Tomato plants tend to sprawl as they grow. That's why gardeners often surround them with metal cages that force them to get vertical instead of horizontal.

You can buy tomato cages at garden centers, but many are too spindly to support a generous crop. You can make a sturdy version yourself in 10 minutes.

Dale Groom, the Texas AgriLife Extension Service horticulturist for Dallas County, has a method for building homemade cages that he has used for decades. His cages control the tomato plants' sprawl because they are placed over the plants before they get big.

Another benefit of using cages for your tomatoes is that by growing tomatoes vertically, you can pack more plants into a smaller garden bed than you can by letting them sprawl. Mr. Groom says you can place his model 3 feet apart.

And with three or four plants, you could provide a family of four enough tomatoes to last all summer.

Supplies

•Concrete reinforcing wire*

•Pliers, wire cutters, bolt cutters or an angle grinder to cut the wire

•Two friends or heavy objects to hold down the wire

•Tape measure

•Leather work gloves

*Buy concrete reinforcing wire at building supply stores or at lumber yards in 50- or 100-foot lengths. Buy the 5-foot-wide size with 6-by-6-inch or 5-by-5-inch squares (so that you can reach your hand into the cage to pick the tomatoes).

Build your own tomato cage

1. Wearing work gloves, unroll the wire part way and have friends or a friendly rock or two hold down the springy wire.

2. Measure off a 5-foot length. Cut it off from the rest of the roll using pliers or other tools. Cut through the middle of each square.

3. Stand up the segment you have cut off on end. It will tend to curl together.

4. Tie the cage together by twisting each strand of severed wire over the wire opposite it. Use thumb or pliers to twist the strands into place.

5. Place the cage over your tomato plants. Pat yourself on the back for a job done well – and in only 10 minutes.

You can add refinements to make sure the cage stays in place during high wind or under the weight of a bountiful crop. Mr. Groom cuts off the bottom rung of wire, which leaves wire ends that stick into the ground to stabilize the cage. Or, you can thread wooden stakes at an angle over the bottom wire and pound them into the soil on four sides.