cannot understand a request for a diagram or picture with better instructions? Makes you wonder if this "club" is worth the effort.
are there any real people out there with pictures or diagrams that would help. I nomally use what we called "hog wire" when I was little. It works great and lasts and lasts, I have 30+ year old cages that still do the job. I just thought it would be nice to have something simpler and easier to store, but I guess I was just dreaming.

Photos?? Diagrams???

I agree SOooooooooooooooooooo
WHERE'S THE PICTURE


hello is somebody there??????????????????????????

I would like to known where the tomato cage pics are ?

I was disappointed to see there was no picture included

I also would like to see a picture!!!

Diagram, photo or?

Photo please!

Im Like the rest need a pic and diagram PLEASE!!!!!!!

Does anybody answer questions here?

I agree . . . a picture is worth a thousand words! Pictures please or don't give such horrible instructions.

DIAGRAM PLEASE!!!

I agree, looks like whom ever maintains this site does not read these comments or just do not not care. A photo would be a greatly appreciated.

A picture of a complete box would be appreciated. Thanks

a diagram would be nice

I guess you get the message when you have a DIY project print a picture of the finished product also some structural guide in the way of a drawing Ernie.

picture please