All I can visualize is some sort of horizontal support frame about a foot high covered with screen surrounding the plant, at least part-way. The plant would have to sprawl to one side, taking a lot of space in a garden, but they do anyway without cages. The benefit would be to keep the plants and fruits off the ground.

Has anyone tried anything similar or very different that isn't a cage?

I am experimenting myself. I used 4-6ft dowels in the ground and garden velcro to tie the big ones up. In rows I put a line of chickenwire up with dowels and/or poles that I velcroed the maters to. In pots I use the dowels and velcro again. The dowels and chicken wire are cheap too!

So it seems to be staking or trellising. I appreciate your response, but I'll swear that a vision keeps coming into mind of a "tall tomato hill", as tall as tomato vines are long, with the vines headed downhill as the plant grows. Of course that doesn't solve the problem caused by the plant coming in contact with the earth, but it DOES solve the problem of trying to get them "guided" vertically where they don't want to go as we do with cages.

The very thought of cages has led me to plan to plant some of my tomatoes upside down this year. If that works, if they're productive and delicious, I'll probably grow them all like that afterward. I have a high deck over a downward slope -- I can suspend the tomato plants over the edge and reach them for fertilization and watering. Might have to get a ladder to reach the tomatoes though.

Quote:

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I hate tomato cages.

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So do I. Rebar is handy stuff to have around. Dangsr's suggestion reads well. In some soils and with some tomatoes 8 foot is a bit much but you have to decide that in your place and time.

The rebar is driven near the trunk of the plant and goes threw the middle of the cage. As the cage starts tipping due to the excessive weight of the plant, the rebar will prevent the cage from falling completely over. It's the best setup I've found. Hope this helps.

Isn't a truck cab closed on three sides? I'm having trouble visualizing what you did!

Anyway, thanks for suggestions. I'll keep thinking about it, too, as there's some time before my tomatoes get set out and must be supported in some way.

http://oldfashionedliving.com/tomato2.html

Happy Gardening,
Gemfire

Personally, I prefer to just let my tomatoes ramble. This seems to be their natural state; they cover the ground to preserve moisture, and bear heavily. There are problems some years with mice or rabbit damage (particularly on the larger tomatoes) but putting out traps under the plants usually solves the problem.

Planting them at the edge of the garden, or next to pole beans or corn, works well for me. The smaller determinate varieties (especially the paste types) can be planted more closely in wide rows, I use 2-foot spacing each way.

But some tomatoes require support: those that are prone to rot; the larger varieties that mature slowly; and those grown in areas with severe slug, cricket, or rodent infestations. And some varieties just seem to scream out "eat me", and there is always some pest willing to do so. (LOL)

For these situations, I do like cages; but not the poorly-engineered cages sold in garden stores. I use 6"-square construction remesh in 8-foot lengths, rolled into a cylinder. This makes a cage about 2.5 feet wide, and 4-5 feet high, depending upon the width purchased. I tie them to t-bar posts, but if your location is sheltered, you can also cut the bottom wire off (bolt cutters work best for this), leaving a ring of 6" wires to stick into the ground.

For paste tomatoes & small determinates, try growing them on a _horizontal_ trellis. Using 5-foot wide remesh, bend 18" of each side at a 90-degree angle. This is not as difficult as it sounds, just clamp the remesh between two boards on each side & bend, or hammer over an edge with a small sledge. Then cut the bottom wire off on both sides, leaving rows of 6" stakes.

The resultant support (once driven into the ground) will be 12" high & about 2 feet wide, and as long as the original remesh length. If you use 3-foot rows, this gives you 12" between trellises. Center the trellis over the row of tomatoes. They will grow up through it, them lay down over the top, keeping the tomatoes off the ground.

If you want a wider trellis, make shorter lengths as "legs" and tie wider remesh (or fencing) across the top. Or only bend 12" on each side, and omit the cuts; this will increase the width to 3 feet. Use stakes to hold in place if exposed to wind.

The remesh is better for both methods than fencing because of its strength, and because the larger openings make weeding & harvesting easy. It is also very economical if purchased in large rolls... but you will need a bolt cutter or fence pliers to cut it.

This year my husband made tall "cages" out of scrap lumber. (See photo links below). These took a few hours to make, but we should be able to fold them up and reuse them for a couple of years.

Under construction: http://janetvmoyer.shutterfly.com/action/slideshow?a=67b0de21b338dda3e489&auto=0&idx=19&m=1&d=1152810008523

Installed: http://janetvmoyer.shutterfly.com/action/slideshow?a=67b0de21b338dda3e489&auto=0&idx=19&m=1&d=1152810008523

Has anyone tried anything similar or very different that isn't a cage?

I purchased something at a local hardware chain last year that fits your description that looked promising. It was like a three legged table, but the top was round, with metal in a lattice pattern (#). The legs removed for easy storage. When my plant was tall enough, I stuck it in the ground over the plant and guided the plant through the top and pruned any lower branches. Let the plant grow as needed.

How did it work? Terrible. The branches from the plant that grew above the "table top" simply flopped over the edges and onto the ground. When high wind came it knocked the plant over, even though the table was still firmly in the ground. The plant just kinda flopped to the side.

Tried two of them with 4 different plants. Same results every time.

May I recommend the Florida weave?

Even during heavy storms with a heavily overgrown plant, the Rebar + Tomato cage will hold up.
Here is a link showing the scheme I describted

All in all FLORIDA WEAVE is the most flexible and economical.
It is flexible , because fits your spacing, tomato size and layout.
It is economical, because a ball of twin will do and you can even make your own stakes, from wood(tree branches), steel bar..etc.
It is also easy to install and uninstall.
with FLORIDA WEAV you can do irregular shapes, zig-zags, polygons,...
I am going to do it this way:
for weaving use stronger double-stakes or posts.
(imagine a triagular weave of about 10-12 inhes wide, interwoven, making smaller triangle or squares, looking from top)
for each tomato plant use a bamboo stake(or tree branch) to tie down the mains. This way, the weave will suppot the tomato shoots and branches. You can further weave the weave, if and when needed more support.
this system can also be used for cucumbers, squash and beans. I do not like the idea of "CAGE", "WIRE MESH" , they
connate prisons to me(LOL). a garden should look as natural as FREE as possible. To me, It is not just for eating with your mouth but also enjoying with youe eyes.

happy gardening.

Speak for yourself.

I made a lot of these.
They are cheap to make and will last for years.
I have never had one fall over - even with straight 50 mph winds that tore down tree branches.

So far, I've dug the 2x2x2 foot hole, mixed 50% sandy topsoil (homemade), 50% peat moss plus 25% perlite added to the total of that (I know it's not 100% but it's how I think of math), and added a few tablespoons of "tomato and veg fertilizer" mixed in with the soil as I prepared the holes, and planted three tomatoes so far. I have black plastic over the whole garden, and 3 ft pipes going to the bottom of the 2ft deep holes to add fertilizer, water, etc. At the bottom is the innerds of a disposable diaper.

With Naples, Florida sandy soil, the soil needs all of the help it can get. (and I'm pretty sure it's alkaline soil, since our water is EXTREMELY hard, so the addition of acidic peat moss SHOULD help).

Now while I'm preparing the holes, planting the plants, I'm thinking about tomato cages/Florida weave, etc.

I THINK what I'll go with is what I have at hand: 100 ft of 4' vinyl covered garden fencing which I'll make into 2 ft wide circles with one or two green T-Posts for each circle, and the circle set about a foot above the bottom of the post (making the height of the tomato cage 4.5 to 5 feet tall).

Watering properly, I haven't fully figured out yet. I've added a bunch of water to the bottom of the holes and a little water (using a dripping 1/4" tube hooked up to my garden hose using a homemade contraption I built a few years ago) to the tops of the plants.

I put a cup of agricultural hydrated lime down the tube of each hole and watered it yesterday.

I got rid of vines in the trees around the garden to give it the maximum sun in this partially shady area.

I purchased some cheap clear 30 gallon garbage bags to put around the tomato cages to: 1) act as a greenhouse 2) protect plants on windy days 3) protect when the nighttime temps go below 50 (which they did the other day and killed most of my pepper plants).

What are your thoughts about all of this? Anything I've done wrong or could do better before I plant the other 15 or so tomato plants (which are sitting sadly in containers, clinging to life as they dry out several times a day).

Ken in Naples, Florida and new to posting to gardenweb (but a visitor for several years now)