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Heavy Duty Welded Rebar Mesh Tomato Cages

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Posted by deanne2 Washington (My Page) on
Wed, Apr 22, 09 at 17:53

Maybe someone out there might recognize this material my dad used to make these wonderful tomato cages out of. My dad, who was in construction, had these cages welded out of a rebar kind of mesh. They were tall like maybe 7ft or more by about 1.5-2 ft wide cylinders. The squares or rectangles in the mesh were big enough for you to easily to reach the tomatoes. He would put the cage in a whisky barrel and then fill it with dirt. I don’t think you could move them once there were filled since the whole thing would have been very heavy. The cage was solid and didn't move. He would start them very early in the season like February and use clear plastic tied around the rebar mesh to keep out the cold air. This worked very well. I just wished I knew what that rebar mesh was called. He had a friend weld it and it is not something that looked like it could bend into a circle but it had to since it was welded and the squares were so perfect that it had to have been a premade mesh of some sort. These cages did such a great job of holding up heavy tomatoes and the plants could get really big in these cages. Dad passed away quite awhile ago and I would love to make about three of those and stick them in my raised beds. I have seen field fencing which looks like pretty stout wire but the bundles I have seen at home depot are not that tall and my dads were much more heavy duty metal than that as well. Does anyone know what this mesh rebar stuff is and where you can get it and how much is it? Is there a cheap way to find some? Can anyone help me figure out how to make these again?

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RE: Heavy Duty Welded Rebar Mesh Tomato Cages

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It is commonly called concrete reinforcing wire and is available at the big box stores (Lowe's, Home Depot) or else concrete places.

Here is a blog about making them but they refer to the wire as construction wire mesh.

I've been meaning to make me some of the concrete wire mesh (crw)cages for years. I have the wire, so hopefully this will be the year I get at least a few of them made.

hth.

Sue...chemocurl

Here is a link that might be useful: Tomato cages for the serious Gardener

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RE: Heavy Duty Welded Rebar Mesh Tomato Cages

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I see by this string that no one is worried about removing them later. I was just thinking after seeing your post wouldn't it be a little easier to bend the four sides and cutting to fit the ends together? They could either be welded or just wired together with a heavy gage wire. I like the wiskey barrel ideal. that would keep it from falling over without cutting the bottom wire which would allow it to be pushed into the ground. If a barrel isn't used you could use chicken wire to retain the soil needed for the raised beds. But then if you don't use the barrels you will also be able to plant around the outer edges of this cage.

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RE: Heavy Duty Welded Rebar Mesh Tomato Cages

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It's a bit of work to cut them up into panels, but then they would fold flat for storage. Since I live out in the country I don't worry about my cylinders - just leave 'em out there. move to new location in spring. Just roll one up and secure it, et voila, a tomato cage for the industrial age!

Also since the aren't in a barrel, I have to secure them with a post. Wrapped in plastic they make for easy knock-over, and the tomoato plants can pull them down later in the season.

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RE: Heavy Duty Welded Rebar Mesh Tomato Cages

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Here's what I made out of Cattle panels, cut them in sections and bent them in half, strong and last long.
cages

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RE: Heavy Duty Welded Rebar Mesh Tomato Cages

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re: heavy duty welded rebar mesh tomato cages-extending them

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Here's how I extend them beyond 5ft tall...they act as anchor legs too.

Be sure to study the pic carefully on where to cut & bend so you don't make any mistakes!

  
 

 

 


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