|
Mon, Apr 28, 14 at 7:02
| Hi all, can't find any suitable tomato cages to buy in my location and am looking at making my own for next season. I've found a roll of wire mesh (2.5mm/10 gauge) that is 6 foot high and has an aperture of 15cm (6") x 15cm (6"). Is the gauge strong enough and is the spacing big enough? Thanking you in advance! |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
| I think what you've found is fine to make tomato cages and trellis too. The 6" x 6" mesh size is the right size as well. Now the question: what is the roll size and how much does it cost ? |
|
- Posted by antipodean 10b (My Page) on Mon, Apr 28, 14 at 10:41
| Hi Seysonn, the roll is 30m (about 90ish feet), more than enough for me...only require about a dozen cages however i won't have any trouble finding a home for the surplus. Lots of friends/family growing toms just using stakes. Cost is AUS$100 (about $110 US). |
|
| IMO that is very good for cages. Super sturdy and will last a long time. It's what I used. I like the 6" openings because you can stick your hand/arm through, and pull out tomatoes, no problem. The cages require a bit of work at first to make them, but they will last a long time. I made mine at least 5 years ago and they are still going strong. The same size rolls are for sale here perhaps a bit less expensive, but not much. Thats a good price. It'll make 12-15 cages approx 2' in diameter. |
|
- Posted by williammorgan 6b (My Page) on Wed, Apr 30, 14 at 14:22
| I remember coming across a video on youtube the guy was making cages out of that stuff they float in concrete in the concrete section of Home Depot or Lowes. Is that what you got? 10 gauge is some pretty thick stuff. I'd think it would be. |
|
| I got 9 gauge and can bend it by hand into hoops for low tunnel. The CRW is more like 6 - at least the stuff I used for my fencing. |
|
- Posted by antipodean 10b (My Page) on Wed, Apr 30, 14 at 20:23
| its not crw wire, the wire is marketed as heavy duty dog wire as per the link...... i'm 'down under' and on the metric system so i may have got the gauge wrong when converting it to the US way, but the wire is 2.5mm, which is 1/10 of an inch. anyway, its sold in a roll so should be flexible enough. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Cage Wire
This post was edited by antipodean on Wed, Apr 30, 14 at 21:07
|
- Posted by williammorgan 6b (My Page) on Wed, Apr 30, 14 at 23:28
| I think that would be strong and it's clean unlike the other stuff I mentioned. I'd say the opening is fine at 6"x6". Although I've grown tomatoes that big most are much smaller. And you should be able to reach in and trim whatever you need or want to trim. |
|
| You found remesh wire! I love that stuff for tomato cages. 20 years old and still indestructible. |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Growing Tomatoes Forum
Information about Posting
- You must be logged in to post a message. Once you are logged in, a posting window will appear at the bottom of the messages. If you are not a member, please register for an account.
- Please review our Rules of Play before posting.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review your post, make changes and upload photos.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- Before posting copyrighted material, please read about Copyright and Fair Use.
- We have a strict no-advertising policy!
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.
Learn more about in-text links on this page here
