"Pat Meadows" wrote in message This year, we used
'tomato cage wire' to make our tomato
cages. We used pieces of rebar (the bar kind, not the mesh
kind) to brace the cages, as last year the tomatoes broke
their wooden stakes and collapsed their cages.

We pounded the rebar down into the ground as far as we
could, then dropped the cages over it, to get the effect of
having woven the bars through the cages. This is strong
stuff: iron, I suppose. Iron rods.

The tomatoes have STILL managed to collapse their cages.

Pat

Been there done that. Over the years, we have used; stakes with pruning-
good, bush tomatoes- fair, comercial tomato cages-poor, comercial cage with
strengthening- poor. This year We splurged, and I bought 150"x5" rebar, cut
them into 5 or 6 foot sections. We made about thirty cages, with the
expectation that we will not have to repeat, for many years. This years
report, we have had tomatoes taller than our corn, have not suckered one. It
has been a good year to be a vine, so we have had pretty good luck.len