I found the perfect support cages for the earthbox

[desertchick]

Hi bdank,

I really love this idea too.

Do the pea fences have a hinge or joint every 12 inches? You did not have to bend it with any pliers to get it to fit into the box?

And you needed 2 fences per box for a tall tomato plant, or one set (of 2), correct?

The pea fences are bendable. When you get them they come flat. They also fold back to flat for storage. You shouldn't have to do any bending of your own. They come in sets of two. I used both of them for one earthbox. I originally used zip ties to put them together, but I have since fastened them together with cage clips. No power tools or cutting or anything like that is needed. If I can set these up, anyone can  . The things you will need to buy to make these are:

To make one 54” cage:
1 set of 2 Gurney’s pea fences
4 EarthBox Staking System Rim Clamps (they come in sets of two so buy 2 sets per cage).
4 10x24 1-3/4 inch bolts (the nuts that you need will come with the staking system clamp but the bolts that come with it are too short for this).
1 bag of zip ties or 1 bag of cage clips (depending or how you want to fasten your two cages together. Zip ties are easier the cage clamps look better) Another option for putting the cages together are wire rope clamps. But if you're making a lot of these cages, these can be expensive.

Most of the items above can be found at Lowes or Home Depot, except for the pea fences and earthbox staking clamps which must be bought online. I found the cage clamps at The Tractor Supply Store.

Thank you for all that information and for including all the links!

I looked at the tomatoville link and I am not sure what Raybo means by the following:

"Did you consider trying the cage upright, but making a one inch 90 degree bend for the 4 legs, to then fasten to the EarthBox with your clamping system? This would give you an additional 7 inches of cage height."

7 extra inches of height would be nice, but how would that work with the clamps? I can't picture it.

[writeone]

This plant is at the Disney Epcot center.

Yes; that's it. Was that the one in Central Fl? If so, it's about :45 from my home. I went there recently, but didn't get to see that.

[John]

Bdank,
That is the coolest looking tomato cage that I have seen for EarthBoxes.  Well done!!!

I second that!  Cheap, sturdy, and practical.........well done!

[movrshakr]

bdbank, you might want to leave a review on their pea cage page and mention the EB use.

[bdank]

Bdank,
That is the coolest looking tomato cage that I have seen for EarthBoxes.  Well done!!!

I second that!  Cheap, sturdy, and practical.........well done!

Well, not exactly cheap, especially since I made 20 of them! But the good news for me is I had a $100 off a order of $200 or more at Gurneys. If you get their catalog, you will receive coupons like this. But they are very practical and sturdy. I have no doubt these cages will last a lifetime. I prefer cages over staking, which is why I don't use the earthbox staking system.

[desertchick]

Hi bdank,

Thanks again for all the information, the extra pics and the links. I just ordered some pea fences from Gurney’s.

To connect them together, I thought earlier you had mentioned cage clips that you attach with pliers. Do you think the wire rope clips from Pambina are better than the cage clips?

[bdank]

Hi bdank,

Thanks again for all the information, the extra pics and the links. I just ordered some pea fences from Gurney’s.

To connect them together, I thought earlier you had mentioned cage clips that you attach with pliers. Do you think the wire rope clips from Pambina are better than the cage clips?

Yeah, I deleted that because I found out that the wire rope clips work better. The cage clamps kept sliding down on me. IMHO, It they aren't sturdy enough. If you buy the rope clips from the online place that I gave a link to they are affordable. Stores like Home Depot charge $1.00 each for them. Which can add up fast because you will need 20 per cage.

[Rockporter]

Hi bDank, I was wondering if there were some other kind of clamps I could use on the boxes instead of the ones made for the EB?

Reason is they want more for shipping than the cost of the parts, I can understand the need to charge a minimum on shipping but those parts should fit into a manila padded envelope and ship for less than $6.95.  Sad, but true and I don't need (can't have) more EB's because I have nowhere to place them so buying more to justify the shipping is out.

I have ordered the pea cages and expect them to ship out on 5/10, although I made my order on 4/26/11 and have already recieved my bird netting from the same order, leaving me a little confused about the pea fence not shipping at the same time.  Oh well, I can only hope I will get my cages before the plants get too big to add them to the EB's.  I like your design and think it will work here in my very windy area of South Texas.   

[bdank]

Hi bDank, I was wondering if there were some other kind of clamps I could use on the boxes instead of the ones made for the EB?

Reason is they want more for shipping than the cost of the parts, I can understand the need to charge a minimum on shipping but those parts should fit into a manila padded envelope and ship for less than $6.95.  Sad, but true and I don't need (can't have) more EB's because I have nowhere to place them so buying more to justify the shipping is out.

I have ordered the pea cages and expect them to ship out on 5/10, although I made my order on 4/26/11 and have already recieved my bird netting from the same order, leaving me a little confused about the pea fence not shipping at the same time.  Oh well, I can only hope I will get my cages before the plants get too big to add them to the EB's.  I like your design and think it will work here in my very windy area of South Texas.    

I'm not sure what else you could use for a clamp. Maybe someone here can give some ideas. All I can tell you is go to the hardware store and look around to see if you can find anything that might work. If you do, please let us know!  

As for the cages not shipping, contact customer service. I had some that I ordered that were on back order. I didn't realize this until I contacted customer service and asked them why they weren't here yet. The rest of mine just arrived today.

Here's an idea, if you aren't opposed to putting holes in your earthbox, maybe you could drill holes in the edge and put a zip tie through it to secure the cage. I'm a bit nervous about drilling holes in my boxes though. But this could be a much cheaper alternative for anyone who isn't afraid to try it.

Also, if you look at Raybo's post on Tomatoville, you can see where he used a tarp strap to secure this same pea fence to his homemade version of the earthbox. Maybe this can be done with an earthbox as well.

[bdank]

I spent the morning installing these cages. I thought I'd take a few more photos. I will take more photos later as the tomato plants get bigger:

[Rockdawg]

     Now you're just showing off bdank! 
Peace, Rd

[cushman350]

Unabashedly.

[bdank]

  I had to show someone what I spent all morning doing 

[cushman350]

Maybe you should ground them lightnin' rods. 

[Rockdawg]

  I had to show someone what I spent all morning doing 

     You're a great little worker Bee. mdank would probably say you were the Queen!