Cage.

They make a fancy folding cage that is very strong. It costs about $20.

Most store bought tomato cages are a joke and they'll fall over just about the time your plant really starts to produce.

The best cage is a section of concrete reinforcing wire or hog wire rolled into a cage that will be about 2.5 feet in diameter. Pick a very strong wire that you can reach through. You can stack a second one on top if you need to. Use one or two long pieces of rebar hammer into the ground to keep the cage from falling over.

See number 8 at the link below for more info.
http://www.urbanharvest.org/advice/vegetables/tips_for_tomatoes.html

yellowdog is right - for most tomatoes you'll need a much larger and stronger cage than those little cone/triangle things they sell at most big box stores.

Yep. I agree with both Yellowdog and Birdbite. Cage with something other than those little cone cages. The only thing those are good for is turning upside down and covering with evergreen garland and/or lights to make "mini Christmas trees" out of. I've even had my cucumbers outgrow them.

Concrete reinforcing wire is really the best thing to make cages out of. It has big holes you can reach through. Cutting the bottom horizontal wire off makes for lots of "legs" all around that you can push down in the soil to keep them upright. I make mine two or so feet in diameter and put them right next to each other ~ that helps them stay upright as well. They last years even without painting ~ I just let mine rust. Here's a picture of what we're talking about. And here's another.

I forgot to add the pros and cons. The biggest con to using stakes that I can think of is that you'll constantly be out there tying up your tomato plants, even if you prune them to one or two central leaders. I'm a lazy gardener when I can get away with it, so that drawback of staking is so big that any other con would pale in comparison imho.

With cages, all you have to do is either trim off wayward branches once the plant reaches great size, or weave them back inside the cage. Easy-peasy. And you won't really be doing much of that either if you make the cages big enough.

Yes, Cages are the best. If you are planting quite a few tomatoes, if not you need to find friends and look for sales on "Pig fence" Myself all I had to do was carry it to my yard as my neighbor had it laying around and wanted it hauled off. To make your home made cages; first cut should be a little more than 3 times as long as you want the cage to be across. Cut just before the next section. Those wire ends are then wrapped around the beginning and creates a nice cage which will hold any tomato plant you can grow. Make sure you cut the bottom wire all the way around so you will have an anchor to push into the ground. They are also good to make Japanese Tomato Rings. They are very large [ 12Â foot cutting] and you fill them with soil, compost, and fertilizer, layer by layer. Leaving the top with a "bird Bath" type hole. This you use to water your tomatoes. You may also want to raise herbs on the top of you "Tomato Ring" This way your tomatoes will always have a regular amount of food and water. Those tomatoes will have to be "staked" to the cage to keep them from touching the ground.

I have a few fence posts so I'm going to try the Florida Weave. It seems like a pretty economical way to go.

Here is a link that might be useful: Florida Weave

Looks fine and you don't have to worry about where to store anything as it break down so well. Should work well for beans peas etc.

The Florida Weave works wonderfully for me and it looks good too. When the plants are at their fullest, you really cannot see much of the stakes or the twine and no cages to wrngle and store.

Cage. The branches need more support than stalk does.

I have read all the answeres to your questions about wich is better cages or stake. A couple of years ago I was wondering the same thing. I found something that is actually both, it's called The Tomato Ring. It is a steel ring molded to a clamp that fits any tomato stake. You can actually slide this ring up your stake as your plant grows. I would not use anything else.Check it out on YouTube just punch in Tomato Ring.
Michel

Here is a link that might be useful: www.veggiecage.com

I will add one more plus for cages. This is that you can use any frost cover or shade cloth with clothes pins to protect from frost, sun and wind. All challenges to us Texas gardeners every season at one time or multiple times.

I do like the florida weave and can see other apps for it in the garden and in decidious vines this would be great with endless possibilities for shapes and dimensions. You just never know what you can learn from a post until you start reading.
Thanks to all for sharing your thoughts and ideas we are all richer for it. Happy Growing David

I have posted about this on other forums, but I am telling everyone who will listen. I love the Spiral Stand. It works better than any cage I have used and needs no tying.It is sturdy and can be used year after year. Check it out!

Here is a link that might be useful: www.spiralstand.com

I use cattle panels. I grow indeterminates and need something stury and tall. Plus, I just weave plants through the panels as they grow.
Susan

Michel;
That Tomato ring seems like a pretty good idea. Only drawback I can see, is that you might need several per plant if they get rangy.
Jerry

at $28 each, it could get kinda expensive, especially with shipping, which is not included.

Daniele, what a surprise seeing you here! Do you sell anything else?