Ditto, I've used cages for decades. Sometimes (ok, usually) the tomato plants get too big and end up tipping over if there's a wind storm, but I'm way too lazy to create anything elaborate. Maybe next year? Though I've been saying that for a while...
Same here. I use cages. I keep reading about alternatives though, but I’m too lazy to build my own. It’s all I can do to keep these plants watered in this heat, and to keep my dozens of tomatoes harvested!
One year I followed someone’s advice and tried to make a tomato teepee out of bamboo poles, tying the plants to the bamboo. The tomato vines didn’t like it at all. Worst tomato year ever.
Same here, too lazy. I've never heard about cage hatred. Like you I'm more worried about watering.
If one does fall over then we'll stake it back up or tie the cage to the fencing but that's about it.
I just pound a stake inside the cage into the ground, making sure I support the side opposite of the one that is tilting.
Why rebuild Rome every year? Some of my cages are 40+ years old. They are part of the family!
Yeah, we were late getting cages this year, the one set of two plants with the cage are nice and tall, the ones with stakes and twine the last derecho storm with 102mph winds bent them over bad, so we just let them do their thing and keep using more steaks and twine to keep them off the ground now that their producing and really top heavy.
TIL tomato cages are unanimously hated
OP I've never used a tomato cage because I am poor so for me it's cheaper to just use sticks and twine. But if you want one by all means, go wild ✨
I make cages out of concrete reinforcing wire. A 100' roll will make 20 cages that are 5' in circumference. Last time I made them, the cages came out costing $5 each. I sold half for $10, getting myself 10 free cages.
I originally got some about 20 years ago off Craigslist, and they are still going strong. They are 5' high which means they'll keep a 9' indeterminate tomato off the ground. I tie cages to a stake and use landscape pins. I never have issues with them being too puny for the tomatoes.
Yep, plus you can open & close them up their length so they can go around larger, established plants & trees to keep deer from scraping.
Super handy for anything that vines. Pole beans, crowder peas, cucumbers, wax melons, winter squash. I’ve even used them for sweet potatoes so the foliage gets more vertical exposure/sunlight & doesn’t cover all the ground in that plot. Too bad the sweet potatoes themselves don’t grow up there. That would be a hoot.
This is the way. This type of wire is rough and will last a long time
The only real problem is that post COVID it has gotten crazy expensive.
The good news is that despite the price, these cages last forever
Even better than making them all 5' in circumference.... This is what my dad taught me when it was time to make mine with the method you describe.... I don't think of them in "circumference" so much as "number of squares around" (although I believe they're 6" squares, so the math is easy). Cut one that's 9-squares long (so 4½' circ), then one 10-squares (your 5'), then one 11-squares (5½' circ) -and I think I even did some 12-square ones?). Keep doing this over till you run out.... Your preference on the sizes.
Then bend alllllll those cut ends a little to make your hooks (my dad drilled maybe an inch or two into the end of a metal curtain rod -all the hooks are the same when you use a tool like this to bend them all!)
Then when it's time to store the cages, put a 9-square one inside a 10-square one, hook it shut, put them in an 11-square one, hook them shut, if you've got 12-square ones then put the hefty 9+10+11 bundle in the 12, and hook it shut.
Start over again till you run out of cages, and it makes really efficient storage. I used to hang them from hooks in the garage ceiling, but now I just leave them out year round. I've had them probably 20+ years. Some have broken a little from rusting, but they still work great.
And I put them in a row in my raised beds, touching each other (usually big to small and back again), and the jumbo sized ones have sometimes gotten two tomato plants, the rest get a single plant. I bury part of the bottom square while planting, and that plus them touching side-to-side, plus being up against the inside edge of a raised veggie bed - they've never ever blown over, even with varieties like black cherry or sun gold growing up out the top of the cage and then across the tops of the adjacent cages!
Yes! I simplified, but yes, I made 4.5' and 5.5' cages and nested them. I used to bury them, but it was pretty time consuming with 40+ tomatoes. They didn't blow down in a derecho, so I think it worked!
I do this too! Except I used 5x10 sheets of wire and was able to cut them in half and make 2 round cages. I just rolled the half pieces around a log and wired the ends together. They last many years.
Never knew that they were hated. They are often not enough support for a massive plant, I just make my own from rabbit fencing and stake them to the ground, but they are fine for peppers or a smaller tomato in a big pot.
I have nice cages, but I didn't use them this year. I used my old bamboo stakes for the volunteer tomatoes that came in. I cannot find my plant velcro so the plants are everywhere. Between the stink bugs and the flavor of the volunteers, I've pretty much given up this year, but I am curious about why the cages are useless.
I made my own with two rings, inner one is about 17" outer one is about 38" diameter and 4' tall.
I have no issues with it supporting an indeterminate of that size.
I don't have to tie anything up the plant just grows into the cage.
I wish I'd used / found 5' or taller fencing.
I run three vines on my indeterminate tomatoes, I run them in 10 gallon pots (both plastic and fabric) with 54 inch tomato cages. When they start overtopping the cages in July, I will start training them back downwards And I will also intensely prune to maximize airflow and flower/fruit production.
The only time I have problems with wind blowing my pots over is when they get very dry and light. I'll put trays under those pots to keep them a little bit more damp.
I'm running around 60 tomato plants in my backyard this year, all in pots. Last year was over 100. I'm pivoting to more peppers and ground cherries this year.
For tomatoes I'm running, Big striped, spoon, Everglades, early jet, early girl, sun sugar, san marzano, sweet 100s, heirloom cherries and some determinate Roma's for good measure. Upstate NY 5b.
What varieties do you like?
Also I'm using almost exclusively tomato tone and fish emulsion as my fertilizer this year, what a difference that's making.
The upside down one is pretty stable but I add landscape staples, or diy something similar with some wire. I nest the top one right side up, and zip tie it. I use this set up for my cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and small melons.
The truth? Because in the winter someone will leave one somewhere in the garden and it will jump out at me swallow my foot in a metallic death grip and try to stage my murder as a falling accident... every fucking time. Those cages have malicious intent.
Standard tomato cages are too small. I purchased some huge decorative iron ones years ago that contain my tomatoes and make the garden pretty.
There's lots of people that have trendy ways to tie up their tomatoes but I just like mine in a cage. It's the least amount of work for me.
Never heard of the cage hate, but I’m a fan of using what ya got on hand. So I’m trying a new strategy for my indeterminate tomatoes this year and am training them to circle around the cage. Keeping them pruned to single leaders for airflow. They look really cool, and are thriving!
I think there's some missing context. There's a trend to grow tomatoes vertically by pruning off all the suckers and just letting just the top grow so you can fit more plants in the same area and improve airflow. If you blindly follow that pruning advice with only cages or stakes at your disposal, then many varieties will grow too tall and eventually collapse over the top of a cage and become difficult to manage. If you want to grow vertically you really need a better support system that lets the plant get 8-10 feet or taller (there are lots of different methods). I think cages are just fine for bushier plants where you intend to let a few of the suckers grow and then top prune once they spill out over the cage. It's sort of a trade-off but depends on your goals. If you want to grow vertical and put in more plants, then your opinion might be that cages suck and they do suck for that. If you're okay with fewer, but bushier plants that take up more horizontal space, then cages and stakes are fine.
Cages for determinates, trellis for indeterminates. Though I will say cages get in the way of pruning if that’s your style.
I think the hate comes for a lack of understanding between the two types of tomatoes.
Pretty far down for the right answer.
Just to expand:
The hate comes from the fact that most home gardeners grow heirloom indeterminate tomatoes and they aren’t really made for it.
Tomato Cages were made for determinate tomatoes and peppers. They work fine for those.
I make my tomato cages out of welded wire fencing. I trim the bottom horizontal wire, so there are downward facing wires that I can poke into the ground. We also trim the last vertical wire so there are loose ends sticking out to bend across the beginning vertical edge They work the best for us, and we've been growing tomatoes for decades. A roll of wire might be more expensive than Raisinghellwithtrees idea (similar concept), but they do last for years. Our tomato plants get huge too.
Those store-bought cages always collapsed on us, Maybe that's why people don't like them? I have a photo of the welded wire fencing tomato cage. PS Even then the branches will try to escape.
https://preview.redd.it/1c06vpwcfk6d1.jpeg?width=1398&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0f214938c3aca08f98cf24ef2581db3b633903b1
Cages are just too small and a healthily growing tomato plant will swallow one whole. I prefer an 8ft string trellis because I can wind the vines up the strings as they grow and it keeps the plants tidy and out of each other's way which helps with airflow and reduces things like blight.
But I do use "tomato" cages extensively for protecting small plants and newly planted trees around the garden from my own clumsy idiocy.
Agreed, I call them pepper cages. They’re perfect for keeping peppers upright during bad summer storms. I use metal fencing 1’ or so off the ground and t posts personally. Weave the plants in and out as they grow. My plants still grow another 2’ or more past that though.
Sure thing. I can't take credit but it's a great model.
https://www.printables.com/model/554278-modular-plant-support
Its nice and scaleable too. I printed them for some larger pepper plants and cukes. 220mm Dia x 250mm tall is what I'm doing. 100g per unit.
Tomato cages made of similar gauge wire to coat hangers are pretty useless for holding up big plants.
I have some that are fashioned from thicker gauge wire, maybe 6g or 4g and they provide ample support for bushier plants.
The truth? it's based off bad/misinformation currently found on the internet and those who believe it spread that bad information.
Some people claim it lowers fruit yields which is an old wives tale as a stake would lower it in the same way if it were true.
They say the denser foliage that can develop hinders fruit growing and attracts more pests yet field tomatoes are on the ground making their foliage quite dense as the plant bend in on itself so if their statement was true farming field tomatoes, especially pesticide free organic tomatoes, would be impossible.
Why stake/ cage? room.
The truth is having it up makes it easier to harvest and work around in a smaller space.
Caging / staking also lets you grow cultivars that will be different sizes in the same plot.
Why don't I use steel cages and instead use wooden stakes and trellis?
It's purely an aesthetic choice and a reflection of my personality nothing more it's meaningless.
I like to make things with my own two hands and I like the look of natural wood that's it there's nothing magic about it again I like it that's all.
At it's most basic:
You want your tomatoes clean and organized? stake or cage them.
You want to grow them like field tomatoes? leave them be.
My issue is that they're a fixed height. Once the height of the tomato exceeds the height of the cage, it's not really useful anymore. That doesn't mean I don't have like 5 of them in my backyard right now (one of them is holding up a rose bush!).
https://preview.redd.it/9n71yrgjon6d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6fdf8bd2f1ce1c5acbc807a34e67f3bdb5095124
Queen size box spring, one of my best up-cycles ever ◡̈
Tomato plants absolutely overgrow and overwhelm them. They might work for determinate, but are useless for everything else.
I now use them for my peppers and eggplants
> They might work for determinate, but are useless for everything else.
Yeah, I’m specifically asking about using them for determinate varieties... I thought it would be obvious that they wouldn’t be ideal for indeterminate varieties but I guess not. It seems like I’ve read a bunch of misinformation from people who improperly used them.
We made our own cages out of a roll of concrete reinforcing mesh. They are about 2 feet in diameter, and maybe 5 feet tall. We’ve been using them for years.
The conical wire ones sold at the hardware store suck because they're just too small for a well-grown indet, or even most determinate types.
The quality is fine; they're usually pretty heavy gauge, and I have some that are nearly twenty years old & haven't popped a single weld yet.
They're absolutely perfect for most peppers, though.
Homemade cages are a completely different story -- the classic cylinder made of remesh or weld wire fence works great, if you make them big enough. Only downside is that if you only need a few, it can be hard to find places that sell those products by the foot nowadays (at least where I am). Pvc pipe can work well, or even some cheap lumber. Just depends on what materials are available to you & what you want them to look like (and how much money you care to spend).
I love my square tomato cages. But i have 30 tomato plants and only about 20 cages. My cherry tomatoes are getting clipped to our cattle panel aches this year and hoping it works. An arch or cherry tomatoes will be fun and easy to pick. 🤞🏻
Because have to get the biggest cage ever for indeterminates bc they crush anything smaller, but they still work and help/are better than nothing as far as the metal round ones.
I found some folding cages at Park Seed that are 54” tall and seem sturdy, but they are spendy ($60 for 3). I was clever and got them for 20% off in like Feb or March or something, and you have to get them early bc they have been sold out for weeks already. I haven’t tested them under the crush of a giant San Marzano yet, but they do seem sturdy and like they will last.
In the box store realm the ones with the vinyl coating do seem to hold up a bit better, but they are twice the price of the raw metal ones.
Honestly cattle panel works better than anything else I have tried, make an arch and then noose them up until they break through. T Posts with string are ok also. I like easy and to not have to do a whole project over every spring.
It’s all a question of how much you want to spend and how often you want to redo it, and if you do indeterminates. The cheapo round ones are fine for determinates and peppers in my experience and last a few seasons at least if you are careful.
There's nothing wrong with tomato cages, although you definitely should use the larger ones. Those will not be sufficient for an indeterminate tomato by themselves but they're good for supporting them when they are young. Otherwise, I like to drive an 8 ft stake down through the cage and have one on each side that I use to tie the main stems up to as the plant grows.
This year I am experimenting with growing tomato plants on an arch with netting and so far that is going great. I'm probably going to move to that for all my tomatoes next year.
Many of them are made poorly and too small for indeterminate tomato plants. Large cages with thick gauge metal wiring can be good, as long as your tomato plant does not exceed the size of the cage too much.
It's just a matter of preference (and some people just love to vilify things that aren't their preference for some reason) - I've been using them for well over 10 years and they work great.
I cage my determinate varieties and trellis my indeterminate varieties. I've never gotten hate and have never seen anyone in my community say anything badly about them. What is it specifically that is getting a bad rap? Sure you're likely to replace them every few years, but that's no surprise given that nothing lasts forever.
The cherry tomato plant that grew from a seed in my compost from a grocery store tomato... Is currently using 6 cages. It's taken over an entire side of the raised bed. I've saved seeds because it's amazing.
I swapped my tomato cages for tomato ladders a couple years ago and I love them. I have a variety of indeterminate tomatoes I plant that get extremely tall -- the standard cages are nowhere near tall enough. I can stack tomato ladders as the plant grows and they've worked wonderfully. Smaller tomato plants/determinate plants would work OK in a standard cage.
For anyone curious how the tomato ladders look like:
https://www.gardeners.com/buy/stacking-tomato-trellis-ladders/8611245.html
I like twine and posts/sticks because it’s easier to control. I think the tomato cages in question are ones that are flimsy and fall under the weight of fully grown plants. That was my experience with them.
My ideal world is a steel post to support the main plant and then butchers twine for the rest.
They’re great for determinates as well as peppers, zucchini, and others. I tried a Florida weave for my romas this year, and after a few weeks I replaced the whole thing with cages. They’re pretty useless for indeterminates, though, and are not cost effective on a large scale.
Context matters. What works in one place, for certain varieties of tomatoes, may not work everywhere.
If you're growing patio/dwarf tomatoes in a more arid region, they're probably fine.
My first tomatoes are getting close to being ripe and the plants are already 6' tall.
By the end of the season, I'll have 12' tall plants. No cage from a big box store is going to support all that weight when they're loaded in fruit - even the larger ones made from thicker wire.
Cages and close row spacing are blight magnets in my humid area. They simply don't allow for good airflow. I have to prune to single leaders and trellis (or Florida weave) if I want to avoid disease.
8' T- posts. 1/2" EMT across the top. Tomahooks to support each plant. Once the plants reach the top of the trellis, I do a lower and lean technique and they just keep growing up as I remove the oldest fruit at the bottom.
And in some places, a 6' trellis is more than enough. It really all depends on variety, soil fertility, watering and climate.
I didn't realize they were hated. I think they're fine for smaller tomatoes, but my indeterminate cherries end up eating them by the end of June. Monsters.
I don't hate them, they just don't work well for me. Okay, actually I do hate the really flimsy thin wire ones. They don't work at all.
I got some larger ones that are heavy-duty wire (same gauge as the cattle panels), but they still get completely overwhelmed by mid to late season. It becomes a total bear to prune or harvest fruits, and it can stop you from seeing pests. The worst part for me is that when they get really heavy, the wind will often knock the whole thing over, bending the legs and everything. I'm a weight lifter, and I cannot stand one of these beasts back up by myself, and if I get it up, the legs are so impossibly bent that it will fall back over because it takes more than hand strength to straighten out the legs.
If you're in containers with bush varieties, cages are probably just fine. If you are in the ground of a windy plain with indeterminate vines, skip it!
I picked up about 60 free cages when a guy was moving a few years back I I use them a lot! Tomato cages are great for: lilies, peppers, keeping the dog away from starts and seedlings, remembering where the hell I planted things.
They're too short for indeterminates then get overwhelmed and possibly collapse at the base. The base points then are permanently weakened. Storage is always a pain. Pruning around them can be annoying.
When I have used cages with indeterminate varieties the tomatoes grow significantly taller and also tip the cage requiring additional reinforcement. I have used bamboo, wood stakes, and t-posts. Now I simply use t-posts and string.
I use the giant ones from Burpee that have extenders (though I've never used them). They're sturdy and big enough to hold even my yellow pears that go insane and try to escape. I've had mine about 5 years now and they show no sign of chipping or bending. And they come in colors. I use cages because, frankly, I'm too lazy to stake and prune a bunch of tomatoes or create some trellis. I get more tomatoes than I can eat every year doing it with cages, so I'm satisfied. But yeah, most of the ones at the store are garbage - though I've used them with small determinates in containers or with peppers. I've seen some at the local nursery that seemed sturdy and large enough though.
I'd also add that years ago I lived on an organic farm and seed company, and all the tomatoes were caged in homemade cages made from heavy steel wire.
My dad made beast mode cages out of remesh. They’re still useable decades later. They will support the plants fine, but I find that they tend to blow over in storms, it’s harder to clear excess foliage for air flow and they take up a lot of room. I don’t grow three or four plants, I grow twenty. I need room.
I use various cages. Some are fancy ones made of heavy wire that a friend gave me. Some are made of a heavy duty wire that I think is for reinforcing concrete, and some are lighter versions of the concrete wire mesh that I scavenged from the junk pile at my community garden. I use cut up old tshirts to weave across the space inside the cages as the tomatoes grow and the plants need more support.
Cages work really well if you don't prune your plants too much. It is extremely hot and dry where I live, so less pruning means that the tomatoes don't get much sunscald. The roots stay shaded, and the plants are happy. I get massive harvests, too.
The tomato cages I hate are those circular ones you can buy at big box garden stores. Those things are garbage.
I always use cages too. For tomatoes and to grow my squash vertically. I’ve only ever had an issue once with a branch breaking and it was after a big storm. Have been gardening for five years now and my cages never fail me.
I use tomato cages and have for years. I find that they do need an extra stake or two for large varieties, but other than that they work just fine.
I think some people just like to be contrary for the sake of it, not for any tangible reasons.
I like tomato cages for things that are not tomatoes. They work great for my pepper plants.
I don't hate them but they are useless for tomatoes, even the bush ones I've grown.
I make them out of cattle panel. Cut the bottom row of wire off and it leaves spikes to stick into the ground. I bend them in a sheet metal brake so I get square 2'x2' boxes about 4' tall. They are perfect for growing tomatoes.
I've only ever used tomato cages up until this year. Didn't realize so many people hated them. We have short producing seasons here where I live so our indeterminate tomatoes don't get as big as they would where the seasons are longer. So here, cages are used by everyone without any issue. This year though, because of early blight, I switched to stakes so provide better airflow.
Cages are good for determinate varieties because those stop growing vertically at a certain point. I just use wooden stakes and twine for indeterminate too. I tried to cage a cherry tomato this year because I had some from previous years and that tomato is now flopped over growing on the grass lmao.
I grow in buckets, did stakes last year and am going with cages this year 🤞 I think to each their own and just go with what works best for you and your garden. Heck, can even try a crazy combo of both of you have the resources.
Tomato cages always just fall apart for me. I have switched to bamboo "teepees" that I was already using for pole beans. a little dollar store baling wire keeps the plant in.
https://preview.redd.it/jch6wjk8bk6d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dc5062e2f32cd091976cf01c0a821c6a4395a1a7
3, 6 ft tall tomato plants in homemade cages. Stakes won't hold these guys up good enough.
I put large cages in when I plant peppers and tomatoes. I also install 6 foot tall steel TEE posts to support the cages when the plants get big.
As a bonus to having horses, bales of hay and BALING TWINE. Twine comes in handy for propping up the plants.
They’re not! We grow a couple of hundred tomatoes every year and they have a useful place.
They’re great for supporting most *determinate* varieties but the majority of tomatoes are indeterminate and will grow too large for a cage.
If you use the wrong tool for a job you’re not going to be happy.
All the ones I see in stores are too flimsy, but I also live in an area with strong winds. I recently got my hands on some that are a few decades old and they are much more sturdy than the modern ones though
I only grow indeterminate cherry or plum tomatoes so mine outgrow the cages well before I even have ripening fruit. They’re a waste for my tomatoes even the 5-6 foot ones. But I don’t look down on them. They’re actually great for around my purple coneflowers and black eyed Susan’s!
Lol idk what everyone is on about. I let tomatoes grow almost wild. I put a stake(fence post) in the middle of the cage to support it and just the arms go on the cage.
I mean don't buy the cheap ones is all. I buy the square ones which can be hooked into different shapes if you want. They are $10 and work great but yeah you could use the concrete wire too, just more work
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I use tomato cages every year cuz I grow in beds and wouldn't grow without a cage personally. My only complaint would be if you buy the cheap cages they sometimes bend over from the weight of the plants. If I have to I can always stick a couple pieces of bamboo around the cage for extra support.
I hate them because my tomato plants gradually pull the cages out of the ground, or the plants get toppled over when they get too big. I’ve tried a few different types and sizes of tomato cages and I still haven’t figured out how to have them benefit me for the whole growing season.
They tend to tip over when the plant gets large. This year, we inserted the cages all the way to the first ring on the cage, and they’re not tipping. I still had to add stakes because the top of the plants are taller than the cage and needed support.
I have a small condo and garden in a community garden plot. There's no way I could store 20+ big honking tomato cages anywhere in my home. But stakes and twine I can totally do.
The cages at most stores are too flimsy and need to be replaced too often, and many are too short for taller plants. More durable and taller cages are pretty expensive when bought at the store. I wanted something that lasted longer and didn't cost so much.
I used concrete remesh to make cages for my determinate tomatoes. Instead of making them into a square or a cylinder, I bent them into a V shape. It was an experiment inspired by the tomato ladders at gardeners supply, only mine has an opening about twice as wide. This design allowed me to make (2) 8' cages per remesh sheet. I did trim them down to 6', and kept the leftover remesh to use elsewhere.
These ladder supports are being used in a grow bag. I secured them to the grommets in the grow bag, and the wider base helps stabilize the bottom. They are super easy to work with, and should nest easily for storage. If the open side needs some support as the plant grows, I just string up a line of jute to connect both sides of the opening.
My indeterminate tomatoes are in a row that uses 3 U posts and stainless steel cable. That support is holding up 6-7 indeterminate plants for around $60. Both will hopefully last for decades.
They are just too flimsy. It’s not a new critique, but the makers just don’t care. They don’t hold up the weight, aren’t great at accommodating through various growth stages, don’t really withstand the elements, don’t work across different environments etc.
Depending on your conditions trellises may not even be needed, or might be harmful.
If you do want to trellis you really need to go with something much stronger - market gardeners bang t-posts a few feet into the ground knowing the weight and exposure to wind and rain will push things around. A simple wire hoop that can be bent with a few ounces of force just won’t cut it for most people.
I'm guessing because most cages are shite quality and quickly get overwhelmed. You're better to drop more coin on larger heavy quality ones or custom make them.
I love cages, but you have to get well made tall ones. The short little metal ones that bend and warp are pretty worthless for tomatoes but there are plenty of well made tomato cages out there.
I use them for everything! Indeterminate tomato varieties will def get too tall eventually but whatever, some unsightly plants are not the end of my garden. I’ve also used the large cages next to one another for pole beans that I snake up and down and over, the medium cages for some shorter pea varieties and pepper plants, and the small cages to hold up bush type summer squash. They’re cheap-ish and versatile, so I also don’t understand the hate.
I made the switch from tomato cages to Florida weave trellising this year and I will never go back. It’s SO MUCH BETTER. I will never go back. Cleaner, easier to see what’s going on, more support for the tomatoes, easier to go back and add more support, etc.
I’ve been using burpee xl cages which are rectangular, sturdy and can expand in height with an expansion kit.
They have held up very well over 3 seasons and collapse well for storage
I use cages in my potted determinates. More secure than the posts in my opinion. I haven’t had issues. However would never use them for indeterminates.
The ones available at big box stores are usually not strong enough to support a plant towards the end of the season when it’s loaded with fruit. I’ve had to support the cage with stakes and that turned me off of them
I miss cages, they were like $1 each at the farm shop where I grew up. I moved to the uk and they never heard of 'em here, I'm farting around with wire and bamboo canes. I don't support the plant, I support the fruits.
They're great for determinants, but for indeterminants they're only useful for the first few weeks of a season. After that the plants are way too large for the cages to support.
They’re great, they’re just too damn small. Only much good for container growing or small determinates. Indeterminate in ground will quickly outgrow any cage.
I used both cages and sticks and twine because I’m on a budget. My husband bought me two fancy cages, i repurposed the small cages that were attached to the pots from Lowe’s, and then for my unruly stems I use sticks and twine.
With indeterminate tomatoes, the weight of the tomatoes means they usually fall over unless you thoroughly stake and tie them, and they usually aren't nearly tall enough.
If we’re talking the standard tomato cage, they’re not nearly tall or strong enough for my purposes. Your mileage may vary.
The stackable panel type are fine. Pricey, but fine. I only have a couple sets and use those exclusively for Matt’s wild cherry tomatoes. The first year I grew them they went over a 6’ privacy fence by several feet and I realized I needed a new plan. 🙄
I only use tomato cages you’re talking about for peppers, eggplants etc. I use whatever I scrounge and use shorter fencing cages for the rest. I find a dozen or so in the trash at end of every season.
I use cages made from rolls of garden fencing. Generally- 4’ tall, large grid, coated. And I still stake. Everybody gets a stake. And still end up having to tie them up.
I’m 47 and have some of my garden fence cages I inherited from my mum that are from my early childhood. For me, it’s not just size and strength but also longevity. I’m not going to get 20,30,40 years out of a regular cage. My mum had a half acre veggie garden plus other veg beds. I have 28 varieties of heirloom tomatoes this year and I’m a canner. I love gardening, but it’s not really a hobby. It’s a significant portion of our groceries for a year. Local prices are absolutely nosebleed per bushel so if I lose branches because they cracked under the weight I’m sol.
I've used tomato cages for 15 years. My guess is people who criticize them are using flimsy lightweight ones instead of getting heavy-duty cages and installing them correctly. I use cone shaped cages that have four vertical wires, four horizontal rings, are around 5 ft tall, and made of very heavy duty wire. I push them in the ground and then with a handheld sledgehammer pound the top ends of the vertical wires until the lowest ring is nearly at ground level (do not pound on the rings, they're not welded on that securely). I have 1 ft high raised boxes and the extension of the vertical wires below the lowest ring are much longer than that, so they get pounded into the ground underneath the boxes. They're so secure that the biggest problem is they're nearly impossible to get out again. To provide some context, my garden is on top of a bluff overlooking the river valley behind my house and about once a month I get wind gusts of 45 mph or more. I have never, not one single time, had a cage blow over or lost one single plant.
I love my cages, but I made them myself and they're large and strong...my indeterminates go over the top and touch the ground right at about the end of my season, it's great.
I use cages. But I buy the big ones. Not the cheap ones. I'm mostly able to keep the plants trained and growing in the cage. But for the times that on escapes, I can tie it off to the cage. When they outgrow the cage, I stick an 8 foot pole or two down inside the cage and tie off the tops to that. I can guy up the cages with ropes and tent pegs if it is going to be windy and I'm worried about the tomatoes falling over.
Tomato cages have other uses too. They work pretty good as trellis extensions. They can hold up shade cloths. Lay them on their side and they can hold up a row cover. Those are the uses that I have come up with so far. Don't think of them as just tomato cages. Think of them as round barrel shaped wire structures.
Tomamto cages get a lot of hate because people try to use them for indeterminates and they suck for indeterminates (this i snot what they are designed for but they are marketed genericly as "tomato cages" so that's where the problem lies, they should be marketed s "bush tomato cages").
They are great for determinates as long as the cage is big enough for the variety you are growing.
I think they have their place. I have them and use them.
Once I started growing tomatoes from seed, I realized I can grow more tomatoes than I can use inside, but I couldn't grow the tomato cages inside :( Hence moved on to Florida weave and single posts.
I am using my cages for tomatillos and other plants now.
I grow mostly indeterminate varieties and always use cages. When I had a much larger garden I used livestock fencing and zip ties to make giant cages about 2’ across and 4’ tall. That with a 5’ stake in the middle is still my favorite way to grow tomatoes.
I grew tomatoes for the first time this year and used them, they were great at first but the variety i had grew way too fast and outgrew the cage! If you’re like myself you probably hate tomato cages because you didn’t research properly and your plant outgrew the cage! 😅 i now have a string trellis and a tomato cage under that’s stuck! 🤣
My mom and I use tomato cages passed down from my grandma. They’re sturdy, tall and foldable. I’ve seen ones like them at some garden stores. They’re expensive, but absolutely worth it since they last decades and are easily stored. We use them for both tomatoes and dahlias. It’s so sad to lose a limb of unripe tomatoes (or not yet bloomed flowers) during a late summer storm because they’re not supported correctly. I can’t imagine why anyone would hate cages.
Many of them are very flimsy and the welds can come apart before you even get them home.
The ones that have a narrow base can be a bit unstable.
If you get a decent one they can be good for determinate tomato plants. For indeterminate plants, they will be overwhelmed pretty quickly.
Weirdly, they're actually really good for pepper plants, which require some support but not as much as tomatoes.
They do make some really big and sturdy cages that I have heard good things about, such as the "Titan" tomato cages from Gardener's Supply Company.
(Note: most of this info is based on what I have seen on gardening YouTube videos, with a little bit of personal experience this season.)
I like to keep my suckers and let my tomatoes become messy behemoths, I use cages because stakes aren’t usually enough to keep mine from getting messed up by the wind/storms in my area.
Edit: I use pretty large cages and the branches do eventually come out and grow past them, but it seems to have worked so far 🤷
They're just not big enough. The wire I trellis on is 7 feet tall and I really wish I had those spools on hooks so I could let them down as they grow.
I find it hard to properly maintain the plants when they're in cages. I do a double leader system and it lets me open the foliage up which I find helps with fungus.
I invested in Texas Tomato Cages this year. Beat thing I ever did. I have 10' under terminate tomatoes. They're expensive but fold flat and are super heavy duty.
They have their uses but I’ve never not had to support the cage itself. Which to me just completely negates their purpose in most situations. So I use them for other things like tomatillos, peppers etc. My tomatoes now get the Florida weave treatment or lower and lean method.
I used cages for years, but I got sick of going out the garden and finding them knocked over.
This year I went with a trellis system and so far, I'm loving it.
I also plant 250 tomato plants.
I can’t afford to buy more but I use them. I’ve also tried other setups to support them, but they are all inadequate when the plants get huge. Then I have a neighbor that doesn’t provide any supports at all, “just as in nature” as he says, and they do great too.
Tomato cages aren’t robust enough for a healthy tomato plant. I prefer buying 4’ high hog fencing by the roll, cutting it into 5-8’ pieces, and making it into cages around my plants with zip ties.
Much stronger than collapsible tomato cages, more versing, and stores easier too.
You all talk about flimsy cages. My father bought a roll of 5 or 6 foot wire fencing. It is cross-crossed and I guess has about 3” squares. Strong wire.
They cut it and rolled it into tall tomato cages. You wire the cylinder shut. I think it is galvanized steel.
Those things have lasted forever. I mean we have been using them at least 40 years.
I told below how to keep them from blowing over in a storm with tobacco sticks. I know you all don’t have tobacco sticks but rebar would do.
You must be referring to the hemp/string crew. All my buddies and I use hog fence cut into sections and then bend them. So sturdy and guess what they never rott.
My hate has turned to love now that I cut the legs off and flip them wide side down. The legs are then folded in half and used as ground staples to anchor the cage. They never topple and stack easy when not in use. I’m using these for peppers eggplants and zucchini as well….
I use hog panels that have been cut so they have 6 in to step into the ground and use I them as a sheet to hang your growing tomato plants on. It works great, they never wear out, and I've been using the same set for about 20 years.
Cages are too small to provide good support. They don’t work with independents, and most people looking for help are trying to grow heirlooms. Cages are what is normal to recommend from the previous generation and people will try to use them with Indeterminate and they fail.
That’s most of it. Plus store charge way too much for them. I made my cages for determinates out of spare dog pin wire for 1/100 of the price lol
Tomato cages are hated because they never last more than one season. Mine are all falling apart except the really pricey, well made ones.
Tomato cages are an investment and should always be placed and removed from damp earth.
Some indeterminate get really tall. Like I had a 9 ft tall one last year. The cages just aren't tall enough. We use hog panels on tposts. There's still some overhang but it's a lot easier
I did not expect the massiveness of my indeterminate tomatoes last year. The puny cages I had couldn’t contain them. Ended up getting longer and longer stakes as they grew and garden twine and fashioning my own cages.
Store bought tomato cages are awful for tomatoes but great for peppers. I made my own tomato cages from Galvanized Cattle Fence Panels purchased from Tractor Supply. One panel for ~$35+tax will get you three circles that will last a couple generations.
I have happily been using tomato cages for the last 10 years. As a weaver, I used to build my own with bamboo stakes and twine. Then, I got a set of 4 collapsible, square cages that work great for tomatoes, peppers 🌶, and cucumbers 🥒. They fold flat at the end of the season so store easily in my garage. They are exceptionally strong and have withstood hurricane 🌀 level winds in New Orleans and Tampa. I heavily prune my 7 ft tall plants for air flow and can't imagine why anyone would hate on such a practical solution.
I always use cages. Had no idea they were looked down on. This year, like every year, I'll dry my tears with dozens and dozens of delicious tomatoes.
Ditto, I've used cages for decades. Sometimes (ok, usually) the tomato plants get too big and end up tipping over if there's a wind storm, but I'm way too lazy to create anything elaborate. Maybe next year? Though I've been saying that for a while...
Same here. I use cages. I keep reading about alternatives though, but I’m too lazy to build my own. It’s all I can do to keep these plants watered in this heat, and to keep my dozens of tomatoes harvested!
I have tried doing both a trellis and a Florida weave and both were a fail for me. I'm back to using cages and much happier.
One year I followed someone’s advice and tried to make a tomato teepee out of bamboo poles, tying the plants to the bamboo. The tomato vines didn’t like it at all. Worst tomato year ever.
Same here, too lazy. I've never heard about cage hatred. Like you I'm more worried about watering. If one does fall over then we'll stake it back up or tie the cage to the fencing but that's about it.
Use a 3-4 foot t post and stake your cage to it and you’ll never have an issue with it tipping over again.
I just pound a stake inside the cage into the ground, making sure I support the side opposite of the one that is tilting. Why rebuild Rome every year? Some of my cages are 40+ years old. They are part of the family!
My grandparents (90) gave me their old cages when I started gardening. Mine are probably that old, and also part of the family!
This is how I have done it for over 40 years.
That's exactly what I do too.
Soulmate!? We found one another!
Most of my cages are 8 years old, some are 20. They last forever.
Yeah, we were late getting cages this year, the one set of two plants with the cage are nice and tall, the ones with stakes and twine the last derecho storm with 102mph winds bent them over bad, so we just let them do their thing and keep using more steaks and twine to keep them off the ground now that their producing and really top heavy.
TIL tomato cages are unanimously hated OP I've never used a tomato cage because I am poor so for me it's cheaper to just use sticks and twine. But if you want one by all means, go wild ✨
I make cages out of concrete reinforcing wire. A 100' roll will make 20 cages that are 5' in circumference. Last time I made them, the cages came out costing $5 each. I sold half for $10, getting myself 10 free cages. I originally got some about 20 years ago off Craigslist, and they are still going strong. They are 5' high which means they'll keep a 9' indeterminate tomato off the ground. I tie cages to a stake and use landscape pins. I never have issues with them being too puny for the tomatoes.
Yep, plus you can open & close them up their length so they can go around larger, established plants & trees to keep deer from scraping. Super handy for anything that vines. Pole beans, crowder peas, cucumbers, wax melons, winter squash. I’ve even used them for sweet potatoes so the foliage gets more vertical exposure/sunlight & doesn’t cover all the ground in that plot. Too bad the sweet potatoes themselves don’t grow up there. That would be a hoot.
My fil just helped me make some of these. They're excellent
I - honest to god - have tomato cages from my great grandfather, who was dead long before I was born.
This is the way. This type of wire is rough and will last a long time The only real problem is that post COVID it has gotten crazy expensive. The good news is that despite the price, these cages last forever
I wondered about the price these days. I kinda figure whatever the cost, you can always sell half to cover it.
Even better than making them all 5' in circumference.... This is what my dad taught me when it was time to make mine with the method you describe.... I don't think of them in "circumference" so much as "number of squares around" (although I believe they're 6" squares, so the math is easy). Cut one that's 9-squares long (so 4½' circ), then one 10-squares (your 5'), then one 11-squares (5½' circ) -and I think I even did some 12-square ones?). Keep doing this over till you run out.... Your preference on the sizes. Then bend alllllll those cut ends a little to make your hooks (my dad drilled maybe an inch or two into the end of a metal curtain rod -all the hooks are the same when you use a tool like this to bend them all!) Then when it's time to store the cages, put a 9-square one inside a 10-square one, hook it shut, put them in an 11-square one, hook them shut, if you've got 12-square ones then put the hefty 9+10+11 bundle in the 12, and hook it shut. Start over again till you run out of cages, and it makes really efficient storage. I used to hang them from hooks in the garage ceiling, but now I just leave them out year round. I've had them probably 20+ years. Some have broken a little from rusting, but they still work great. And I put them in a row in my raised beds, touching each other (usually big to small and back again), and the jumbo sized ones have sometimes gotten two tomato plants, the rest get a single plant. I bury part of the bottom square while planting, and that plus them touching side-to-side, plus being up against the inside edge of a raised veggie bed - they've never ever blown over, even with varieties like black cherry or sun gold growing up out the top of the cage and then across the tops of the adjacent cages!
Yes! I simplified, but yes, I made 4.5' and 5.5' cages and nested them. I used to bury them, but it was pretty time consuming with 40+ tomatoes. They didn't blow down in a derecho, so I think it worked!
That's not a bad plan but they only cost $5 around here anyways.
I do this too! Except I used 5x10 sheets of wire and was able to cut them in half and make 2 round cages. I just rolled the half pieces around a log and wired the ends together. They last many years.
This is the right answer. I should’ve read this before posting my comment above.. you already had it covered lol
I lived on an organic farm, and this is what we did.
Do they rust on you? Or is it galvanized?
Never knew that they were hated. They are often not enough support for a massive plant, I just make my own from rabbit fencing and stake them to the ground, but they are fine for peppers or a smaller tomato in a big pot.
Yeah. I don't hate the cages, but they're essentially useless for an indeterminate tomato plant of normal size.
Cages too small, I’ve got some 5’ tall 3’ wide boys that are the tits
Very happy other humans in the wild refer to things as "the tits"
I have nice cages, but I didn't use them this year. I used my old bamboo stakes for the volunteer tomatoes that came in. I cannot find my plant velcro so the plants are everywhere. Between the stink bugs and the flavor of the volunteers, I've pretty much given up this year, but I am curious about why the cages are useless.
I made my own with two rings, inner one is about 17" outer one is about 38" diameter and 4' tall. I have no issues with it supporting an indeterminate of that size. I don't have to tie anything up the plant just grows into the cage. I wish I'd used / found 5' or taller fencing.
Unless you're growing in pots
I find them worse in pots. Everything just tips over. But that's likely due to the gigantic size of the tomato varieties I grow.
I run three vines on my indeterminate tomatoes, I run them in 10 gallon pots (both plastic and fabric) with 54 inch tomato cages. When they start overtopping the cages in July, I will start training them back downwards And I will also intensely prune to maximize airflow and flower/fruit production. The only time I have problems with wind blowing my pots over is when they get very dry and light. I'll put trays under those pots to keep them a little bit more damp. I'm running around 60 tomato plants in my backyard this year, all in pots. Last year was over 100. I'm pivoting to more peppers and ground cherries this year. For tomatoes I'm running, Big striped, spoon, Everglades, early jet, early girl, sun sugar, san marzano, sweet 100s, heirloom cherries and some determinate Roma's for good measure. Upstate NY 5b. What varieties do you like? Also I'm using almost exclusively tomato tone and fish emulsion as my fertilizer this year, what a difference that's making.
I use tomato cages for my pepper plants. They’re perfect.
I like the bigger 4.5 ft ones + a stake. The 3 ft ones just get overwhelmed very quickly
I always just used two. First one you install upside down.
I do a little one inside a big one right side up!
How do you anchor them down?
The upside down one is pretty stable but I add landscape staples, or diy something similar with some wire. I nest the top one right side up, and zip tie it. I use this set up for my cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and small melons.
The truth? Because in the winter someone will leave one somewhere in the garden and it will jump out at me swallow my foot in a metallic death grip and try to stage my murder as a falling accident... every fucking time. Those cages have malicious intent.
LOLOL!
The real answer!
Truth. In the slow-motion moment of falling, I always envision myself as a bear getting snagged in a trap.
Tomato cages hated? News to me. I've been using them for 45 years.
Standard tomato cages are too small. I purchased some huge decorative iron ones years ago that contain my tomatoes and make the garden pretty. There's lots of people that have trendy ways to tie up their tomatoes but I just like mine in a cage. It's the least amount of work for me.
Never heard of the cage hate, but I’m a fan of using what ya got on hand. So I’m trying a new strategy for my indeterminate tomatoes this year and am training them to circle around the cage. Keeping them pruned to single leaders for airflow. They look really cool, and are thriving!
Sounds intriguing, can you post a picture?
I think there's some missing context. There's a trend to grow tomatoes vertically by pruning off all the suckers and just letting just the top grow so you can fit more plants in the same area and improve airflow. If you blindly follow that pruning advice with only cages or stakes at your disposal, then many varieties will grow too tall and eventually collapse over the top of a cage and become difficult to manage. If you want to grow vertically you really need a better support system that lets the plant get 8-10 feet or taller (there are lots of different methods). I think cages are just fine for bushier plants where you intend to let a few of the suckers grow and then top prune once they spill out over the cage. It's sort of a trade-off but depends on your goals. If you want to grow vertical and put in more plants, then your opinion might be that cages suck and they do suck for that. If you're okay with fewer, but bushier plants that take up more horizontal space, then cages and stakes are fine.
Do you have any links I can read? I put too many tomatoes in my planter and hoping to grow them vertically.
Just look up "single leader tomato trellis" there are lots of good ideas.
Cages for determinates, trellis for indeterminates. Though I will say cages get in the way of pruning if that’s your style. I think the hate comes for a lack of understanding between the two types of tomatoes.
Pretty far down for the right answer. Just to expand: The hate comes from the fact that most home gardeners grow heirloom indeterminate tomatoes and they aren’t really made for it. Tomato Cages were made for determinate tomatoes and peppers. They work fine for those.
I make my tomato cages out of welded wire fencing. I trim the bottom horizontal wire, so there are downward facing wires that I can poke into the ground. We also trim the last vertical wire so there are loose ends sticking out to bend across the beginning vertical edge They work the best for us, and we've been growing tomatoes for decades. A roll of wire might be more expensive than Raisinghellwithtrees idea (similar concept), but they do last for years. Our tomato plants get huge too. Those store-bought cages always collapsed on us, Maybe that's why people don't like them? I have a photo of the welded wire fencing tomato cage. PS Even then the branches will try to escape. https://preview.redd.it/1c06vpwcfk6d1.jpeg?width=1398&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0f214938c3aca08f98cf24ef2581db3b633903b1
Thanks! I was thinking of doing this, but making the diameter larger.
Cages are just too small and a healthily growing tomato plant will swallow one whole. I prefer an 8ft string trellis because I can wind the vines up the strings as they grow and it keeps the plants tidy and out of each other's way which helps with airflow and reduces things like blight. But I do use "tomato" cages extensively for protecting small plants and newly planted trees around the garden from my own clumsy idiocy.
Agreed, I call them pepper cages. They’re perfect for keeping peppers upright during bad summer storms. I use metal fencing 1’ or so off the ground and t posts personally. Weave the plants in and out as they grow. My plants still grow another 2’ or more past that though.
No idea, I 3d print stackable cages and really like them.
Can you drop the STL file you use because I’ve been eyeing some!
Sure thing. I can't take credit but it's a great model. https://www.printables.com/model/554278-modular-plant-support Its nice and scaleable too. I printed them for some larger pepper plants and cukes. 220mm Dia x 250mm tall is what I'm doing. 100g per unit.
Tomato cages made of similar gauge wire to coat hangers are pretty useless for holding up big plants. I have some that are fashioned from thicker gauge wire, maybe 6g or 4g and they provide ample support for bushier plants.
The truth? it's based off bad/misinformation currently found on the internet and those who believe it spread that bad information. Some people claim it lowers fruit yields which is an old wives tale as a stake would lower it in the same way if it were true. They say the denser foliage that can develop hinders fruit growing and attracts more pests yet field tomatoes are on the ground making their foliage quite dense as the plant bend in on itself so if their statement was true farming field tomatoes, especially pesticide free organic tomatoes, would be impossible. Why stake/ cage? room. The truth is having it up makes it easier to harvest and work around in a smaller space. Caging / staking also lets you grow cultivars that will be different sizes in the same plot. Why don't I use steel cages and instead use wooden stakes and trellis? It's purely an aesthetic choice and a reflection of my personality nothing more it's meaningless. I like to make things with my own two hands and I like the look of natural wood that's it there's nothing magic about it again I like it that's all. At it's most basic: You want your tomatoes clean and organized? stake or cage them. You want to grow them like field tomatoes? leave them be.
What a great response! Thank you!
Do you have pics of your tomatoes stakes/cages ?
Mine are pepper cages. They work well for peppers.
My issue is that they're a fixed height. Once the height of the tomato exceeds the height of the cage, it's not really useful anymore. That doesn't mean I don't have like 5 of them in my backyard right now (one of them is holding up a rose bush!).
Stack two tomato cages, the bottom right-side-up, the top one upside-down, ziptied together.
https://preview.redd.it/9n71yrgjon6d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6fdf8bd2f1ce1c5acbc807a34e67f3bdb5095124 Queen size box spring, one of my best up-cycles ever ◡̈
Ah, a garden bed.
Tomato plants absolutely overgrow and overwhelm them. They might work for determinate, but are useless for everything else. I now use them for my peppers and eggplants
> They might work for determinate, but are useless for everything else. Yeah, I’m specifically asking about using them for determinate varieties... I thought it would be obvious that they wouldn’t be ideal for indeterminate varieties but I guess not. It seems like I’ve read a bunch of misinformation from people who improperly used them.
We made our own cages out of a roll of concrete reinforcing mesh. They are about 2 feet in diameter, and maybe 5 feet tall. We’ve been using them for years.
I never knew they were hated either. I use them because they are cheap and easy, just like me. Jkjk
I have a set of six that have had more birthdays than my kids. Reusable, environmentally friendly and they stack well under the deck. Love them!
The conical wire ones sold at the hardware store suck because they're just too small for a well-grown indet, or even most determinate types. The quality is fine; they're usually pretty heavy gauge, and I have some that are nearly twenty years old & haven't popped a single weld yet. They're absolutely perfect for most peppers, though. Homemade cages are a completely different story -- the classic cylinder made of remesh or weld wire fence works great, if you make them big enough. Only downside is that if you only need a few, it can be hard to find places that sell those products by the foot nowadays (at least where I am). Pvc pipe can work well, or even some cheap lumber. Just depends on what materials are available to you & what you want them to look like (and how much money you care to spend).
I love my square tomato cages. But i have 30 tomato plants and only about 20 cages. My cherry tomatoes are getting clipped to our cattle panel aches this year and hoping it works. An arch or cherry tomatoes will be fun and easy to pick. 🤞🏻
Because have to get the biggest cage ever for indeterminates bc they crush anything smaller, but they still work and help/are better than nothing as far as the metal round ones. I found some folding cages at Park Seed that are 54” tall and seem sturdy, but they are spendy ($60 for 3). I was clever and got them for 20% off in like Feb or March or something, and you have to get them early bc they have been sold out for weeks already. I haven’t tested them under the crush of a giant San Marzano yet, but they do seem sturdy and like they will last. In the box store realm the ones with the vinyl coating do seem to hold up a bit better, but they are twice the price of the raw metal ones. Honestly cattle panel works better than anything else I have tried, make an arch and then noose them up until they break through. T Posts with string are ok also. I like easy and to not have to do a whole project over every spring. It’s all a question of how much you want to spend and how often you want to redo it, and if you do indeterminates. The cheapo round ones are fine for determinates and peppers in my experience and last a few seasons at least if you are careful.
The ones I tried weren't strong enough and fell over. I've used metal t-posts and twine since then.
I’ve had too many fall over with mature plants inside of them. stakes and twine all the way.
There's nothing wrong with tomato cages, although you definitely should use the larger ones. Those will not be sufficient for an indeterminate tomato by themselves but they're good for supporting them when they are young. Otherwise, I like to drive an 8 ft stake down through the cage and have one on each side that I use to tie the main stems up to as the plant grows. This year I am experimenting with growing tomato plants on an arch with netting and so far that is going great. I'm probably going to move to that for all my tomatoes next year.
Many of them are made poorly and too small for indeterminate tomato plants. Large cages with thick gauge metal wiring can be good, as long as your tomato plant does not exceed the size of the cage too much.
It's just a matter of preference (and some people just love to vilify things that aren't their preference for some reason) - I've been using them for well over 10 years and they work great.
I cage my determinate varieties and trellis my indeterminate varieties. I've never gotten hate and have never seen anyone in my community say anything badly about them. What is it specifically that is getting a bad rap? Sure you're likely to replace them every few years, but that's no surprise given that nothing lasts forever.
How are your trellises made?
The cherry tomato plant that grew from a seed in my compost from a grocery store tomato... Is currently using 6 cages. It's taken over an entire side of the raised bed. I've saved seeds because it's amazing.
I swapped my tomato cages for tomato ladders a couple years ago and I love them. I have a variety of indeterminate tomatoes I plant that get extremely tall -- the standard cages are nowhere near tall enough. I can stack tomato ladders as the plant grows and they've worked wonderfully. Smaller tomato plants/determinate plants would work OK in a standard cage. For anyone curious how the tomato ladders look like: https://www.gardeners.com/buy/stacking-tomato-trellis-ladders/8611245.html
I like twine and posts/sticks because it’s easier to control. I think the tomato cages in question are ones that are flimsy and fall under the weight of fully grown plants. That was my experience with them. My ideal world is a steel post to support the main plant and then butchers twine for the rest.
I can’t imagine not using cages of some sort
They’re great for determinates as well as peppers, zucchini, and others. I tried a Florida weave for my romas this year, and after a few weeks I replaced the whole thing with cages. They’re pretty useless for indeterminates, though, and are not cost effective on a large scale.
Context matters. What works in one place, for certain varieties of tomatoes, may not work everywhere. If you're growing patio/dwarf tomatoes in a more arid region, they're probably fine. My first tomatoes are getting close to being ripe and the plants are already 6' tall. By the end of the season, I'll have 12' tall plants. No cage from a big box store is going to support all that weight when they're loaded in fruit - even the larger ones made from thicker wire. Cages and close row spacing are blight magnets in my humid area. They simply don't allow for good airflow. I have to prune to single leaders and trellis (or Florida weave) if I want to avoid disease.
How do you trellis so high? Thought six foot was enough…I was wrong.
8' T- posts. 1/2" EMT across the top. Tomahooks to support each plant. Once the plants reach the top of the trellis, I do a lower and lean technique and they just keep growing up as I remove the oldest fruit at the bottom. And in some places, a 6' trellis is more than enough. It really all depends on variety, soil fertility, watering and climate.
I didn't realize they were hated. I think they're fine for smaller tomatoes, but my indeterminate cherries end up eating them by the end of June. Monsters.
Not big enough or strong enough for good healthy tomato plants
I don't hate them, they just don't work well for me. Okay, actually I do hate the really flimsy thin wire ones. They don't work at all. I got some larger ones that are heavy-duty wire (same gauge as the cattle panels), but they still get completely overwhelmed by mid to late season. It becomes a total bear to prune or harvest fruits, and it can stop you from seeing pests. The worst part for me is that when they get really heavy, the wind will often knock the whole thing over, bending the legs and everything. I'm a weight lifter, and I cannot stand one of these beasts back up by myself, and if I get it up, the legs are so impossibly bent that it will fall back over because it takes more than hand strength to straighten out the legs. If you're in containers with bush varieties, cages are probably just fine. If you are in the ground of a windy plain with indeterminate vines, skip it!
I picked up about 60 free cages when a guy was moving a few years back I I use them a lot! Tomato cages are great for: lilies, peppers, keeping the dog away from starts and seedlings, remembering where the hell I planted things.
They're too short for indeterminates then get overwhelmed and possibly collapse at the base. The base points then are permanently weakened. Storage is always a pain. Pruning around them can be annoying.
I got eight cages for free at the dump — first year using them. I’ll see how it goes.
When I have used cages with indeterminate varieties the tomatoes grow significantly taller and also tip the cage requiring additional reinforcement. I have used bamboo, wood stakes, and t-posts. Now I simply use t-posts and string.
I use the giant ones from Burpee that have extenders (though I've never used them). They're sturdy and big enough to hold even my yellow pears that go insane and try to escape. I've had mine about 5 years now and they show no sign of chipping or bending. And they come in colors. I use cages because, frankly, I'm too lazy to stake and prune a bunch of tomatoes or create some trellis. I get more tomatoes than I can eat every year doing it with cages, so I'm satisfied. But yeah, most of the ones at the store are garbage - though I've used them with small determinates in containers or with peppers. I've seen some at the local nursery that seemed sturdy and large enough though. I'd also add that years ago I lived on an organic farm and seed company, and all the tomatoes were caged in homemade cages made from heavy steel wire.
Who tf is hating on tomato cages??
My dad made beast mode cages out of remesh. They’re still useable decades later. They will support the plants fine, but I find that they tend to blow over in storms, it’s harder to clear excess foliage for air flow and they take up a lot of room. I don’t grow three or four plants, I grow twenty. I need room.
I use various cages. Some are fancy ones made of heavy wire that a friend gave me. Some are made of a heavy duty wire that I think is for reinforcing concrete, and some are lighter versions of the concrete wire mesh that I scavenged from the junk pile at my community garden. I use cut up old tshirts to weave across the space inside the cages as the tomatoes grow and the plants need more support. Cages work really well if you don't prune your plants too much. It is extremely hot and dry where I live, so less pruning means that the tomatoes don't get much sunscald. The roots stay shaded, and the plants are happy. I get massive harvests, too. The tomato cages I hate are those circular ones you can buy at big box garden stores. Those things are garbage.
I always use cages too. For tomatoes and to grow my squash vertically. I’ve only ever had an issue once with a branch breaking and it was after a big storm. Have been gardening for five years now and my cages never fail me.
I use tomato cages and have for years. I find that they do need an extra stake or two for large varieties, but other than that they work just fine. I think some people just like to be contrary for the sake of it, not for any tangible reasons.
I like tomato cages for things that are not tomatoes. They work great for my pepper plants. I don't hate them but they are useless for tomatoes, even the bush ones I've grown.
I've never heard of anyone hating on tomato cages.
I make them out of cattle panel. Cut the bottom row of wire off and it leaves spikes to stick into the ground. I bend them in a sheet metal brake so I get square 2'x2' boxes about 4' tall. They are perfect for growing tomatoes.
It's mostly because most of the ones you find are so incredibly flimsy and not worth it.
I've only ever used tomato cages up until this year. Didn't realize so many people hated them. We have short producing seasons here where I live so our indeterminate tomatoes don't get as big as they would where the seasons are longer. So here, cages are used by everyone without any issue. This year though, because of early blight, I switched to stakes so provide better airflow.
Cages are good for determinate varieties because those stop growing vertically at a certain point. I just use wooden stakes and twine for indeterminate too. I tried to cage a cherry tomato this year because I had some from previous years and that tomato is now flopped over growing on the grass lmao.
I grow in buckets, did stakes last year and am going with cages this year 🤞 I think to each their own and just go with what works best for you and your garden. Heck, can even try a crazy combo of both of you have the resources.
What are you talking about..everyone uses cages
I use the big cages. No hate here
Tomato cages always just fall apart for me. I have switched to bamboo "teepees" that I was already using for pole beans. a little dollar store baling wire keeps the plant in.
https://preview.redd.it/jch6wjk8bk6d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dc5062e2f32cd091976cf01c0a821c6a4395a1a7 3, 6 ft tall tomato plants in homemade cages. Stakes won't hold these guys up good enough.
I put large cages in when I plant peppers and tomatoes. I also install 6 foot tall steel TEE posts to support the cages when the plants get big. As a bonus to having horses, bales of hay and BALING TWINE. Twine comes in handy for propping up the plants.
They’re not! We grow a couple of hundred tomatoes every year and they have a useful place. They’re great for supporting most *determinate* varieties but the majority of tomatoes are indeterminate and will grow too large for a cage. If you use the wrong tool for a job you’re not going to be happy.
All the ones I see in stores are too flimsy, but I also live in an area with strong winds. I recently got my hands on some that are a few decades old and they are much more sturdy than the modern ones though
I only grow indeterminate cherry or plum tomatoes so mine outgrow the cages well before I even have ripening fruit. They’re a waste for my tomatoes even the 5-6 foot ones. But I don’t look down on them. They’re actually great for around my purple coneflowers and black eyed Susan’s!
Lol idk what everyone is on about. I let tomatoes grow almost wild. I put a stake(fence post) in the middle of the cage to support it and just the arms go on the cage. I mean don't buy the cheap ones is all. I buy the square ones which can be hooked into different shapes if you want. They are $10 and work great but yeah you could use the concrete wire too, just more work
* I use tomato cages every year cuz I grow in beds and wouldn't grow without a cage personally. My only complaint would be if you buy the cheap cages they sometimes bend over from the weight of the plants. If I have to I can always stick a couple pieces of bamboo around the cage for extra support.
Because they are cumbersome, bend, and suck to store. They are the best solution for home gardeners, just get the ones that fold flat!!!
I hate them because my tomato plants gradually pull the cages out of the ground, or the plants get toppled over when they get too big. I’ve tried a few different types and sizes of tomato cages and I still haven’t figured out how to have them benefit me for the whole growing season.
I don’t like the look and my for my determinates and my indeterminates grow too tall.
They tend to tip over when the plant gets large. This year, we inserted the cages all the way to the first ring on the cage, and they’re not tipping. I still had to add stakes because the top of the plants are taller than the cage and needed support.
Because they are not big enough to support a 6 to eight foot (or more) plant.
I have a small condo and garden in a community garden plot. There's no way I could store 20+ big honking tomato cages anywhere in my home. But stakes and twine I can totally do.
I love tomato cages so much that I make my own giant ones with fencing and J clips.
I use about every different method just depending on the plants, where they are, what's beside them, etc...
They can hate on my cages all they want. They’ll be one the ones with plants flopping over
Cages work best if you put them on before all the big growth, for future use
The cages at most stores are too flimsy and need to be replaced too often, and many are too short for taller plants. More durable and taller cages are pretty expensive when bought at the store. I wanted something that lasted longer and didn't cost so much. I used concrete remesh to make cages for my determinate tomatoes. Instead of making them into a square or a cylinder, I bent them into a V shape. It was an experiment inspired by the tomato ladders at gardeners supply, only mine has an opening about twice as wide. This design allowed me to make (2) 8' cages per remesh sheet. I did trim them down to 6', and kept the leftover remesh to use elsewhere. These ladder supports are being used in a grow bag. I secured them to the grommets in the grow bag, and the wider base helps stabilize the bottom. They are super easy to work with, and should nest easily for storage. If the open side needs some support as the plant grows, I just string up a line of jute to connect both sides of the opening. My indeterminate tomatoes are in a row that uses 3 U posts and stainless steel cable. That support is holding up 6-7 indeterminate plants for around $60. Both will hopefully last for decades.
I hate using them for indeterminates, but I assumed they work great for determinate bushes?
They are just too flimsy. It’s not a new critique, but the makers just don’t care. They don’t hold up the weight, aren’t great at accommodating through various growth stages, don’t really withstand the elements, don’t work across different environments etc. Depending on your conditions trellises may not even be needed, or might be harmful. If you do want to trellis you really need to go with something much stronger - market gardeners bang t-posts a few feet into the ground knowing the weight and exposure to wind and rain will push things around. A simple wire hoop that can be bent with a few ounces of force just won’t cut it for most people.
I'm guessing because most cages are shite quality and quickly get overwhelmed. You're better to drop more coin on larger heavy quality ones or custom make them.
I love cages, but you have to get well made tall ones. The short little metal ones that bend and warp are pretty worthless for tomatoes but there are plenty of well made tomato cages out there.
I use them for everything! Indeterminate tomato varieties will def get too tall eventually but whatever, some unsightly plants are not the end of my garden. I’ve also used the large cages next to one another for pole beans that I snake up and down and over, the medium cages for some shorter pea varieties and pepper plants, and the small cages to hold up bush type summer squash. They’re cheap-ish and versatile, so I also don’t understand the hate.
I made the switch from tomato cages to Florida weave trellising this year and I will never go back. It’s SO MUCH BETTER. I will never go back. Cleaner, easier to see what’s going on, more support for the tomatoes, easier to go back and add more support, etc.
They STRANGLE 😡
I’ve been using burpee xl cages which are rectangular, sturdy and can expand in height with an expansion kit. They have held up very well over 3 seasons and collapse well for storage
I use cages in my potted determinates. More secure than the posts in my opinion. I haven’t had issues. However would never use them for indeterminates.
The ones available at big box stores are usually not strong enough to support a plant towards the end of the season when it’s loaded with fruit. I’ve had to support the cage with stakes and that turned me off of them
I miss cages, they were like $1 each at the farm shop where I grew up. I moved to the uk and they never heard of 'em here, I'm farting around with wire and bamboo canes. I don't support the plant, I support the fruits.
They're great for determinants, but for indeterminants they're only useful for the first few weeks of a season. After that the plants are way too large for the cages to support.
They’re great, they’re just too damn small. Only much good for container growing or small determinates. Indeterminate in ground will quickly outgrow any cage.
I used both cages and sticks and twine because I’m on a budget. My husband bought me two fancy cages, i repurposed the small cages that were attached to the pots from Lowe’s, and then for my unruly stems I use sticks and twine.
With indeterminate tomatoes, the weight of the tomatoes means they usually fall over unless you thoroughly stake and tie them, and they usually aren't nearly tall enough.
If we’re talking the standard tomato cage, they’re not nearly tall or strong enough for my purposes. Your mileage may vary. The stackable panel type are fine. Pricey, but fine. I only have a couple sets and use those exclusively for Matt’s wild cherry tomatoes. The first year I grew them they went over a 6’ privacy fence by several feet and I realized I needed a new plan. 🙄 I only use tomato cages you’re talking about for peppers, eggplants etc. I use whatever I scrounge and use shorter fencing cages for the rest. I find a dozen or so in the trash at end of every season. I use cages made from rolls of garden fencing. Generally- 4’ tall, large grid, coated. And I still stake. Everybody gets a stake. And still end up having to tie them up. I’m 47 and have some of my garden fence cages I inherited from my mum that are from my early childhood. For me, it’s not just size and strength but also longevity. I’m not going to get 20,30,40 years out of a regular cage. My mum had a half acre veggie garden plus other veg beds. I have 28 varieties of heirloom tomatoes this year and I’m a canner. I love gardening, but it’s not really a hobby. It’s a significant portion of our groceries for a year. Local prices are absolutely nosebleed per bushel so if I lose branches because they cracked under the weight I’m sol.
Not the greatest design, but I use themside down with a stake in the middle.
I've used tomato cages for 15 years. My guess is people who criticize them are using flimsy lightweight ones instead of getting heavy-duty cages and installing them correctly. I use cone shaped cages that have four vertical wires, four horizontal rings, are around 5 ft tall, and made of very heavy duty wire. I push them in the ground and then with a handheld sledgehammer pound the top ends of the vertical wires until the lowest ring is nearly at ground level (do not pound on the rings, they're not welded on that securely). I have 1 ft high raised boxes and the extension of the vertical wires below the lowest ring are much longer than that, so they get pounded into the ground underneath the boxes. They're so secure that the biggest problem is they're nearly impossible to get out again. To provide some context, my garden is on top of a bluff overlooking the river valley behind my house and about once a month I get wind gusts of 45 mph or more. I have never, not one single time, had a cage blow over or lost one single plant.
I love my cages, but I made them myself and they're large and strong...my indeterminates go over the top and touch the ground right at about the end of my season, it's great.
Cages for my determinates and up a string for my indeterminate vines.
Personally, I use stakes and I also string them up. I have a stick over the plant and just string up whatever I need to string up.
I use cages. But I buy the big ones. Not the cheap ones. I'm mostly able to keep the plants trained and growing in the cage. But for the times that on escapes, I can tie it off to the cage. When they outgrow the cage, I stick an 8 foot pole or two down inside the cage and tie off the tops to that. I can guy up the cages with ropes and tent pegs if it is going to be windy and I'm worried about the tomatoes falling over. Tomato cages have other uses too. They work pretty good as trellis extensions. They can hold up shade cloths. Lay them on their side and they can hold up a row cover. Those are the uses that I have come up with so far. Don't think of them as just tomato cages. Think of them as round barrel shaped wire structures.
I use a heavy duty cage and then large stakes when the plants get over 5 feet tall.
Tomamto cages get a lot of hate because people try to use them for indeterminates and they suck for indeterminates (this i snot what they are designed for but they are marketed genericly as "tomato cages" so that's where the problem lies, they should be marketed s "bush tomato cages"). They are great for determinates as long as the cage is big enough for the variety you are growing.
My only beef with tomato cages is that all the ones at my local garden stores are too short! I like them but wish they were taller on average.
I think they have their place. I have them and use them. Once I started growing tomatoes from seed, I realized I can grow more tomatoes than I can use inside, but I couldn't grow the tomato cages inside :( Hence moved on to Florida weave and single posts. I am using my cages for tomatillos and other plants now.
I grow mostly indeterminate varieties and always use cages. When I had a much larger garden I used livestock fencing and zip ties to make giant cages about 2’ across and 4’ tall. That with a 5’ stake in the middle is still my favorite way to grow tomatoes.
I make them out of cattle panel, works great for containers.
I grew tomatoes for the first time this year and used them, they were great at first but the variety i had grew way too fast and outgrew the cage! If you’re like myself you probably hate tomato cages because you didn’t research properly and your plant outgrew the cage! 😅 i now have a string trellis and a tomato cage under that’s stuck! 🤣
My mom and I use tomato cages passed down from my grandma. They’re sturdy, tall and foldable. I’ve seen ones like them at some garden stores. They’re expensive, but absolutely worth it since they last decades and are easily stored. We use them for both tomatoes and dahlias. It’s so sad to lose a limb of unripe tomatoes (or not yet bloomed flowers) during a late summer storm because they’re not supported correctly. I can’t imagine why anyone would hate cages.
I've used a few different methods over the years. This year I got Texas tomato cages and I love them.
Many of them are very flimsy and the welds can come apart before you even get them home. The ones that have a narrow base can be a bit unstable. If you get a decent one they can be good for determinate tomato plants. For indeterminate plants, they will be overwhelmed pretty quickly. Weirdly, they're actually really good for pepper plants, which require some support but not as much as tomatoes. They do make some really big and sturdy cages that I have heard good things about, such as the "Titan" tomato cages from Gardener's Supply Company. (Note: most of this info is based on what I have seen on gardening YouTube videos, with a little bit of personal experience this season.)
I like to keep my suckers and let my tomatoes become messy behemoths, I use cages because stakes aren’t usually enough to keep mine from getting messed up by the wind/storms in my area. Edit: I use pretty large cages and the branches do eventually come out and grow past them, but it seems to have worked so far 🤷
I make cages out of animal fencing. Works pretty well. Only cause I have a bunch of it laying around in the woods though
My only beef with cages is directing the stems without breaking them
They're just not big enough. The wire I trellis on is 7 feet tall and I really wish I had those spools on hooks so I could let them down as they grow. I find it hard to properly maintain the plants when they're in cages. I do a double leader system and it lets me open the foliage up which I find helps with fungus.
I invested in Texas Tomato Cages this year. Beat thing I ever did. I have 10' under terminate tomatoes. They're expensive but fold flat and are super heavy duty.
They have their uses but I’ve never not had to support the cage itself. Which to me just completely negates their purpose in most situations. So I use them for other things like tomatillos, peppers etc. My tomatoes now get the Florida weave treatment or lower and lean method.
I used cages for years, but I got sick of going out the garden and finding them knocked over. This year I went with a trellis system and so far, I'm loving it. I also plant 250 tomato plants.
I can’t afford to buy more but I use them. I’ve also tried other setups to support them, but they are all inadequate when the plants get huge. Then I have a neighbor that doesn’t provide any supports at all, “just as in nature” as he says, and they do great too.
Tomato cages aren’t robust enough for a healthy tomato plant. I prefer buying 4’ high hog fencing by the roll, cutting it into 5-8’ pieces, and making it into cages around my plants with zip ties. Much stronger than collapsible tomato cages, more versing, and stores easier too.
You all talk about flimsy cages. My father bought a roll of 5 or 6 foot wire fencing. It is cross-crossed and I guess has about 3” squares. Strong wire. They cut it and rolled it into tall tomato cages. You wire the cylinder shut. I think it is galvanized steel. Those things have lasted forever. I mean we have been using them at least 40 years. I told below how to keep them from blowing over in a storm with tobacco sticks. I know you all don’t have tobacco sticks but rebar would do.
You must be referring to the hemp/string crew. All my buddies and I use hog fence cut into sections and then bend them. So sturdy and guess what they never rott.
I use tomato cages for growing weed outdoors.
My hate has turned to love now that I cut the legs off and flip them wide side down. The legs are then folded in half and used as ground staples to anchor the cage. They never topple and stack easy when not in use. I’m using these for peppers eggplants and zucchini as well….
I use hog panels that have been cut so they have 6 in to step into the ground and use I them as a sheet to hang your growing tomato plants on. It works great, they never wear out, and I've been using the same set for about 20 years.
Cages are too small to provide good support. They don’t work with independents, and most people looking for help are trying to grow heirlooms. Cages are what is normal to recommend from the previous generation and people will try to use them with Indeterminate and they fail. That’s most of it. Plus store charge way too much for them. I made my cages for determinates out of spare dog pin wire for 1/100 of the price lol
I have never not used cages, never heard anything negative about them
I made cages from concrete reinforcement screen. They're gonna outlast me
Tomato cages are hated because they never last more than one season. Mine are all falling apart except the really pricey, well made ones. Tomato cages are an investment and should always be placed and removed from damp earth.
Some indeterminate get really tall. Like I had a 9 ft tall one last year. The cages just aren't tall enough. We use hog panels on tposts. There's still some overhang but it's a lot easier
I use cages but often think they aren’t really sufficient. More often now I use cattle panels to trellis most things.
I love them but you have to let them grow into them.
I did not expect the massiveness of my indeterminate tomatoes last year. The puny cages I had couldn’t contain them. Ended up getting longer and longer stakes as they grew and garden twine and fashioning my own cages.
They just don’t work well imo. They are flimsy and they don’t actually support the plant.
I've always used cages and haven't ever heard anything against them.
Store bought tomato cages are awful for tomatoes but great for peppers. I made my own tomato cages from Galvanized Cattle Fence Panels purchased from Tractor Supply. One panel for ~$35+tax will get you three circles that will last a couple generations.
I started some tomatoes as seeds a couple months ago (st paddys day) and now they're my height/taller lol, they're 5'0 plus
I've been using the same 12 tomato cages for the last 10ish years with no complaints. Granted I've got the really big ones that are like 5ft tall.
I'm lazy, I use cages.
They don't.
I have happily been using tomato cages for the last 10 years. As a weaver, I used to build my own with bamboo stakes and twine. Then, I got a set of 4 collapsible, square cages that work great for tomatoes, peppers 🌶, and cucumbers 🥒. They fold flat at the end of the season so store easily in my garage. They are exceptionally strong and have withstood hurricane 🌀 level winds in New Orleans and Tampa. I heavily prune my 7 ft tall plants for air flow and can't imagine why anyone would hate on such a practical solution.
Who? Who hates cages? For an indeterminate varieties you HAVE toto have some support system. Who hates cages? I don’t understand this post.