mardi 27 janvier 2015

What It Takes To Make The Best Homemade Tomato Cage

By Janine Hughes


The tomatoes are the most common vegetables that are never missing in our kitchens, and are also easy to grow. This explains why they are the most common kitchen garden crops today. Whether for subsistence use or for commercial purpose, they require support system of one type or the other. The longer growing types in particular cannot survive without support. Normally, cage is used as the preferred mode of support. They prevent the plant from breaking off, the fruits from falling off or being in contact with surfaces like the ground that make them rot. It is easy to come up with the best homemade tomato cage, rather having to buy them.

Although there are many such cages available in the nearby garden centers, they are not often strong and big enough to accommodate bigger crops. They are best used for lower growing bush-like tomatoes. However, for the taller varieties, there is an urgent need to construct your own cage that can provide the most appropriate support.

It is advisable to start with the materials already available, as this can help to greatly minimize the total cost of construction. In most cases, the recommended wire is the heavy gauge wire-mesh which is longer lasting and very stable. However, the recycled poultry fencing can also perform as well.

If none of the materials required are available, then one has to start from the scratch. The 2 by 2 by 8 framing lumber is good enough and cheaply available from the nearby lumber store. This can be further subdivided into two. Once the appropriate length of the wire mesh has been determined, spread it on the ground and cut off the correct size. The wire is then rolled up to form a column. A wooden stake is then stacked into the wire so that the cage can be anchored firmly to the ground. A short pipe can also achieve this. Lastly, the wire mesh is hammered around the plant to the ground and it is ready.

Alternatively, roll out the galvanized wire with the help of a wire cutter, then snip off 18". Then the wire grid is centered on the stack so that the wire bottom is 16" from the stack bottom. Lastly, the nails is used to secure the wire on to the stake ad it is ready.

Spread the wire mesh on the ground and cut off an appropriate length, then roll it into a column like shape. Stake a wooden frame into the wire-mesh to anchor it firmly into the ground and then nail it firmly around the crop.

The homemade support systems come with several advantages over the commercial versions. First, they are much stronger and longer lasting. The wooden parts give them the necessary strength required. If the wood is treated, they can last for over five years.

The homemade options have several advantages over the ones bought. They are much cheaper to construct, and very strong and longer lasting. They also require minimum maintenance as the stalks are only tied onto the supporting structure using soft cloths once they are grown. Generally, there are several supportive websites that offer step by step lessons on how to construct these supportive structures. All with the aim of attaining the highest quality and maximum tomato fruits from the crops.




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