Tomato Cage Alternative: Cattle Panels

Cattle Panels or Hog Panels

It only takes one season of traditional tomato cages bending in half, tipping over, and basically not doing THEIR ONE JOB to put the tomato grower on the search for a better tomato cage.

My personal solution is the cattle panel, or hog panel. These are galvanized steel panels that are available in different lengths and grid sizes. See them in the Clever Shovel garden in this video here.

Why I love them:

• Sturdy. I’ve never had these bend unless I was trying to make them bend.

• Long Lasting. I’ve had mine for 10 years and they are not showing any signs of wearing out.

• Customizable. With a pair of bolt cutters, zip ties, and some measuring, you can pretty much cut them to any size or configuration you need.

• Easy Storage. They store flat. Traditional tomato cages always somehow turn into a giant tangled mess.

• Actually do their job.

To get started you’ll need:

• Cattle or hog panels. These can purchased at local building or ranch material suppliers. I personally sourced my materials at Montopolis Supply in Austin, but I know a lot of folks have found what they needed at their local Tractor Supply Company.

• Sketch out measurements for your plan. You’ll want to know exactly how many panels you’ll need. Panels are usually 4 feet tall by 8 or 16 feet long. If you don’t have a truck or trailer big enough to bring them home you may end up making some cuts at the store, so you’ll want to know ahead of time what size to cut them.

• Ground stakes. You’ll need some way to secure the panels in an upright position, and this is most often done by securing it to a stake in the ground.. Depending on your situation, T-Posts or rebar should work.

• Zip ties or wire. Some way to secure the panel to the ground stake. And, if you are doing extra customization – perhaps creating cages for individual tomatoes – then these fasteners will do the trick

• Bolt cutters. This is heavy duty metal, so regular wire cutters aren’t going to work here

To Install:

• Cut the panel to the desired length. Pro-tip: If you cut around the bottom grids, you can make individual little 'posts' at the bottom that will insert into the ground for extra stability. Note - these cuts will leave sharp metal ends, so be careful.

• Drive ground stakes into the soil. Make sure they are really in there. They need to stand up to wind and weight for an entire season.

• Secure the panel to the ground stakes. Zip ties are my preference, but wire works too.

That's it! As the season goes on, you'll want to tie back or add additional support as needed. I do this with old pantyhose. Works like a charm, and is re-usable year after year.