Making Tomato Cages from Concrete Mesh

[emcd124]

I hate to sound like such a dunce, but how do you get the cattle panel home? I drove out to Tractor Supply to look at some cattle panel for garden structures, but the stuff is HUGE! Even if we had a pickup (we can borrow one) I couldnt get it home, let alone in my Toyota. Do you bring some bolt cutters with you to the store and cut it to size right then and there?

[kath]

Originally Posted by emcd124

I hate to sound like such a dunce, but how do you get the cattle panel home? I drove out to Tractor Supply to look at some cattle panel for garden structures, but the stuff is HUGE! Even if we had a pickup (we can borrow one) I couldnt get it home, let alone in my Toyota. Do you bring some bolt cutters with you to the store and cut it to size right then and there?

We have a truck with a regular bed and yes, we brought cutters with us because we didn't want to have to wrestle with a 16' length in the garden anyway- those things are heavy!

[Master_Gardener]

Originally Posted by emcd124

I hate to sound like such a dunce, but how do you get the cattle panel home? I drove out to Tractor Supply to look at some cattle panel for garden structures, but the stuff is HUGE! Even if we had a pickup (we can borrow one) I couldnt get it home, let alone in my Toyota. Do you bring some bolt cutters with you to the store and cut it to size right then and there?

Yup. They come in 16 foot long sections. I told the guy at my local Tractor Supply that when I was ready to buy, I would come with a hacksaw to cut up the cow panel. He said I have a faster method, bolt cutters. I agreed. He offered to do the cutting for me.

Cow panels are fairly rigid. You won't be rolling them up so you will need to cut them prior to loading them on a truck. For my application as a trellis, four 4 foot lengths would be about right and easiest to get them home.

Either cow panels or the concrete mesh will take some effort wrangling them home. There are advantages to each so spend time in advance deciding which will work best for you.

[Durgan]

Originally Posted by Worth1

What do you use to keep the cages from falling over?
Every spring here we get high winds, yesterday it was blowing around 45mph.
Worth

When I used cages, they were anchored by a one half inch diameter, six feet long rebar anchored to the cage using a plastic tie. Strong like bull. Now i use overhead strings.

[Douglas_OW]

Cattle panels should fit in a pickup bed. They are stiff, but still flexible. A full size bed is easier, but a short bed will do. If you load multiple panels, make sure that they all have the long, horizontal wires facing up- this makes it easier for them to slide against each other.

[emcd124]

Ultimately I just didnt think I could muscle the cattle panel, so I went with the 6x6 sq concrete wire mesh that was also recommended in this thread. I cut the 8' x 15' in half, so I have two 8 x 7.5 each.

They are all rusty, and I've heard people say to just embrace the rusty look, beautiful patina etc. But when handling them it gets all over my arms. Will that go away or is it always like that, that you get dirty every time you touch them? Its particularly important because I used one section to put up a "harvest tunnel" for my son's preschool, with the idea to trellis the cherry tomatoes up the side and top, and hope the clusters hang down into the tunnel where the kids can walk under and pick them. But if the tunnel gets the kids all grubby that wont be a workable solution.

Can I spray paint it or otherwise coat it to cut down on the rust transferring to clothes and arms? Do I need to clean it first? Any special kind of paint?

[Athena]

Originally Posted by emcd124

Can I spray paint it or otherwise coat it to cut down on the rust transferring to clothes and arms? Do I need to clean it first? Any special kind of paint?

Yes, you can paint it. We used 3 full concrete mesh panels as a tomato fence this year and painted them with the same latex paint we use for all the wood trim around the garden -- which is just a good quality outdoor paint from Lowes. The best thing to do would be to use a damp rag to clean off the accumulated rust and dirt then just paint it. Two coats would probably be best since the paint doesn't adhere that well to the bare, not so clean metal. The finished product may not be very impressive close up but it should do the job for you.

Lowe's also sells spray paint to match some of the colors in the line we used but that might get a bit expensive. I used the spray version on some PVC irrigation lines and they blend in quite well.

Athena

[crazyoldgooseman]

Great Post and pics! I love my CRW cages. Thanks!

[emcd124]

Sorry me again back with a few more questions now that I have my wire mesh cages up and installed.

1. God bless the man who suggested zip ties to hold those things together. My husband and I were able to make 8 cages in under 15 minutes working together with the zip ties (while I was 9 mo pregnant none the less)!!

2. If you dont paint or spray the rusty wires, do they ever stop coming off all over you? Every time I reach through a hole to pull a sucker or otherwise fuss the plant I wind up marked with grime all up and down my arm. Will that go down as it is more exposed to the weather or is that a lifetime feature of the rusty mesh construction?

3. The recommended diameter was 22-24". Thats how big I made mine but they look huge! it seems hard to imagine the plants will fill them out and be sufficiently supported inside there. So now I'm wondering whether or not a particular approach to ye olde "to sucker or not to sucker" is also implicated in the choice of diameter. For a 22-24" cage, does that imply letting the plant freely sucker? constraining to one main stem? I usually wind up with 3-4 stems through partial design and partial laziness...should I modify the diameter to be smaller in the future?

Thanks for the continuing education in tomatoes y'all!

[Athena]

Originally Posted by emcd124

2. If you dont paint or spray the rusty wires, do they ever stop coming off all over you? Every time I reach through a hole to pull a sucker or otherwise fuss the plant I wind up marked with grime all up and down my arm. Will that go down as it is more exposed to the weather or is that a lifetime feature of the rusty mesh construction?

If not painted, they will rust forever. We have 10+ year old rusty cages and I try to be mindful of what I wear when I deal with the plants. Ours are stored outdoors all year round. I could probably use a wire brush on them to remove trash and rust at the beginning of the season but I know they would just rust up again. Having painted our wire mesh fence this year, I think it would be a good idea to paint new cages too.

3. The recommended diameter was 22-24". Thats how big I made mine but they look huge! it seems hard to imagine the plants will fill them out and be sufficiently supported inside there. So now I'm wondering whether or not a particular approach to ye olde "to sucker or not to sucker" is also implicated in the choice of diameter. For a 22-24" cage, does that imply letting the plant freely sucker? constraining to one main stem? I usually wind up with 3-4 stems through partial design and partial laziness...should I modify the diameter to be smaller in the future?

Our cages are about that size and I almost never prune the plants. When a tip grows out a hole, I just push it back and keep them inside until the vines eventually spill out over the top. We get more than enough tomatoes to feed our family, neighbors and various other folks.

[raindrops27]

Making the cages was a very tedious job but well worth it! Dh made 30 of the cages most he made with taking wire pliers bending the concrete mesh cut ends into mini hooks and hooking the ends on to the cut side, some he just used plastic cable ties to hold. It took hours but it is one and done. Here is a picture of year two. The concrete mesh was rusted when purchased.

Also please wear gloves, protective wear, and be very careful when handling or walking around this stuff he had several puncture wounds, and I got cut as well.

[Redbaron]

Originally Posted by raindrops27

Making the cages was a very tedious job but well worth it! Dh made 30 of the cages most he made with taking wire pliers bending the concrete mesh cut ends into mini hooks and hooking the ends on to the cut side, some he just used plastic cable ties to hold. It took hours but it is one and done. Here is a picture of year two. The concrete mesh was rusted when purchased.

Also please wear gloves, protective wear, and be very careful when handling or walking around this stuff he had several puncture wounds, and I got cut as well.

One thing you can do about the rust is phosphoric acid. There are several products out there. Generally they are meant as a prefab for painting. But for a garden? Not sure if I recommend paint. I probably would just Ospho it with 2 or 3 coats.

[raindrops27]

Hey Red,

I do not mind the rust on the cages, but thank you for the recommendation. I definitely have a use for that product elsewhere.

[JRinPA]

I put together 20 of these cages this June, pretty much like Thawley's original post. 20 cages and a 14' flat piece as a fence for an end row, with some of the 5x150 roll leftover for next year. Half I made 18"+, the other half 20"+ but I double overlapped those to make them 18" for this year. Our rows are little close this year so that couple inches mattered for clearance. I do think 18"+ seems big enough for Better Boys but next year I plan wider rows and letting them out to 20"+. I'll probably make some 22"+ next year for the big tomatoes that are on the fence this year.

I love the cages. Previously it was stake and tying up. These keep the plants off the ground much better. I like the flat fence too. Might use it elsewhere next year for some sweet 100s or something; this year it is supporting four big tomatoes. I have done some tying when the plants shot up quickly and shot through the cage, but after tying back for a week I can weave them back in usually.

I don't mind the rust, but I can see it being a turn off. The roll I got was plenty rusted at the store.

I wanted to mention I tried both a bolt cutters and a 4-1/2" angle grinder w 1/8" cutoff wheel to make the cuts. The angle grinder left a much smoother cut and I would suggest that if possible over a bolt cutter. To bend hooks I used a 3/8" drive long extension with a deep socket. Cutting and bending the bottom for 12" stakes worked well. I broke a few of their tack welds while bending the first couple cages, so I got some use out of my flux core welder. After a while I had a rhythm going and only required couple pitchers of lemonade to finish in a few hours.
Plants went in the ground June 1.
July 10

July 23

[tomakers]

I have made many and all sizes of cages over the last 40+ years and consider the 18" to be the best. My tomatoes sometimes collapsed inside the 22+ cages, so those are now used for cucumbers. They make a great self-standing trellis.