Shortage of Tomato Cages
 

Has anyone here tried to buy tomato cages this spring?

I thought I'd purchase a few more Burpee XL Pro cages for this season, but evidently the Covid situation has created a shortage of the materials needed to make them. I looked at several sellers of tomato cages, and find that all the better ones (i.e. Made in the USA) cages are unavailable -- even at Texas Tomato Cages. I wouldn't think that Galvanized steel rod would be an issue, but evidently it is. Sounds like the steel shortage is not going away anytime soon.

I've noticed around here that there are tomato cages available but not in the quantities of previous years. Bought some last minute last year and paid 2x but they're sturdier. Haven't looked at what's in the stores this year. Still can't get lids either. Have to buy flats of jars here to get lids.

If anyone is interested -- I got an email from Burpee that the (green) XL Pro cages are back in stock. That was quick!

[QUOTE=Greatgardens;763737]Has anyone here tried to buy tomato cages this spring?

I thought I'd purchase a few more Burpee XL Pro cages for this season, but evidently the Covid situation has created a shortage of the materials needed to make them. I looked at several sellers of tomato cages, and find that all the better ones (i.e. Made in the USA) cages are unavailable -- even at Texas Tomato Cages. I wouldn't think that Galvanized steel rod would be an issue, but evidently it is. Sounds like the steel shortage is not going away anytime soon.[/QUOTE]


You can buy the concrete reinforcing wire at Lowe's or your local lumber yard. Makes great cages. Makes 23 per roll if you make the wide ones ( 2 feet diameter I think). I think the big box stores charge 125-150 per roll but I got a roll for 95 dollars at the local lumber yard. Looked liked it had been sitting there for 20 years. Had paint spilled on some of the rolls. I don't think it is used much in concrete anymore with rebar being used. I knew some who have used them for more than 20 years.

I am with seaeagle, the big box stores, Lowes, Home Depot and Menards are have rolls of CRW in stock. My cages are sixteen years old and well paid for by now. There are some cages we left behind in Iowa when we moved here to Nebraska that would be twenty-five years old that would be in use depending on what the purchaser of the old house did with them.

Those square cages and the round metal cages sold at hardware stores would be good pepper cages, like mentioned are hard to find.