Well, I underestimated the growth potential of a couple of my tomato plants. Had to make a couple emergency cages out of 8' cattle panels.

Nice, I like heavy duty cages anyway.

Yes, the ones you buy at the greenhouse, hardware store, etc. are too wimpy.
I make mine from 6" mesh concrete reinforcing wire.

Zim

Actually, that's what I was looking for, but these were available right up the street for $20 ea. I didn't figure I would save any money running around town looking for remesh. Would have been easier to bend, but we made it work

Made mine out of a roll of concrete wire mesh clipped them with hog rings believe they are 5 feet tall

Ya gotta want it bad

Yup the store bought are barely strong enough to hold up a pepper plant.

I make mine that way...but cut and tack welded. Square and triangle.

The last ones I made were 24" diameter concrete mesh, however tall the roll was, 60"?, Tomato's still grew out of them and broke the stems.They finally rusted away.

At the cost of steel anything I just let them sprawl and pick what isn't rotten, bird pecked, or slug ate. Probably cheaper just to buy the darn tomato's rather then buying all the stuff to grow them anymore.

Concrete mesh cages.

1. Use 5 ft mesh.
2. Need small bolt cutters or grinder with cutting wheel. I use bolt cutters.
3. Need a piece of flat stock with a hole drilled 2 inches from end and an inline groove ground into the end.
4. Cut mesh on the 7th square on the long side. Cut to leave six solid squares with long end of 7th square left on 6th square for making hooks.
5. Cut off every other long end to the bottom except at the bottom four, you cut out the middle two.
6. Cut the bottom wire off of this entire piece at the bottom four long ends leaving the "legs" for poking entire cage into ground.
7. Pull up long ends side of entire piece and insert long ends into hole 1/2 inch. Bend over to make hooks of all the lengths. It will make a double bend hook.
8. Bend entire piece over to hook together all the way down.
9. Place cage on ground with hooks touching the ground.
10. Push down in a bouncing fashion to form the circle needed for the cage.

If you grow big tomatoe plants you will still need to stake them with metal t posts and zip ties.

I got tired of string and wood stakes breaking in high winds and rain. I can make one of these cages in less than 5 minutes. Best part is they unfold and stack in the off season.

Vegans will flip out. How could you be soooo cruel ?

Gotta go cage-free. Those poor suffering tomatoes. Tomatoes have feelings too.

" Free the tomato "

Lol......

They sell both the wimpy ones and the heavy duty here

high tensile woven wire fence, joined with annealed 1/4" nuts crimped in place

I think my way is cheaper. I didn't cut anything but a couple feet of trapping wire to tie them together, then drilled a few holes in the top of my wooden raised beds and wired them down. Now, I'm sure yours are much prettier, I have to keep my redneck card up to date. That, and I don't want to make the neighbors jealous. LOL

I cut strips from a wore out tee shirt and tie the maters to the fence.

Now how do you classify a beefsteak that will really drive them bonkers lol

Dude it is too easy and cheap. Never thought of concrete mesh as pretty but it sure beats those walmart wire cones.

Thought about making some and charging $20 each. Amazing what people will buy now days.

I grow them on a fence panel similar to row apples
most vines that are not producing are removed

6" rewire concrete mesh cages here, 5' high.

Kinda what I said earlier Les, before things got too technical.
I have had tomatoes outgrow a 5' cage. Cut back on the miracle grow and solved that.
No more moisture than I am getting this year a 2 foot tall cage will be plenty.

Zim