How to Make Vegetable Cages

Vegetable cages provide support for growing plants and hold mature fruit off the ground. Not only does this make harvesting easier, it keeps your vegetables out of the reach of critters, reduces the chance of disease and prevents them from rotting on the soil. Inexpensive cages may seem like a good idea, but they often bend or warp under the weight of a heavy crop of vegetables, such as tomatoes. Making your own cages allows you to select the strength of the materials and tailor them to the appropriate size.

Wire mesh
Wire cutters
Bolt cutter
Spool of wire, medium weight

Instructions

- 1
  Select the appropriate gauge wire mesh for your needs. Jill MacKenzie, former Extension Specialist from the University of Minnesota, recommends using concrete- or cement-reinforced mesh with 4-inch holes for tomatoes. Not only does this mesh provide adequate support, the squares allow room for harvesting through the mesh. Choose a lighter-gauge mesh for smaller plants, such as peas or beans, or medium weight for crops such as cucumbers.
- 2
  Choose wire mesh in a width that matches the desired height of the cage. For tomatoes, a width of 4 to 5 feet may be needed. Smaller plants, such as bush peas, may do fine with a 2- to 3-foot cage.
- 3
  Cut the wire mesh to a length of 5 feet to make a cage with a diameter of 18 inches. Eighteen inches provides room for tomatoes to grow, but you may desire another size. Vary the length to fit your individual needs.
- 4
  Cut the wire mesh with a pair of heavy-duty wire cutters. Cement-reinforced wire mesh may require a bolt cutter.
- 5
  Roll the wire mesh into a cylinder. Wire the cylinder together by inserting the loose ends (where you cut the wires) through the mesh of the uncut end. Twist the wires with a pair of pliers to secure the cylinder. When using concrete-reinforced wire mesh, wire the cage together with separate wire.
- 6
  Remove the bottom row of the 4-inch openings by cutting away the horizontal wires. This creates vertical spikes for anchoring the cage into the soil.
- 7
  Center the cage over the plants and push the "spikes" into the soil to anchor the cage.

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