How to Properly Use Tomato Cages

Tomatoes on the Vine

Many tomato lovers count the days until the summer garden harvest. Store-bought tomatoes can't hold a candle to juicy, flavorful garden-grown tomatoes. Enjoy them in your salad, salsa or sauce all summer long. Enhance your garden tomato harvest by properly using tomato cages to keep the fruits off of the ground and prevent the stalks from breaking. Tomato cages are inexpensive and can be purchased at your local home improvement store or nursery.

Things You'll Need

• Mallet
• Tomato Cages

Instructions

1. Purchase tomato cages in accordance with the size of tomato plant you are growing. Choose a cage that has openings wide enough for multiple, mature tomatoes to fit through. There are several types of cages, usually made of metal wire: cylindrical cages, square tower cages, polypropylene spiral cages and A-frame cages.

2. Plant tomato plants far enough apart to accommodate not only their expected growth, but also the tomato cages. Consider leaving at least 2 or 3 feet between plants.

3. Place a tomato cage over each tomato plant so that the plant is centered inside of the cage.

4. Use a mallet to drive the cage's anchors (wire spikes) firmly into the ground. Methodically tap the mallet on the top of the cage over each wire spike evenly until they are fully buried. Avoid driving in one spike at a time as the remaining spikes will bend. For the spiral cage, simply drive a stake into the ground next to the tomato plant, place the spiral cage over the stake and attach its top to the top of the stake.

5. Drape the tomato plant's stems through the holes in the tomato cage as it grows. Near harvest, stems with very heavy fruits, can be tied onto the cage with vegetable ties, if necessary.

Tips & Warnings

• Cherry or grape tomato plants work best with short cylindrical cages or small square tower cages. (See "Resources" below).

References

• Univ. of Illinois: Watch Your Garden Grow

Resources

• Veggie Cage
• www.gardeners.com