For those of us that are a bit tight on space, I thoroughly recommend going vertical. There are a few good implements for this, none of which include the typical tomato cage sold at Home Depot and other garden centers. Those things are barely sufficient for small pepper plants. My suggestion is the ubiquitous bamboo, and concrete re-enforcing wire. While the wire material is somewhat expensive (even when purchased in bulk), it is the perfect solution, and despite being eternally rusty, it is extremely long lasting. I had the same cages outdoors in the Oregon rain for years. For those who are not partial to the rust color, you can use galvanized fencing material, although it carries a higher price tag. Bamboo though is quite cheap.

Bamboo grows like a weed around Austin and there is never a reason to spend a dime on this plant, although garden centers like to charge quite a lot for pre-prepared stakes. All you need is a hack saw and some creativity. Bamboo is a grass and the most common variety of this plant spreads outward in clumps, overwhelming any other plant in its path. Thus, your removal services are often quite welcome. It grows along many an alleyway (which is typically the City’s right-of-way and not the adjacent land owner’s) and at the edges of many parking lots. If you ask, many people would be happy for you to cut a few stalks at the base of the plant. You can also choose to don your ninja costume and go out at night for stealth bamboo mission if you are not interested in civil conversation. I completely understand both options.

There are hundreds of uses for bamboo, and in Asia there are millions of examples on non-OSHA approved construction scaffolding and even structures.

In the garden, it works extremely well for the following purposes:
• plant stakes
• pole structures for climbing plants (peas, beans, morning glory, etc.)
• structures to drape shade cloth or row cover

Check out the hundreds of uses people have come up for this incredible plant at Bamboocraft.

This year I made structures for my black eyed peas by tying 4 6-8 foot poles together at one end and inserting the bottoms in the soil in a pyramid like fashion. I put a fan style drip emitter at the base of each pole and planted the peas in a circle around each. The vines had something to climb up and were quite productive and completely hassle-free. Garden smarter, not harder, yo.

OK, back to concrete re-enforcing wire. This stuff makes great cages for tomatoes – the best in fact, and you can take that to the google. It also works quite well for most members of the cucurbit family, and we have had great success with cucumbers and many different types of melons (sometimes they do need a little support to keep from falling – panty hose works well, but old dish rags and t-shirts would do just fine also).

For most plants you can make cages with approximately 5-6 foot sections of the wire. Always be careful, as the natural tension stored in the roll can let loose and whack ya pretty hard. And getting cut with rusty metal can bring a pre-mature end to your singing career, so wear leather gloves. And you will need a wire cutter. Cut one end flush against a vertical rib and the other so the ends are sticking out. Make a cylinder and then twist the ends back around the other section to close the loop. Cut the bottom most horizontal rib off, and the cage will have its own stakes to be securely inserted in the soil for a sturdy support cage for your plants. And it will last for years.

For an early start for tomatoes, you can enclose the cylinders with plastic or floating row cover to make a grow tube. The plants grow vertically quite fast and fill in the cages. You remove the plastic when the plants get to the top or when day time temps start peaking in the mid 80′s.

Rolls of the wire are available in 50′ and 150′ sections at home improvement stores. You can also buy sections or pre-made cages much cheaper from Yard Farm Austin for about half the price. Also, check Craigslist – you never know what you might find.

I also built a 200 ft2 greenhouse using this stuff, supported with re-bar. It worked awesome and was many times cheaper than conventional houses. It didn’t stand up to a heavy snow a few years after building, but we could pop it back up and it still works fine.