Tomato cages.

[Sberry]

I posted this on Hobart but thought I might as well toss it in here for free too, ha. Made vs buying and they are so much better. I didn't shop for price but a roll of mesh was 90$, got about 40 for labor for my helper to fabricate them. A pair of small bolt cutters and a little jig I made from a pipe nipple to bend the hooks, I have under 2$ in each one.

[Bob Miller]

Is that hog wire or concrete reinforcement wire? What's the diameter?
Bob

[Harvuskong]

Is that hog wire or concrete reinforcement wire? What's the diameter?
Bob

Looks like concrete reinforcement wire to me. Hog wire, I think is galvanized for longer life.

[Sberry]

Yes, concrete wire, not sure but looks to be close to a number 9 wire. Do they make the hog wire in rolls? I never bothered to look at Ag store. Galvanized would be better, could probably even stack them up and store outside. The rolled material made it easy, already had a natural curvature.

[Cornerstone]

Pretty cool sberry but what I'm really wonderin' is whats under the blue tarp?

[Harvuskong]

Pretty cool sberry but what I'm really wonderin' is whats under the blue tarp?

Looks to be a small farm tractor under the tarp. Looks to be a green tractor, probadly a JD or an Oliver, but I really suspect that it is a JD. May be a 1940s to 1950s model.

[wroughtnharv]

Yes, concrete wire, not sure but looks to be close to a number 9 wire. Do they make the hog wire in rolls? I never bothered to look at Ag store. Galvanized would be better, could probably even stack them up and store outside. The rolled material made it easy, already had a natural curvature.

Great minds must think alike. I did up a whole roll of concrete wire this spring for my wife's tomatoes. Here in Texas the cages only life about fifteen years outside. At least the last bunch did.

[Sberry]

Its a neighbors JD M I think, I need to paint it.

[Farris]

how many

Guys i was wondering roughly how many a roll will make? also the diameter ? thanks!

[FabTech]

Farris, 85" is a good start

[Sberry]

I estimated 75 but it was 65, I forgot about using one square section to bend the hooks in. 9 squares long, if one used hog rings to connect them it would only take 8 squares to make 16 inch diam cage and the 75 would have been accurate. I cut the roll in half.

[Farris]

thanks

OK, I appreciate it. I didn't realize the rolls of concrete wire were that long. One roll sure will make a lot. Here in Arkansas we like the better boy tomatoes, what do you guys grow?

[Burnt hands]

Sberry,

A few years ago I made some cages for fun as an experiment.

After the local primary elections were over, I noticed dozens of the candidate's signs still littering the landscape.

These were the wire U shaped ones holding a plastic "bag" with the candidate's name printed on both sides.

I picked up about 100 of them and used my cheapo Harbor freight ring roller to make rings. I kept some straight sections for legs and used my Miller spot welder to zap them together.

Not as strong as yours but I have too much time on my hands and the material was free.

Gave them to friends and got lots of tomatoes back as thanks.

I also used the plastic bag part to line my recycling bin.

Win - win situation

[sheela2000]

Yes I make my cages out of 5 feet tall concrete reinforcing wire and it comes with rust from the start. Been using the same cages for 20 years, and raise 300 to 600 tomato plants a year. Probably the plants get free iron from the cages, just put this in for humor. The cages in the store are too small for my indeterminates as they grow over 12' feet tall. I put them 2 feet apart, back to back in 110' rows, I tie the cages at the top to each other to keep them from blowing over. I space these rows 5 feet apart for ventilation, the back to back cage concept allows me to use my organic spray better and faster.
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