our tomato arbor

July 25, 2013


tomato cagetomato cagetomato cagetomato cagetomato cagetomato cagetomato cage Normally, we use t-post and twine to string up our tomatoes as they grow, but this year Ben wanted to try something different, so he used hog fencing that would create an arbor over our garden beds. Buying it new would have been costly, but thankfully we live near a lot of farms, so he was able to find some on craigslist locally. They even delivered it to our house!

We used 16′ x 3′ hog fencing and 3′ concrete stakes (4 per arch). The hog wire was kind of bent in odd spots when they first arrived, so we used the garden beds as a wedge to fix the shape of them (see the picture above where the arches are not lined up yet and look staggered). Then, we centered the short edge of each fencing down the middle of each bed, and used 2 stakes on each side to secure it into the soil. We were able to put 3 arches into each garden bed (our garden beds are 9′ long). It definitely takes two people to get the fencing in; I held the fence in place and was singing the “John Henry” song as Ben hammered in the stakes.

We love the effect the arbor gives and as our tomatoes continue growing, it’s just looking prettier and prettier. The girls also have a lot of fun running underneath it. I love it so much that I just want to keep it up after our summer garden, but Ben’s not sure how well it would work with our winter garden, since he likes to cover it up. We’ll see, maybe we can figure a way to utilize the frame for a makeshift greenhouse, but for now, we will keep enjoying our tomato arbor.

19 comments on “our tomato arbor”

  • Lisa says:

    wow it will look amazing when they are in fullbloom… cannot wait for tomato season on my side of the world x

  • I love the look & feel that it gives to this space! It makes me want to start my own garden again.

    Chase Miller
    The Smell of Summer – A Boutique Lifestyle Blog

  • functional & beautiful!

  • Julie says:

    That’s so cool looking! Very creative–love it!

  • Suzi says:

    So awesome! I’m inspired…

  • Oh that is so cool! It’s going to look beautiful when it’s finished!

    xo Lisa
    Making Life’s Lemons

  • jo says:

    clever, clever, clever. i’m doing it at my place this year.
    jo

  • becky says:

    i might have to copy this. my heirlooms went tall and skinny this year (8+ feet so far – probably because I de-sucker them) and the tomatillos are easily twelve feet (i let them start to double over when they hit the top of their stakes). i love this solution!

  • natalie says:

    that piano is beautiful! beautiful! it looks like your hard work and researching really paid off. excited for your girls to play.

  • Ashley says:

    Wow! you’re going to have some amazing produce soon! I wish I hard a yard so I could have a big garden!

  • Anna Z says:

    This looks so great and will look even more so once the tomatoes grow over it. How cool!

  • Canadian Gardener says:

    What a perfect idea. I absolutely love it. I will be doing that this year. I have a two 9 x 4 Gardens side by side the base is cinder block so they last longer. I am thinking I can cover this in the winter and use it as a green house to condition my spring plants for colder temperatures. I think I will attempt only to do a 3 ft section one side tomatoes the other side cucumbers. & Beans. So excited, wish the snow would melt quicker. Thanks for sharing your idea with pictures!!!

  • North Idaho Gardener says:

    I love that this can double as a spring greenhouse and vegetable trellis. Now that you have had it a couple seasons, have you made changes/improvements to it? Thanks for sharing it

  • Christine says:

    Hello! I came in via Pinterest.
    I thought this arbor idea I had was so original until I started looking for ideas on how to secure my cattle fencing. And wow! Lots have done it before me.
    Your posts seem the most sensible and something I can handle myself. You say “concrete posts” but what actually are they?
    Also, do you happen to know how far apart the ends of your panels are, garden to garden? I need to accommodate Japanese maples and their potential height. My shade trees came down in a tornado.
    Thanks so much for the info!

  • mark says:

    This looks so great and will look even more so once the tomatoes grow over it. It’s cool

  • I love the way this seems, and I’m sure it will look much better when the vegetables bloom over it! How amazing is it!

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