Cages for that price? No, sorry but even the cheap wire 3 ring things that are a total waste of money cost more than that. The cheapest plastic type supports are 3x that price. And anything really worthwhile is going to be much more expensive.

Got trees? Cut young saplings 6' tall and use them to make stakes or tripods. Or why not just lay down a thick layer of mulch and let them sprawl. Many do that.

Then there is the Florida weave method that just requires some posts and lots of string.

Use the search to pull up all the many discussions here on 'stakes or cages' for lots more ideas on supports.

Dave

If you look through the posts on cages there are some good ideas on how to build good sturdy cages that will last for years. The materials might be more than $3/cage but they will last and be sturdy.

I have seen posts on Vegetable Gardening about growing cucumbers up through "tables" made of lattice or wire mesh (CRW) raised a couple feet off the ground. I was talking to a Colonial Williamsburg gardener last week on vacation, he said he grows tomatoes the same way (though with saplings or vines as the mesh). I don't know how that would be with some of the thinner-skinned fruit resting on the mesh but I thought it might be worth a try. Sounds like it takes more ground, but less material?

Florida Weave would be a good option. You can't get decent cages for cheap.

In your case, it's not good to be penny-wise and pound-foolish. Spending more at the beginning means you will use the system for longer, rather than having to replace every year.

Cheap Cages forget it. Like some have said if you want to build long lasting cages do it with concrete reinforcing wire or panels. If you want stakes...the wooden ones are only good for a year and usualy break under the weight of tomatoes. I've never tried it but some have said to use electrical conduit as stakes, they are cheaper,sturdy and long lasting. Get it at the Big Box stores.

Home Depot sells a 'remesh' sheet I'm fixing to check out. It might take 2 as 4 feet is not really tall enough, but the 84 inch length translates into a 26.7 diameter if just bent to form a circle.

Here is a link that might be useful: Home Depot remesh

I was checking the HD and Lowes websites, and they have 150' rolls of the remesh for $107. Assuming that 3 times the diameter of the cage would be the length of remesh required to make a cage, one could make about 20 or so awesome cages for about 5 bucks each. I made mine slightly different sizes so that I can slip 2 or 3 inside each other during the off season storage.

I bought 3 rolls of the CRW last year and used half of it to fence a 3000sf area. Planted 1 row of indeterminates along one side, used T posts and baling twine to FL weave another half row of determinates but they got away from me. Weaving the indeterminates against the fence worked better, but the twine sagged and I didn't keep up with pruning those as much as I should have either.

I think since with a cage you're reaching through (4x4) opening anyway, the better (less work, less CRW, probably fewer stakes required) option is to "fence" both sides of the 2-ft or so wide row(s) with the CRW, to make one long "cage" for the plants rather than individual 2.5-3ft diameter cages. Has anybody tried this?

ajsmama, I grow some/most of my tomatoes on a long trellis made of stock panels perched about 14" off the ground on T-posts. I weave the vines in and out of the holes. I also use the round plastic vine clips to start training them and to hold the stems that get away from me.

I've read about people who grow tomatoes against a cyclone fence (access to the other side might not be easy).

http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-6245-tomato-trellis-clips-100-count.aspx
http://www.territorialseed.com/product/392

[I've purchased these from various catalogs over the years; someone has them in bulk; the hydroponics people sell them too. So far, they last forever. I prefer the red clips; the white ones are okay; I tried Gardeners' Supply Company's green clips a couple of years ago, but they often pop open, so I don't recommend them. These clips are also good for training cucumbers and gourds.]

ajsmama, It's kind of a 'to each his/her own' thing. I like the individual cage idea because of the portability/flexibility. Once the cages are made they're easy to work with from year to year. I can also walk and work between the plants much easier if needed. Years ago I saw these cages in a guy's backyard, and immediately knew they were for me.

MTO - Sounds like what the guy at CW was telling me he did - I'd like to see pix if you have them (14" sounds low though - 3ft might be nice height for picking).

Ed - yeah, I was thinking I'd make those cages too, but that's a lot of cutting and bending and still think it takes up more storage space than just rolling 1 length (or 2) back up. Agree access is better with cages (if you leave room to walk between), but if you've got a 2.5-3ft dia cage and leave 1ft between so plants are on 4ft center, that's 1-1.5ft closer than I'd plant in row (fenced or woven) so not only takes more material but more real estate. Depends on how much land and how many plants you have, like you said to each his own.

Actually, I really liked the SFG idea of having a trellis (like a headboard LOL) at the north end of a bed or along a "trench" (I tried a 100 ft long raised bed) but the indeterminates are just too big (or I'm too lazy pruning!) for that to work.

ajsmama,

Sorry for the confusion. This is a vertical trellis.

When I said 14", I mean that the bottom edge of the stock panel (they're 16' x 4 1/2') is about 14-16" off the ground; that means that the top of the panel is nearly 6' off the ground (quite a bit taller than I am). So I am picking from wherever the lowest fruit are up to as high as I can reach.

I do spend quite a bit of time weaving and managing the stems, but that time is useful for noticing hornworms and other problems.

The panels are supported by 6' T-posts (it's not a problem that they don't reach the tops of the panels), and are wired to the T-posts (near top and near bottom). Two panels overlap a few inches at a T-post, and there's also a T-post in the middle of each panel. I don't know if that's overkill, but that's how the neighbor's son who built it wanted to do it, and it's still standing after four years.

The holes are 6 x 7" -- IIRC -- except at the top edge of the panel, where they are closer together, presumably for stability.

I've planted indets 4' apart along the trellis, with essentially no pruning. I do have access to the plants from the other side of the trellis (this is a 4' raised bed, with the trellis in the middle; I tend to put herbs and smaller veggies on the other side, 12-18" from the trellis).

You could do the same thing with CRW, and it would probably be cheaper. I like stock panels because they don't rust. I suspect they're stiffer than CRW but have no frame of reference.

This article has a CRW trellis, held up by a conduit frame; there are a couple of photos. It's the second example: "Cement Reinforcing Mesh Trellis with EMT Electrical Conduit."
http://www.mastergardeners.org/picks/tomato_staking.html

I've also read (probably here?) of someone who made a double trellis of 2 rows of CRW/panels/whatever, with the tomatoes planted in-between. I don't remember how close the two rows were (probably a foot or so?).

You're right, it is alot of cutting, and bending and fastening. But it's only once. I've used my cages for about 5 years and they still look like the day I made them.

Since you still have to reach through the mesh to harvest, prune, pick off hornworms, etc. what is the benefit of individual cages over a double fenced row? I actually found it in SFG - Mel calls it a hedgerow. He also does the "table" or what he calls "horizontal fence" but limits it to a 4x4 bed so you can reach the middle, and of course it also can't be too high so says that's best for "bush" tomatoes etc.

T posts are on sale at TSC so I may go pick some up, just have to decide what I'm going to do with the CRW (actually, I need DH to help put up fence, takes 2 people and he's the only one who can cut it). Have some time to think - way too early here to think about planting tomatoes, though I may start hardening off in a week or 2.

I really want to try some more trellis growing this year, esp. for my dad. I haven't got time to build raised bed "tables" for him (well, maybe a couple for non-vining squash) so something we can put up pretty quickly with CRW and T posts or 3-4ft lengths of logs with a horizontal mesh would be good for his tomatoes (which he usually lets sprawl) cukes and beans, etc. would be good since he has a really hard time bending over.

A few years ago I saw photos here at GW of stock panels used in two other ways for vining plants like cucumbers, beans, probably tomatoes, other things I don't remember.

In one arrangement, a 16' stock panel is bent into an arch. [Stakes -- probably rebar or metal pipe -- keep the arch in place, though I also remember one which was wedged between wooden raised beds. Some people use this for an entry arch between fence sections, with clematis or roses or whatever covering the panel.]

The second way uses half a stock panel. One end is at ground level, and the other end is propped up to about 6'.

If you're lucky, the cukes or beans hang down on the underside of the panel for easy picking.

I buy 3/4 inch PVC pipe and it makes nice tall stakes that last forever.

I buy 3/4 inch PVC pipe and it gives me tall tomato stakes that last forever. And at a very reasonable price to boot.

I've been using the bamboo double trellis method for years. Though different climates and weather conditions require finding the best solution. Try freecycle or CraigsList in your area for cheap materials. A woman in NJ right now is in need of help with her bamboo that has taken over...just mentions to bring a shovel and please take what you want.

I have ordered my bamboo only twice in 15yrs. I trellis just like the picture linked, but in two long rows, one for toms and one for beans. I need 50. You would only need 25 for 16 plants. My garden gets high winds in an open field so i need the support. I use velcro ties. Mulched with straw it is attractive and low maintenance. I grow a thick patch of carrots down the middle for a nice late fall treat.

Lots of ideas on this site for free trellis plans...
http://free.woodworking-plans.org/tomato-trellis-designs.html

Here is a link that might be useful: bamboo

CHEAP cages are just that ;CHEAP and waste of money.

After reading about the REWire sheet (40" x84") here, today I went to HD and bought ont , $7.20 +tx.
I cut of about 14" from it(endin like 40" x 70") and made a nice sturdy cage . I also cut off the last horizontal wires(ground side) so the vertial one could be stuck into ground.
After doing that, it felt pretty stable bur I also fastened it to a stake. At $8.00 bucks, this is far superior even to the so-called Heavy Duty cages sold at big box stores.

But with this one, you have to be handy and willing to do some fun work. A big bundl of the same material is sold for about $105. and probably you can make more than 20 cages from it. In this case, you cam make them slightly conic (like paper cups) so that they can be inserted into each other for ease of storage .

Perhaps the only draw back of this (to some) is that it is about 4 1/2 ft tall. But to me that is ok. After 4.5 ft , I will let my toms to cascade. they will never reach the ground.

We have same problem. About 30 plants with 3 stakes per plant on the bigger plants. At $6 to 7.00 per stake, its expensive. Weve now gone to the 1 x 2" × 8' treated lumber from lowes. I cut the wood to a spear at one end to pound into ground. $7.50 for 6 8 foot sturdy stakes.

I broke down and bought Texas Tomato Cages four years ago for about $25 each. They've lasted well with very little rust, so that works out to $7 per year per plant. I expect them to last at least another 10 years, bringing the per year cost to less than $2. I used to use 8-foot plastic coated steel stakes for about $5 each from Home Depot and had to use two on large beefsteaks to keep them from falling over in the wind. They tend to bend or break and need replacing after 3-5 years, so they really aren't much less expensive over time. Plus, I get better yields than I did when I had to prune. Not to mention the time saved from never having to prune or tie up my plants. If I had any mechanical skills and all the required tools, I'd make the CRW cages. But these are taller (6 feet), they are easy to store, and they don't rust.

Those 8 ft plastic ones are what cost us $ 6 to $8 each here in swfl. Ive snapped several (sometimes my mistake) in just putting them in the first time. Thanks for the idea and post!!!!

I have a good use for those cheap 3-ring cages ($2.99 a pc. ?.)

I am going to get some , wrap them with bubble wrap and use it similar to WOW. I don't know how much the WOW costs but I have heard that they are not stable and can fall and crush the seedling. They are also goo for peppers and some dwarfs.

I had good luck buying cattle panel, cutting it down into sections, and lashing them together into a triangle shaped cage. they've been very successful against 50+mph winds too.

>> If I had any mechanical skills and all the required tools, I'd make the
CRW cages. But these are taller (6 feet)... <<

All you need is a pair of side cutter pliers or dikes, and a bit of cheap wire. The mesh is soft. When you use the 150 foot rolls, you can have any height whatsoever you want. A 150 foot tomato tower!

With guy wires!

When I saw the rolled up mesh, I automatically thunk the cages would be rolled up in the same pre-curled way, so I had a perception problem, limiting me to five footers, for years. Now to get into pedantic lecture mode.

Remesh's nominal size is five feet by 150 feet in one long roll, and the square openings are 6 by 6 inches. It will rust but it will also last fifty years. It will cost about a hundred dollars for one roll.

If aiming for cages 18 inches in diameter with tines jabbed six inches down into the dirt, when you cut the big roll into five by five foot squares you can make about 30 cages four and a half feet high, and if you cut it into 7 and a half foot long pieces you can make 20 cages seven feet high. That's five dollars each.

You can tie this stuff together with all sorts of things like plastic cable ties, string, or iron wire that comes in 300 foot rolls and you twist it on with pliers. The cage diameter is not all that important when it comes to supporting a plant, however the bigger the diameter is, the more stable and tip resistant the cage will be. You can add stability to cages by tying them together with a long piece of thin rebar and the iron wire, or use five foot or so pieces of rebar as hammered-in stakes, one per, at each cage.

Adding this: one 20 foot long piece of #3 (3/8") rebar will cost four dollars at a BBS, or eighty cents to one dollar per cage if used as stakes for one year, or a nickle for each stake over the years!

I read all the posts about trying to SPEND LESS MONEY on building tomato cages..even the one that wanted to built them for less than $3.00 each. There are a lot of suggestions...like buying fencing on a roll as a ONE time investment that LAST a life time. Well...to buy tomato cages or even to construct TOMATO cages for LESS than $3.00..........TRY FREE!

CONSTRUCTION companies tear down a lot of old buildings, gates, fences. THEY HAVE TO PAY SOME DEBRI COMPANY TO DUMP THEM...so if you approach them for FREE MATERIAL..THEY ARE SO HAPPY to GIVE YOU ANYTHING you want that you can haul away yourself!. I built or use fulton bed Frames or mattress metal frames for trellis for cucumbers and string beans so they can climb up. IT'S FREE!

For tomatoes, I found BIG HEAVY DUTY TALL tomato cages that I found in GROCERY OUTLET for $2.99 EACH that would have gone for $10.99 - $15.99 at HOME DEPOT.

EVERY CITY HAS A "DUMP" day where tenants and homeowners leave out items on the sideways for pick up. YOU CAN FIND SOME REALLY NICE STUFF in them piles. One homeowner landscaped their house and left out a lot of big black empty planters holders (3 gallon - 5 gallon) which would have costs me $3.00 - $5.00 EACH if I have to buy them ..(FREE, FREE, FREE!!!) so I used them to plant all my herbs. I got fennel, dill, cilentro, parsley, oregano, basil going.

AND do I HAVE TO PAY FOR THE HERBS or my VEGGIES? Heck no!. I use ROOT ALL or a ROOT HORMONE powder ($4.00 at WalMart) and CLONE all my veggies off from my friends or neighbor's garden. (Other than the $4 bucks that I have to spend for the rooting hormone).....otherwise it's FREE, FREE, FREE.

What? "Buying" STRING to string up trellis? STRING is so FLIMSY!! If you go to HOME DEPOT or OSH...there are those LONG plastic "fastener"s that is WRAPPED around wooden boards. Those are cut and thrown to the ground as the boards are lifted up on to the display area. I picked them off shipping area grounds and use those PLASTIC string and string them across to the stakes for support for the tomato. They are STURDY and they are NOT FLIMSKY. (FREE, FREE, FREE).

Got to go.... HOPE THIS ALL HELPS.

FROM

"FREE IS ME!!!"

I know this post started 4 years ago but nobody answered the question. Here it is. For those of us who don't want to be told you cant find quality tomato cages for cheap: The big box stores (lowes, HD, etc) do not want to store the cages that they were unable to sell by the end of the summer. The cages are stored outside and look "used" by the following spring. So I wait until about sept/oct and ask one of the associates if I can buy the leftovers at a discount. 2 years ago I bought 32-54" heavy duty galvanized cages for $75! That's about 50% off the regular price. Anytime between September and February especially in snowy areas you can get this kind of deal if you're willing to try. Hope this helps someone out there. thanks for reading.

Just to add to this, though most people have sworn off the big-box wire cages entirely, mainly because they aren't big enough, I inherited a bunch, and have found that they work pretty well doubled up. As in, with a medium sized cage tied upside down onto a large sized cage. Done that way, they stand about six feet tall. I guess a large inverted on another large might be even better. Might still need reinforcement to keep them from tipping over when the plants get very heavy.