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| Just doing a little research on tomato cages for next year (its raining can't do anything outside).. I need to invest in good tomato cages.. I've been reading through posts... and its come down to whether I want to make the financial plunge with the TTC or buy Burpee XL cages. Originally it was a bit of a no brainer that regardless of my decision I would also buy the extender with the cage... but I am finding several posts where people just "let them grown back down" or "drape back down" or "crawl back down" once they hit the top of the cage. So do you use an extender? Honestly I think I would be more likely to invest in the TTC if I didn't have to pay for an extender as well. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Check out my PVC pipe cages. They can be as tall as you want. And you can purchase My cages are 6' tall and once they start growing out the |
Here is a link that might be useful: Tom's tomato cages
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| I will have to extend my cages. They are 4" high but my Balck Krim and Brandywine keep growing. @ gaguy, how much the materials cost per cage? Also do you use glue or dry fit ? |
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| @qaguy I have seen your PVC cages.... making my own is still not completely off the table its a function of a few things at home. your pvc cages are still on my DIY list |
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| I'm weaving mine and not caging this year. |
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| Using extenders vs. draping depends on the height of the main cage to begin with. If I was using 4' cages then would definitely need/use extenders. IMO 4' cages are a waste of money as you might as well let them sprawl. And 3' is a real waste of money. But with my 6' CRW cages and/or my 6' tall cattle panels, draping back down from 6 feet tall is no problem except for a couple of the monster cherry varieties. Same would apply to the TTC at 6 feet. I've never wanted to have 8 or 10 foot tall cages or stakes that you need a ladder to pick from but I can see how that would be better than using just a 4' cage. The Burpee cages are what, 40" tall? And that probably includes the legs too so they are really on 32" tall. See above comment about that size being a waste of money. I swear they make them that size just so you are forced to buy the extenders in order to have a real tomato cage. A lot less money to make your own CRW cages or buy a few fence stakes and a cattle panel. Dave |
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| Thanks Dave! the new Burpee XL cages are 5ft... which is one better than 4 ft but I do see the value of 6 ft. I am thinking of making some raised beds specifically for the tomatoes where I can build in fence stakes,rebar, etc. for a homemade cages. |
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| seysonn Cost will depend on how cheaply you can find the fittings. Overall, about $25-30 each as a very rough guess. I wouldn't go to the big box stores, but to an irrigation wholesaler to keep costs down. And you can buy them piecemeal too to spread out the cost. No glue needed. They hold together on their own. And |
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| Using extenders vs. draping depends on the height of the main cage to begin with. If I was using 4' cages then would definitely need/use extenders. IMO 4' cages are a waste @Dave I also made my cages from CRW panel(48" x 84") but I chose the 48" as height . No problem, I can extend them by few pieces of pvc. .The 84" side would have been TOO towering in the backyard.. I just have couple of them. I am also weaving. |
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| " x 84") but I chose the 48" as height . No problem, I can extend them by few pieces of pvc. .The 84" side would have been TOO towering in the backyard. As long as they work for you fine. 48" is good for determinates. But I assume you know that CRW comes in 4' to 10' widths so CRW cages are not limited to only 4' height? It also comes in long rolls of 150' or 300' rather than just panels. ____ prachi - if they are 5' and they likely have to be staked anyway you can gain a foot just by using 2 stakes each and raise the cage 1' off the ground and fix it to the stakes. Gives you a 6' cage since the bottom 1' doesn't need to be supported anyway. Just something to consider. Dave |
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| Well, speaking for myself, not everyone is willing or able to wrestle with making their own CRW cages. Not everyone has a place to store them. I have both the TTC and Burpee. The Burpee is definitely sturdier than the cheap round ones I can buy locally. But they are not even in the same league as the TTC. I am currently using the Burpee for my grow bags and for peppers and such in the garden and the TTC for the garden tomatoes. Both are convenient because they easily fold flat. I would use the Burpee for determinates, but not for large indeterminates unless I had to. Basically it comes down to how much you want to invest. |
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| I made my own extenders after I realized my burpee cages weren't cutting it on their own. For each cage I used four stakes, zip ties, and jute twine. Not the neatest solution but it works well. |
Here is a link that might be useful: DIY cage extenders
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