I’m Feeling Good From My Head -Tomatoes! {DIY tomato cages}{9}
What? You don’t like puns? I happen to think they are hysterical. I expect that puts me in some kind of low humor category. Ask me if I care. I saw that somewhere on Facebook yesterday and it made me laugh. And, as promised, today’s post will be about the tomato cages I built am buliding, this week. Oh, I know, you put your tomato cages on the same day that you planted your plants, right? You did not wait until the plants were suddenly (so suddenly!) top heavy and falling over and threatening to become crawling vines instead of the climbing variety. You would not do that.
Ahem.
Me neither.
These giant tomato plants in these photos taken while building these tomato supports belong to someone else entirely – who has a garden that looks. just. like. mine.
I have to tell you that I’m having a hard time concentrating tonight because my yardstick coat rack project from last week is making just the tiniest little splash – quite a few people seem to like it. I’ve spent my time this evening answering a zillion comments (okay, only 30 or so) here on the blog and thanking a whole passel of new “likes” on Facebook – when I was supposed to be writing this post. But I was having so much FUN! I must get my mind back around to tomato cages! Ah, yes! I have a good segue. If you read that post about the yardstick coat rack, (and you should read it because it includes a giveaway that you will want to enter!), you would know that I went to great lengths to find a way to make the project without harming any of the ultra cool vintage yardsticks.
Believe it or not though, this tomato cage project involved yardsticks too! And do you know what I did with them? I cut them in half with a CHOP SAW!! I did! Fear not. These were not vintage (when did I start using that word?) yardsticks. I bought them at Lowe’s for .69 each. They are NOT as cool as the rest of my collection. . . but they are very useful nonetheless.
Let me show you how I built these very sturdy and very simple tomato cages. The cages are triangular in shape and they are made of three upright pieces (4 feet long 1″ x 2″). Two of the upright pieces are attached (with wood screws) to metal stakes that get pounded into the ground. All three are connected at the top by the yardsticks which have been cut in half (so they are 18″ each).
It’s not a lot more complicated than that. In order to support the tomatoes as they grow, I’m putting foam covered wire from post to post at intervals - like a ladder. To do this I simply put a screw into the wood, wound the wire around and strung it across to another screw on the other side.
This project wasn’t hard – but it would have been a LOT harder if I hadn’t had the right tools. I used the drill I got for my birthday.
And I also used the post pounder – I think that’s the technical term. . . SO much easier than pounding the posts with a sledge.
extremely useful tool - do you have one? it fits over your post and gets the job done simply by being very heavy
In retrospect, I think I would make the supports square instead of triangular. I was trying to be frugal and save on materials – and I did (about 25%. . .). However, the job would have been much neater (though more expensive) if it were square.
I have very high hopes for the tomatoes this year. I’m trying not to get them up too high though. I have had a lot of tomato related heart break in the last few years. . . Do you live in the North East? Did you survive the tomato blight of 2009? This New York Times article actually centers on my County, and my town. . . it was awful. And honestly? I haven’t had a good tomato crop since. In 2009, I did not get even ONE tomato from my garden. Truth be told, we didn’t eat anything from the garden that year. It was devastating. In 2010, and 2011, we did get tomatoes but they were only mediocre. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. So far so good.
In all three of those years I have tried to grow a tomato called Mr. Stripey. Have you ever grown Mr. Stripey? It is supposed to be a beautiful orange and red striped tomato. I have only seen it in pictures. I have yet to grow one single edible Mr. Stripey tomato.
Like I said, I have high hopes. All of the plants look fantastic and there are lots of green tomatoes growing a little bigger everyday. I have two Mr. Stripey’s on opposite sides of the garden (neither has fruit yet). All I can do is water, weed, and wait. . .
Do you grow tomatoes? How do you support them? I decided to build something of my own because the traditional circular metal cages just frustrate me to no end. Among other things, they always fall over. What good is that?! Here’s a question: How many plants do you plant? And how many varieties?? And what do you do with them after you harvest them??? Okay – that was three questions. But I’m truly curious. . . are you with me in this labor of love or do you think I’m nuts?
Did you know that I read and respond to each and every one of your comments? Please, drop me a line and let me know you’ve stopped by! Tell me about your tomato woes. . . or successes!
Jul 18, 2012 @ 10:35:14
you have all the fun toys.
Jul 18, 2012 @ 11:55:30
i’m just that kind of girl!
Jul 18, 2012 @ 11:19:19
I don’t even bother to grow tomatoes anymore:( they just won’t grow here. we have a walnut tree and i learned last year that walnut trees put something in the ground that tomato plants don’t like. even growing them in pots with potting soil doesn’t work.
on a side note breida, do you follow antique farmhouse?? their event today immediately made me think of you!!!!
Jul 18, 2012 @ 11:57:39
I would be very sad if that were the case here, Jill. We have Black Walnuts, too – LOTS of them actually. But we have enough property that the garden is nowhere near them. I DO have that problem with peppers though! I have NEVER grown a pepper here – in all the times I’ve tried – and I finally gave up after last year. I’ve done them in the ground and in containers with store bought dirt. . . no luck.
Jul 19, 2012 @ 14:44:31
I love your sense of humor. And for the record I’m well trained. My husband has a wry sense of humor and that was actually what attracted me to him. Of course, I had none. I can barely even tell a joke properly. Things have changed and I can be funny, every other year or so, now.
None-the-less I appreciate those who deliver it (humor) well.
(Um…not red, though…unless you paint it with some of that Annie Sloan paint…does she have a red?)
Regarding those tomatoes. Oh my they look green and lovely. Green is good…I hope they turn red or stripey soon. I’m growing tomatoes too. Actually tomato plants. I purchased them in May from…well that doesn’t matter. I never got around to planting the seeds…so I bought two organic plants and put them in the window in my sunroom. They are still there. In the milk carton containers they came in. We finally dug the dirt where they are to be planted, in the one sunny spot in our yard. I still have to go and get composted manure, but who wants to do more digging when it’s 94 and humid. Maybe they will get planted, maybe I’ll just sow some Swiss Chard seeds I bought when I purchased the tomato SEEDS. We’ll see.
Sorry for the long reply. Hope your tomatoes are huge and red and delicious and extraordinary. Your cage certainly is.
p.s. Just popped over from Jennifer’s blog. I’ll be hanging around a while, too.
Jul 19, 2012 @ 14:55:41
Actually, she has TWO reds! Both fabulous! I’m so glad you stopped by – Thanks for taking the time to comment. IF you go through and “like” my Facebook page you can enter in the giveaway I’m running right now. Tomorrow I’ll announce the winner of TWO vintage yardsticks from my personal collection! See this post:
http://breidawithab.com/pinspired-and-produced-12-diy-vintage-yardstick-coat-rack/
to get the FULL DETAILS! the winner will be announced on FB tomorrow!
see you soon!
breida
Pinspired and Produced #15 – Funny Junk {a surprise before & after}
Aug 04, 2012 @ 02:53:22
[...] few weeks ago I was on my way home from Lowes where I purchased the lumber to build my tomato supports, and I stopped at a yard sale. Everything seemed a little over priced to me, but I wasn’t [...]
Aug 05, 2012 @ 21:44:23
Hi, Breida! I found your blog through Decor Adventures…love your sense of humor! I live down in SE CT considered (Zone 6). A couple of years ago I built a raised bed…veggies didn’t do well because no money after building th bed to fill with new soil! lol! This year added new soil till half full. I’m only growing one tomato plant (Big Boy?) as I harvet the fruit to make homemade pasta sauce and it’s only me here! However, I also planted 1 watermelon plant and now have 3 watermelons growing! Good thing I didn’t buy 10 plants! I threw in some strawberry plants for next year’s harvest, a green bell pepper, an orange bell pepper and a tabasco pepper, a handful of lemon cucumber seeds that a friend had left over and some seeds to grow some gourds for crafts. Status? Only 2 green peppers so far, zero-zilch orange peppers and way too many tabasco peppers, tomato plant laden with fruit and cucumber vines full of flowers and climbing all over the cages! The gourds are doing well and I’m excited to make ladles & birdhouses with them! I bought gourd seeds for a couple of cousins and if we all get a full crop, we should have quite a family craft night! Look forward to following you!
Aug 05, 2012 @ 23:04:42
Well, I think your name may be even harder than mine! You win the prize! Sounds like your garden is doing pretty well. My tomatoes are doing great – and some other things did well – but I’ve had some duds this year, too. And I can’t grow a pepper here to save my life. Tried 3 years in a row. In the ground and in containers – nothing. I have no idea why. I haven’t gotten a tomato out of the garden yet but I think it will be soon. Had one from a neighbor tonight and it was beautiful!
Thanks so much for stopping by – I hope you’ll “like” my FB page – and follow the blog, too!
Nice to meet you!
breida