Was watching a YouTube video on growing tomatoes and they suggested an alternative for 'mater cages. Went to Lowes and picked up two sheets of concrete remesh. The "official" use of these is to reinforce poured concrete slabs - sort of a grid of small size rebar.
Cut them in half and this yields four cages 3.5' tall and 2 1/4' in diameter. The remesh is a lot stronger than the cages and will support a fully laden plant. You use two T-Posts to hold them up. Total cost is $5 per cage (I already have lots of T-Posts) compared to $5 for a flimsy tomato cage. Win/Win
Also picked up a couple of landscape timbers to set under the 5-gallon buckets so they drain well.
Dinner was good - this place has a Mongolian Grill as well as the usual buffet items so it's a really good deal for the money. Nice people too.
Did not stop for a beer - been spending too much $$$ on this habit. Got some cans in the kitchen fridge that are just as tasty and cold.
Been doing this for years. Use an angle grinder with a cutting wheel to make fast work of cutting the mesh to size. I spend a little extra time cleaning the cuts to keep from snags or cuts when working around them. Went from wire to uv-resistant zip ties for the same reason. You have to refresh them every few years, but nothing is worse than slashing your hand open on a rusty wire at harvest time.
They're remarkably light for their size, so stakes are a must. Great for cucumbers too.