I use PVC pipe for my cages. They last for years and
years. They can be as big as you want them, but go
too high and you'll need a ladder to pick fruit. I top
mine out at 6 feet and then let them flop back down.

At the bottom is a link to instructions with pictures.

And a couple more pictures from this year. The cages
you see are 6 feet tall.

Here is a link that might be useful: PVC cages

gaguy....... your cages look ok but they have a lot of wide open areas. Another thing is the strength of pvc that I am doubtful in case of heavy wind they can hold up.

McKenzie ... I have similar problem with cages that I have made from CRW. They are super sturdy , but not quite tall enough (4 ft?)
I have a plant to extend them by about 1 1/2 - 2 foot. This is how I am going to try to do it:
ATTACH THREE 3/4" BY 3 FT. REBARs TO IT AS LEGS.

Now, drive about a foot of the legs into ground and your cage's top will be 6 ft from ground.

Some interesting ideas here....in my opinion some of them need to be explained a bit better. 1. Because pvc holds water...does not mean they are not flimsy. They are designed to lay in a trench and resist interior pressure. If you hold a 10' length of 3/4" pvc from one end...it will sag on the ground. However, in shorter lengths (with fittings like G is using) they can be plenty strong. If I recall from past weeks...he further supports the pvc with rebar. Support for tomatoes IS critical, and should be thought through BEFORE plantings. Keeping support systems vertical is fine...they just need tied off with twine, rags, straps...whatever will not cut into the branches.

This post was edited by fireduck on Fri, Sep 27, 13 at 18:32

"designed to lay in a trench and resist interior pressure"

Not true, I have 3/4 inch sections hanging in the air under my cottage filled with water. One is over 20 ft long. It does sag, but will not break.

You could also start the PVC at the bottom of the pot or in ground and bury it for added support. The rebar idea is good too, you combined ideas! You could also go 1 inch, that stuff ain't moving!
In ground put in rebar or other stakes and place PVC over it.

Drew...you make a very poor case for saying my statement "designed to lay in a trench and resist interior pressure" is not true....then you simply tell us what you are doing at your "cottage". You lose credibility when you do stuff like that.

Well, pvc, 3/4" size can work if:

--1- If the legs are driven into ground about 8" or so.
--2- if the partitions are no more than 12" or so.

In the second case,, it will take a lot of work and you have to use a lot more fittings and pipe and probably will cost many times more than CRW cage;

MATERIALS: estimation
== 4 pce of 6 ft length , just for the legs( cost ~ $6)
== about 30 ft for the horizontal sections.(cost ~$8)
== 30 pces of fittings( cost ~ $10)
.................... TOTAL ESTIMATED COST ~~~ $25.00
anyway I estimate and even cut down on materials(have less sections) still it is very expensive. with a 84" by 48" CRW I can make a real tall and sturdy cage. COST = $7.20

My cages are pounded 12" into the ground. They are
very sturdy. They are also very flexible. They bend
in high winds. Like a palm tree. One person using my
design is in NC. The remnants of Hurricane Ophelia
blew through his area in 2005 and my PVC cages came
through undamaged. Much better than the TTC which
was flattened.

The PVC is 3/4 inch, but the partitions are more than
12". I just tie the vines to the PVC with the green stretchy
garden tape. I use them over and over again. Same
with the PVC. Some pieces are over 10 years old. They
last forever. A lot easier to work with than CRW. And
you can break them down for winter storage. I don't think
I would like those CRW cages getting in the way of
winter garden work.

Cost isn't cheap, but it's about the same as the TTC.
Spread that out over a few years and it's not too bad.

This year I installed some cattle panels. They're about 16 feet long by about 50 inches tall. They are heavy duty wire panels intended to pen livestock. You need some fence posts as well.

The link shows various trellises made with these panels. You can either make arches out of them, or mount them horizontally. I found them to work well either way; you just poke the growing vine through a square in the grid. I only had to tie a couple of the vines in place; most of them were supported well by the grid without tying.

The grids are about $20 from Tractor supply. You'll need posts and clips to install them. That's a one time expense, and they'll probably outlast you.

Here is a link that might be useful: examples of cattle panel trellises

Here's a pic of the cattle panel trellises in late June. I also had a net trellis over the same raised bed; didn't work out so good, everything became entangled. But the wire cattle panels didn't distort under weight, and did fine.

Thanks all! Especially those who posted pictures. Very helpful.

--McKenzie

arly - nice setup you've got there. A very
different garden than mine. Wish I had that much space.

If I were in your shoes, I'd probably do something similar.

Different solutions for different spaces.

In my cramped space, my PVC cages work wonderfully.

Arly ... Nice garden a good set up
I bet you can utilize that trellis to grow some peas and beans between the tomatoes too. Also cucumbers.

seysonn, I did use some of the area to grow cukes and bitter melon. They stayed nice, clean and straight because they were hanging and not on the ground. I also tried some melons, but they didn't do as well--you need to suspend the fruits in little slings, and it's more work than I wanted to do. A few snap bean vines found their way onto the trellis and they took off, doing very well. If I wanted something strictly decorative, I might try some scarlet runners; but I like tomatoes too much to give them any space. My big difficulty this winter is going to be deciding on which of a dozen varieties of tomatoes I'm gonna plant.

One variety of cucumber I was impressed with was the Armenian cucumber. It's not a true cucumber so it doesn't have the bitterness in the skin and seeds; it has pale green flesh, very pretty, and my wife and MIL like it because they're very sensitive to regular cucumbers.

Anyone have any experience with Midwest Wire works square collapsible cages? http://www.midwestwireworks.com/Tomato_Cages.html

I've been considering them for next year but in a custom 72" height.

Arley, I love those cattle panels. What exactly are they and where do you get them? thanks

They are actually fencing panels. You can get them at Tractor Supply--they are made to enclose livestock. The panel is about 16 feet long by a little over 4 feet tall. If you bend the panel halfway you can make an arch, and you can also rig them up horizontally. Both orientations work fine.

Each panel is about 20 dollars, and you also need some t-posts ( a fence post that in cross section is a t), and some clips to fasten to panel to the posts.

You can get all these supplies at tractor supply. You can, I suppose, use heavy duty staples to attach the panel to a wooden post, but it's much less work to use the t posts. If you're gonna set up a bunch of these, you might want to get a t-post driver--it's a heavy hollow metal tube with handles that make driving these posts really easy, much easier than a sledge hammer.

Here's the panel I used:

http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/feedlot-panel-cattle-16-ft-l-x-50-in-h

here are the t posts I used (they are available in different lengths as well)

http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/studded-t-post-6-ft-125-lb-per-foot

and here's the post driver:

http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/deluxe-post-driver

Somewhat pricey when you add it up, but it's a one time expense: these items will probably last for many years, and next year when you go to start your garden the trellises will already be in place. And if you get tired of vegetable gardening, these would make a great support for climbing flowering vines or roses.

Well ks doesn't have hurricanes, but they do have wind, and extreme temps. I tried the pvc, several years ago, with very disappointing results. Rebar stakes would hold it in the ground, because it was not strong enough to push deep enough to hold it down, but then the handiness was lost. PVC does flex some, but it will eventually break. It is also very light, and easy to work with, but it is basically being replaced in the plumbing industry for many of the same reasons it doesn't work real well for gardeners. For the price, and for someone raising more then a few tomatoes, I find it a poor investment.

I have also tried the "florida weave" and similar systems, but the wind blows here just too much, and with indeterminate tomatoes, it just does not work.

Cages work up to their height, but are a pain to store, and unless they are anchored with rebar, will eventually fall over.

I have had my best luck with the cattle panels, and am gradually building up to use them exclusively. The only down side to the panels is expense, and I could see where they might be too heavy for some folks. They last forever and store flat. A very smart investment.

Nice pics Arley! I plan on doing around 200 plants next year, so I will post pics then. If I have time! ;)

When you compare prices of the suggested methods you may as well go the extra mile for a few dollars more and setup a greenhouse. The greenhouse arches provide the overhead support at less cost than the cattle panels and they give you many more options. I'm not going to include pictures of a gothic greenhouse frame although I've posted many. Once you have overhead support simple stringlines will work for tomatoes, one per plant, even if your plants grow over 20 ft. tall as many of my cherry varieties do in a season. You just need to wrap enough extra twine on a tomahook so that you can lower the plant stems as they tomatoes grow. Keep in mind that greenhouse arches are galvanized steel and will outlast rusting panels by 50 years. If you decide to cover the arches with plastic you can also extend your growing season by at least a few months and pay for the greenhouse in just a few years.

Just drive through the countryside and see what systems neighboring farmers are using. I know that in the farming regions of PA you'll see greenhouses standing on many roadsides. Surprisingly many who have them are not using the framework as support for the plants within.

I would like to know how to build a green house for the cost of cattle panels. The cattle panels last a long time, before they start rusting. And plastic does not last forever here in ks winds.

I use hoop houses, but very little of it is for tomatoes. Nothing is like a traditionally grown tomato, if you have the growing season. Some folks use hoop houses for tomatoes here. They are the ones with tomatoes left at the end of the market day.

I do agree that you should look at what your neighbors , and what experienced farmers are doing. Just don't be afraid to think for yourself. Most folks use cages here, cuz that what has always been used.