Best way to cage tomatoes

digitS'

Garden Master
Joined
Dec 13, 2007
Messages
26,604
Reaction score
32,013
Points
457
Location
border, ID/WA(!)
If you go back to my first post on this thread, you will find a link to "Rick's tomato trellis." I thought that his technique was a pretty good one but there is a lot of weight on those cattle panels and the trellis sags late in the season between the metal posts holding it.

The answer for a better way to support a horizontal panel might be to use a small cage for each tomato plant. Then, lay a cattle panel horizontally across all those cages. The tomato vines will grow up inside the cage and then spread out on top the panel.

I suppose that the entire thing could tip over and fruit may be hard to see hanging below the panel, but ... it was an idea.

Steve
 

baymule

Garden Master
Joined
Mar 20, 2011
Messages
18,760
Reaction score
36,658
Points
457
Location
Trinity County Texas
I am trying something different this year for my tomatoes. I read about it in article somewhere. I took a 5 gall bucket and drilled holes in the bottom and about 1/3 up the sides. Filled bucket w/ chicken poop, buried it deeper then the holes in a raised bed, planted the tomatoes in in ring around the bucket, used a run of that cement wire fencing to make a big cage (about 4 foot ish across) and caged the whole thing. You water the bucket it waters and fertilizes at the same time. So far it is working well, but it is early. The tomatoes in it are chest and shoulder high and full of blooms. I am so glad I changed to raised beds this year, we have received over 8 inches of rain in 3 days, last week and the forecast is for more rain this whole coming week. Where I usually plant them they would be in standing water, that is how I lost them last year to blight. I will likely have water issues this summer, but I'll cross that bridge if my tomatoes survive the extremely wet spring.
So how did your tomatoes do last year with this water/fertilize method?
 

Kassaundra

Garden Addicted
Joined
Sep 5, 2010
Messages
1,669
Reaction score
972
Points
233
Location
Henryetta, zone 7B
So how did your tomatoes do last year with this water/fertilize method?
The large planting w/ the cage around the whole circle for support worked great, I am doing it again this year. The bucket O'poop in the center for watering took to long to water the tomatoes w/ the hose, I have laid a soaker hose in the bed this year.
 

Beekissed

Garden Master
Joined
May 15, 2008
Messages
5,054
Reaction score
6,801
Points
377
Location
Eastern Panhandle, WV
I use a single row cattle panel, raised up a foot higher off the ground and attached with zip ties. I sucker my maters, so I don't have to worry about shoots running here and there and the vine is just woven through the squares as it grows, so no tying needed.

I've found that past the 6 ft. height, there isn't much big fruit growing anyway, so I just prune them at that height and that keeps them from lopping over. The cukes normally go much higher and have to be strung along the top of the panel a ways but that's not too bad.

900x900px-LL-73151979_100_3264.jpeg


I've done all kinds of tomato trellising but I've found I like this one the best...no tying, no worrying about the weight of the plants making the fencing sag or lean, no stress on the vine by the ties and the weight of the plant on the ties, etc.
 

Mauldintiger

Deeply Rooted
Joined
Jun 30, 2014
Messages
156
Reaction score
243
Points
112
Location
Greenville, SC
image.jpeg
I use cattle panels as well, 6 of them in 3 rows 2' apart. The panels are about 18" off the ground. I'm done with those flimsy cages and these should last me the rest of my life. Trellis for the tomatoes is on the right spaced closer together, the others are for cukes and winter squash.
I don't sucker mine and just let them go, I do occasionally have to push a branch back in.
 

ninnymary

Garden Master
Joined
Dec 7, 2009
Messages
12,598
Reaction score
12,493
Points
437
Location
San Francisco East Bay
Bee, my method is like yours except I use reinforced concrete panels. They work just fine. Can't find cattle panels anywhere near me.

Mary
 

cscigu

Sprout
Joined
May 17, 2016
Messages
1
Reaction score
3
Points
3
Here is my strategy for this year. I've still got some in cages, but so far this is going well. I'm actually using electric fence line run between poles in the ground. (not charged, of course) I'll add more rows of line as they grow to train them up. Pretty simple to check the plants every couple of days, and lift the vines over the line.
I've tried many things. The fence circles are nice and sturdy, but tough for me to harvest thru.
As you can see, I use raised beds. Went to those after being rained out two years ago. It paid off big last year. We had an extremely wet May, and nearly everyone's tomatoes in the area were drowned out. Ours came thru well, though.

You might also notice that I am using bio-char this year. Just learned of this process. There's lots of info out there, and lots of reasons for it. In a nutshell it is alleged to be both a growth stimulator and pest control tactic. Basically ground up old-style bulk charcoal (not briquets) mixed with compost. It may be just me, but I feel my plants have done well with it.
 

Attachments

  • 006.JPG
    006.JPG
    233.8 KB · Views: 260
Last edited:

baymule

Garden Master
Joined
Mar 20, 2011
Messages
18,760
Reaction score
36,658
Points
457
Location
Trinity County Texas
Thanks @Ridgerunner for the cow panel idea. This is me planting them. I put up 3 cowpanels and sat in between them to plant the tomato plants. I used a machete to cut through the cardboard. They are blooming now, I can't wait to taste the first ripe tomato! My husband thinks I am a genius for using cow panels, I told him I got the idea from you, but he still thinks I'm brilliant. I guess I'll just shut up and let him keep thinking that! :gig

IMG_0653.JPG


IMG_0630.JPG
 
Top