No, it is not toxic, quite the opposite in fact. Plants as well as humans need iron to survive. There is probably enough iron in most soil but the addition of the small amount from the cages does not hurt a thing.

Whats up Whos,
Great, thanks for the info.. I was just weary with the rust in terms of edibles, but good to know! Now it just comes down to buildin'em and gettin rusty!! lol .. Maybe in the future I'll look into a non toxic enamel to paint them with (if such a thing exists lol)...

Rust converter sprays exist but don't do it. Much worse for your soil later on. Even non-toxic latex will eventually flake off and be unsightly. : )
Just roll with the natural patina and enjoy the small iron content.

lol thanks brotha

Just make sure your tetanus shot is up to date before you start handling the stuff. Our dr actually recommended DTaP booster a few years ago since pertussis had been going around.

At our ages, ahem, I wouldn't be worried about pertussis, aka whooping cough, but the tetanus part of that shot is now being suggested for older folks since it's turned out that the antibodies don't last as long as they thought.

Having been brought up on a farm where there was lots of rusty stuff hanging around, and even knowing about tentanus back then, I never worried and while I used to grow most of my tomato plants by sprawling, I did make my own CRW cages when I lived and gardened in Denver.

And when I moved back East there was one place where I grew my tomatoes and I used some of his cages, which were very rusty, and I'm still reading and posting at several message sites, that is,I'm quite alive. ( smile)

Carolyn

lol Thanks everyone for the responses.. Appreciate it! Although I think I'm just gonna spring for the cattle panels and do it once (as they're a much heavier gauge)... I'll keep ya's posted =)

Mike, before you spring....I was going to do EXACTLY the same thing with my supports. Funny you posted this. I nixed the cattle panels because of lack of availability in my area and cost. I bought 8 foot t posts and took the 4'x8' concrete wire (6") to the top of each post (zip-tied). The tomatoes in my container have already reached the bottom of the wire grid. Since the wire has already rusted...it has become almost invisible from the house (blends in with backdrop). I think I have a winner. Consider it....

Carolyn - I think the dr recommended the booster since I needed tetanus shot anyway, more to protect my DD and young nieces/nephews than me. As I recall, he had my teenager get another booster too even though he'd had all the normal series, I don't recall if it was b/c the T or the P part was wearing off for him.

The DTaP was about the same price as just tetanus shot. If you're not around young kids than you may just want to make sure T is up to date. Just thought I'd offer the info on the P.

I've been using concrete wire for tomato cages for many years.
They need to be at least 24 inches in diameter and about 30 or more inches high. I cut the bottom ring off. This makes spikes the go into the ground. A stake will be needed later to keep the wind from blowing them over. I use fertilizer and 1/2 bag of humus & manure compost from Wal Mart. My Celebrity Tomatoes make more than any other brand I've ever used. For dry time I use a gal. milk jug with a small drip hole hanging from the wire. Sorry about the extra info after the concrete wire information, just thought it might help someone.

If there is any bad health effect, it has to associated with the galvanized wire. Iron Oxide(Fe2O3 ?) is a naturally occuring chemical form that eventually should be beneficial.

Hey fireduck,

Ahh it's too late!! LoL wish I saw that before hand but I haven't been on.. I sprung for the panels - $300 dollars later... They're absolutely beautiful cages though... More labor intensive then I initially thought it'd be.. The diy called for two men, but as a thick headed Italian I didn't feel that applied to me.. LoL with two people it would have been a lot easier.. About 5-6 hours later and a couple slices on my forearms; I now have 24 of the sturdiest cages I've ever worked with... That sounds like a great idea though! We're always looking for something horizontal to tie up to and that sounds perfect.. Similar to a scrog..

Seysonn (and future readers),

That's incorrect info.. Galvanized steel is only dangerous when cutting or burning - leeching is not an issue:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/galvanized-wire-zb0z09zblon.aspx#axzz31GYzOv8v

http://gardeningwormcomposting.com/is-galvanized-steel-harmful-to-the-soil/

Thanks for the heads up anyways...

Well said michael.

Dave

Hey Dave,

What can I say, the truth is the truth lol ...
It's to no one's benefit to leave false information hangin around. So here's some pics of the baskets as promised:

This was the first one I made...... you could see the progress in the above picture; it was a few later, and much more uniform lol . . .
This is in my experimental no-till row..

and last but not least: I plan on just stackin them behind the shed at summer's end.. That's their only down fall - not collapsible, but I have the space so it's no issue for me.. I think i'll eventually cut a small section of the lower horizontal wires just for easier access when applying compost teas etc...