How to Make Tomato Cages From Coat Hangers
Supporting tomatoes in a garden becomes a necessity as they grow large throughout the summer. The standard caging process involves planting the small tomato seedlings and immediately placing a wire tomato cage around the small plant so the plant will grow large within the confines of the cage. Instead of purchasing tomato cages at a garden center, get those extra wire coat hangers out of your closet and use them to make tomato cages.
Untwist the coat hangers with the pliers and straighten the wires so each one is a straight length of wire.
Insert three of the coat hangers into the soil around a tomato plant approximately 8 inches away from the center stem of the plant. Make the depth even, inserting each wire 6 inches into the soil, spacing the wires evenly around the tomato plant.
Make a loop in the end of one of the remaining hangers with the pliers. Insert a cable tie into this loop and attach the loop to one vertical hanger approximately 4 inches above the soil level. Tighten the cable tie securely to attach the two hangers together.
- Supporting tomatoes in a garden becomes a necessity as they grow large throughout the summer.
- Make the depth even, inserting each wire 6 inches into the soil, spacing the wires evenly around the tomato plant.
Pull the attached hanger horizontally around the three vertical coat hangers, stretching it around each hanger back to the starting point.
Allow approximately 2 inches of extra hanger wire, then cut off any excess wire with the wire cutters.
Make another loop in this end of the hanger with the pliers and attach this loop to the same vertical hanger with another cable tie.
Attach the horizontal hanger to the other two vertical hangers with cable ties. This completes the first support tier of the tomato cage.
Repeat to add two more horizontal hangers to the tomato cage. Space each horizontal hanger approximately 8 inches apart along the vertical hangers.
- Pull the attached hanger horizontally around the three vertical coat hangers, stretching it around each hanger back to the starting point.
Clip off any excess vertical hanger wire above the top horizontal hanger with the wire cutters to finish the tomato cage.
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Writer Bio
Kathryn Hatter is a veteran home-school educator, as well as an accomplished gardener, quilter, crocheter, cook, decorator and digital graphics creator. As a regular contributor to Natural News, many of Hatter's Internet publications focus on natural health and parenting. Hatter has also had publication on home improvement websites such as Redbeacon.
