Ditch The Round Tomato Cage: Do This To Give Your Plants The Support They Need

Anyone who has ever grown tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) knows that the fast-growing vines are going to need support. For many gardeners, this support comes in the form of a traditional cone tomato cage. The trouble with these is that they tend to be too small and weak to handle most tomato plants. While you could build a budget, DIY tomato cage out of stakes and nylon cord, you might be better off opting for the alternative: a square tomato cage.

The primary benefit of a square tomato cage is that it is more sturdy than a classic cone cage. They also tend to be made with more heavy-duty wire than the cone cages, and come in various heights to accommodate higher growing tomato varieties. Many square cages that are available also fold flat, making them very easy to store when the growing season is over.

One of the downsides of using a square cage, however, is that they can be a bit large. This makes square cages less than ideal for growing tomatoes in small containers or tight garden spaces, though they will work just fine for larger raised beds and especially for in-ground planted tomatoes. 

Before you go out and purchase your first square cages, it is important to know what kind of tomatoes benefit from their use. Cages don't just give the vines some much-needed support, but they also allow proper air flow between the foliage. Tomato cages also help get the leaves off the ground, as the soil is where many tomato diseases originate. However, square cages are really best used for one specific class of tomatoes: indeterminate.

Indeterminate tomatoes are popular to grow because they continually produce fruit throughout the season. This is different from determinate tomatoes, which produce a single, heavy fruiting and grow in sturdy, short, bush-like shapes. Indeterminate tomatoes, on the other hand, can grow quite tall, with their vines sometimes reaching as high as 10 feet. Most cone cages are too short to handle these taller tomatoes, making square cages the ideal choice.

If you're growing indeterminate tomatoes, make sure to find a square cage that is tall enough to accommodate the variety, and sturdy enough to hold onto vines producing a lot of fruit. As for those old tomato cages, there are tons of ways you can repurpose them, such as turning them into simple and stylish side tables for your patio or a DIY birdbath for your local population.