Tomato cages /supports

[jolj]

Made my own tomato cages out of 3/8" rebar

They are fabricated at 9' and have 7' 6" sticking out of the ground , the triangular shape is 20" and spacing is around 10" ......18" of the rebar supports these cages really well

These measurements were planned beforehand as not to waste any material when I bought a whole bunch of rebar lengths , all that was left were approx, 4" cutoffs from each 20' length of the rebar , 5 cages were made altogether and on the last cage I think the vertical spacing was 12" or 14 " as to save on material being used

The indeterminate tomatoes will grow out the top of these cages easily and are easy to pick the fruit out of ( If I were to make these again a 24" triangle would be my choice and the vertical spacing would be 12" ) ........we grew Roma in 1 cage and that worked out real nice as the fruits again were easy to pick

Also a couple 4' x 8 ' cattle panels were used to support the grape tomato and tomatillos , this year I'll be putting a grape tomato in one 9' cage a let it grow wild

Thought I would share these plans as just about every gardener loves tomato , the cattle panels do well for the sprawling grape and cherry tomatoes but growing them vertically is going to help keep me off my hands and knees harvesting them ..........I will be rotating those cattle panels this spring so they are going to be 8' tall X 4' wide and will be fabricating my own 10' T posts to support them ........possibly I may make a V shape out of 2 cattle panels and make a trellis system, that would eliminate the need for special fabricated T posts , will post pictures of what I decide on when the project is completed after snow is gone in April

Most likely will do both of those ideas

Well the 3/8 bar will out last my bamboo, of course I can grow more bamboo.
It will out do my hog wire cage too.

 

[Abbeville TSI]

Years ago I bought a roll of 4' field fence and cut lengths long enough to make 18" diameter circles. I ran a 25' length across the garden and trained the cukes up the fence. Easy to pick and the turtles can't bite them if they can't reach them.

 

[John Lyngdal]

I use cattle panel to form a 4x8' in a raised bed box and slide 1x2's in the openings for additional support.

 

[farmer steve]

Look up "Florida Weave" on YouTube,,

https://www.google.com/search?q="Florida+Weave"&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS878US878&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
We only weave tomatoes now (also anything else that would climb, like peas, and cucumbers)

A few steel fence posts, and some natural fiber baling twine (the plastic baling twine will not rot away)

Sometimes, I weave the entire height at the start, then tuck in the plants.
Other times, I add a row of weave, each time the plants get taller. BOTH methods work great.

I have had six foot tall tomatoes held up like this. (the aluminum scares crows out of corn about to come out of the ground)

When the plants are done,, hit the twine with a machete, it is so weak, it just falls to the ground.
The cleaned posts are ready for the next season.

I do dispose of the tomato vines, and twine,, I have heard disease can carry over on it,,,

Most everyone around here does the Florida weave that are raising lots of tomatoes. Wooden stakes and a special twine that doesn't slip on the stakes when wrapped around them. Only have to tie at the row ends. I've done it but hate pulling stakes. Went back to commercial type cages. Stihl a pain to pull them. Only about 150 tomatoe plants a year any more.

 

[jolj]

Most everyone around here does the Florida weave that are raising lots of tomatoes. Wooden stakes and a special twine that doesn't slip on the stakes when wrapped around them. Only have to tie at the row ends. I've done it but hate pulling stakes. Went back to commercial type cages. Stihl a pain to pull them. Only about 150 tomato plants a year any more.

Forty years ago my B-I-L used Florida weave in Marsh, North Carolina mountains, then thirty one years ago he moved to Sylvania, Ga. & raised tomatoes & Muscadines & a few other fruits. So the weave has been around a long time.

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

we have first tomato set in the new tomato season... Big Beef

 

[jolj]

we have first tomato set in the new tomato season... Big Beef
View attachment 981615

Are you in zone 9a?

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

zone 9a

 

[jolj]

zone 9a

Here in zone 8a, I will be putting my plant out this week.
They are in one gallon (3quart) nursery pots now.
Nice plant you have there!

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

Here in zone 8a, I will be putting my plant out this week.
They are in one gallon (3quart) nursery pots now.
Nice plant you have there!

cut back some this year. only did 4. have done as many as 60+... canned a lot that year! lol

12 days ago, much bigger now...

plants laid in lik: L root ball to left n right of plants. then stem curved up... ferted them yesterday, 13/13/13

 

[esshup]

And tonight's temp here will be in the mid 20's......

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

needed a place to store some of my tomato cages... and i found a place worthy. big winds recently

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

And tonight's temp here will be in the mid 20's......

70's here this morning...

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

we have first tomato set in the new tomato season... Big Beef
View attachment 981615

same plant currently

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

Here in zone 8a, I will be putting my plant out this week.
They are in one gallon (3quart) nursery pots now.
Nice plant you have there!

if i was in 8s, maybe i could grow some brussles.

but we can grow onions down here... 85 from other day, been drying now ready to string up.

sweet Texas 1015's...

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

yesterday evening, early - sweet corn has made it to the silking stage... R1

 

[jakethesnake]

If you zoom in that front cage is cattle panel. Had a buddy make some for himself. He gave me one to try. He works at a machine shop so he could roll the cattle panel and weld it up pretty easy. Makes an awesome cage. My others are concrete wire. I’ve got a couple more tomatoes than I have cages so I’ll take 3 wooden posts. Ideally I’d go about 6.5 ft. Drive them in a triangle around the tomato then tie string around the outside. It’s too dark but I’ll grab a picture. Maybe y’all might like the idea.


I can’t tie mine up. I do use nitrogen. I grow pretty nice tomatoes. I plant celebrity tomatoes. They have worked the best for me so far. I always try a couple other varieties but that’s what works for me. I use the nitrogen early. Then switch over to a phosphate and potassium I farm so I have extra fertilizer laying around. That’s what has worked for me.

 

[jakethesnake]

I think you guys can figure out from the pictures what’s going on there.

 

[djg james]

You're tomatoes are huge. You say add Nitrogen, Phosphate and potassium separately. What's your source of each?

 

[jakethesnake]

I use liquid nitrogen. I have a lot on hand.

I like chicken manure on tomatoes which is pretty jacked in phosphorus. Healthy with nitrogen too.

I’ll put the manure down before I plant. Like a couple weeks ahead. Or that day if it works that way. Work it in.

Once they are growing. Say 1ft tall. Liquid nitrogen. Gets them growing pretty fast. I put it in a dawn soap bottle. Make 2-3 circles around the plant. If you put too much they’re dead. They’ll turn very dark green and grow rapidly. The more water you can get to them the better. I treat it like corn

Before blossoms start to set I’ll hit them with 0 0 30. Like 2 handfuls at the base.

I’ve yielded over 70 tomatoes per plant. Obviously I’m playing around trying to get as many as possible. My garden buddies like to talk trash so it becomes a game for me.