Tomato Cage idea

There are many ways to support your tomato plants during the growing season. Below is one way I have adopted to make life easier with those vining indeterminate tomatoes including the cherries.

I like this method as all I have to do is keep the plants growing within the cage and can let it do what it wants. The only additional task I do is trim the leaves low to keep them for touching the soil or rain splashing potential fungal issues up (still can happen during these coil moist humid conditions we have been getting in Tasmania).

What I do is I purchase steel mesh with holes large enough to easily get your hands in to pick the tomatoes. I then lay the sheet down and cut with bolt cutters to the size required. I opt for 10 squares to each half piece. This piece is then bent by standing on wood so each half piece is at 90 degrees and creates a cage. I simply use zip ties to connect around the tomato and done.

I source the steel mesh fro the Bunker at Cambridge near Hobart. There would be plenty of other places to source around the state. Cost around $20 but given increases to steel prices since who knows how much it is now!. Each corner at the end of the season can sit on each other to make storing numerous cages easier and as they are galvanised, they should last for quite some time.

There is some mesh left at the end and I keep those end pieces for other vining veggies at other times such as peas or beans or sweet peas etc.

Some photos to aide below.

Happy Growing

Dave