June 7, 2011

Over three decades of growing tomatoes in Massachusetts and San Diego, I’ve used many methods to support my tomatoes. The first year I had my own garden I planted 24 tomato plants, trussing them to sturdy stakes with strips of old white T-shirts. Not pretty and way too many tomato plants for this labor intensive method. 

I’ve used the wire tomato cages that are cone-shaped, but those are inadequate for all but the smallest determinate tomato varieties. I’ve made wire cages from metal fencing and staked them in place. Fencing with squares of 4 to 6 inches work well, but storing them outside shortens their useful life and consumes scarce garden storage space. Would work well if you lived on a farm and could move them into the barn for the winter.

Then there were the wooden supports. My husband built three tier ladders for the sides of the raised beds and I laid wooden cross pieces in the notched places on the “ladders.” They were cedar and held up for about ten years but always required some repair before they could be pressed into service each year.

Two years ago I bought the last tomato cages I will ever buy. The Texas Tomato Cages are six feet tall, sturdy and fold flat for storage in the garden shed. Made of galvanized steel rod, ¼ inch thick, they can take the weight and heft of the largest tomato plants. Though they’re pricey, I usually only grow a half dozen tomatoes and the business (in Texas) is family owned and friendly.