Fellow Gardeners,

After my own disappointments with the flimsy wire cages available for
holding up tomatoes,I decided to make my own. Here is what I've come
up with. They are made of 1/4" round rod and welded on the ends. I've
taken cable clamps and welded the U-shaped threaded ends to the hoops, so
that they can be disassembled for shipping and storage. They assemble
easily in about a minute with with a 7/16" wrench, socket, or even pliers.
They are four ft. tall, but I will also be making them 5 ft. with the
option of 4 hoops. They are finished with penetrol for rust-resistance.
These cages are heavy duty. What do you think?(Any response is more than
appreciated)

Dave Adams wrote in message ...
Fellow Gardeners,

After my own disappointments with the flimsy wire cages available for
holding up tomatoes,I decided to make my own. Here is what I've come
up with. They are made of 1/4" round rod and welded on the ends. I've
taken cable clamps and welded the U-shaped threaded ends to the hoops, so
that they can be disassembled for shipping and storage. They assemble
easily in about a minute with with a 7/16" wrench, socket, or even pliers.
They are four ft. tall, but I will also be making them 5 ft. with the
option of 4 hoops. They are finished with penetrol for rust-resistance.
These cages are heavy duty. What do you think?(Any response is more than
appreciated)

Sound good to me. But I can't see any reason to change from bamboo
canes outdoors, and long strings indoors.

Mike.

Two words for you... Lee Valley. They not only have the three sided
folding cages but several other types also. I'm trying out the tomato
spirals myself this year, they look indestructable. www.leevalley.com

jcm

in article , Mike Lyle at
wrote on 6/15/03 3:27 PM:

Dave Adams wrote in message
...
Fellow Gardeners,

After my own disappointments with the flimsy wire cages available for
holding up tomatoes,I decided to make my own. Here is what I've come
up with. They are made of 1/4" round rod and welded on the ends. I've
taken cable clamps and welded the U-shaped threaded ends to the hoops, so
that they can be disassembled for shipping and storage. They assemble
easily in about a minute with with a 7/16" wrench, socket, or even pliers.
They are four ft. tall, but I will also be making them 5 ft. with the
option of 4 hoops. They are finished with penetrol for rust-resistance.
These cages are heavy duty. What do you think?(Any response is more than
appreciated)

Sound good to me. But I can't see any reason to change from bamboo
canes outdoors, and long strings indoors.

Mike.

You might want to take a leaf out of hydroponic tomato farmers' books. If
you can find a strong single point support, hang a hank of twine from it.
Hydroponic suppliers have a frame upon which the twine can be wound. They
use clips that clamp onto the twine and encircle the tomato stems to give
support. As the vine grows, unwind twine from the top to drop the portion of
the vine that has been harvested. That gets the part that is still
blossoming and growing fruit down lower to where it is easily worked.

Bill