make it yourself

Tomato Cage Trees

Three lit cone trees at different heights, built from upside-down tomato cages and a string of lights each. About eighteen dollars a tree, an evening for the set, and they store flat.

• $54 ish
• 2 hrs start to finish
• total beginner
• 4' tall when done

grab this stuff

What you need

• 3× Wire tomato cages, assorted heights $18
• 3× Warm white LED mini light string, 100 ct $30
• Black zip ties and a roll of florist wire $6
• 6× Tent pegs or long ground staples you have these
• All in $54

Tools, and that is it

• Pliers or wire cutters
• Gloves. Cut cage wire is sharp and it is all at shin height

here we go

How to make it

1. Turn the cage upside down

   A tomato cage is already a cone, it is just the wrong way up. Invert it so the three legs point at the sky, gather them together at the top and twist them into a point with florist wire. That is the tree.

   oops-proofing

   Bind all three legs at once rather than two and then the third. Do them in pairs and the point ends up off centre, which you will not notice until it is lit and leaning in the dark.

2. Buy different heights on purpose

   Cages come in a few sizes and this theme is about repetition at different scales, so get a mix. If your store only stocks one size, cut the legs on one of them by six inches before you bind the top and you have a shorter tree.

   oops-proofing

   Three identical trees evenly spaced is the classic mistake this whole theme is built to avoid. Vary the height, then vary the distance from the sidewalk as well, so no two are the same size AND the same depth.

3. Wrap downward, and count the rings

   Start at the point and spiral down, keeping the string tight against the wire. A tomato cage has three or four horizontal rings; aim for the same number of passes between each pair of rings on every tree so the set matches.

   oops-proofing

   Keep the lights hard against the frame. Wrapped loose they hang into the middle and the tree reads as a glowing blob rather than as a shape with an outline. The silhouette is the whole thing.

4. Match the white to everything else

   Warm or cool, pick the one the rest of your yard uses and buy all three strings the same. Check the box rather than trusting the picture.

   oops-proofing

   Warm white next to cool white reads as a mistake rather than as a choice, and it is the most common thing that makes a home display look accidental. If you already have lights up, take one outside and hold it against them.

5. Peg them down

   Two tent pegs through the bottom ring on opposite sides of each tree. A wire cone weighs almost nothing and has the wind profile of a kite.

6. Stand them as a stand, not a row

   Cluster them at different distances from the sidewalk with the tallest furthest back, and leave one slightly apart from the other two. A wood is uneven. A row of cones at equal spacing is a fence.

where it goes

Layouts this one lives in

Same build, any yard shape. Here is where it lands.

• → Christmas Tree Forest on a Wide Shallow, No Porch One idea, repeated. Trees at four or five different heights scattered at different depths, so the yard reads as a small wood rather than as a row of decorations. The easiest theme to get right and the easiest one to line up like fence posts by mistake.
• → Christmas Tree Forest on a Narrow Shallow with Porch One idea, repeated. Trees at four or five different heights scattered at different depths, so the yard reads as a small wood rather than as a row of decorations. The easiest theme to get right and the easiest one to line up like fence posts by mistake.
• → Christmas Tree Forest on a L-Shaped with Projecting Garage One idea, repeated. Trees at four or five different heights scattered at different depths, so the yard reads as a small wood rather than as a row of decorations. The easiest theme to get right and the easiest one to line up like fence posts by mistake.
• → Christmas Tree Forest on a Deep Narrow One idea, repeated. Trees at four or five different heights scattered at different depths, so the yard reads as a small wood rather than as a row of decorations. The easiest theme to get right and the easiest one to line up like fence posts by mistake.
• → Christmas Tree Forest on a Corner Lot One idea, repeated. Trees at four or five different heights scattered at different depths, so the yard reads as a small wood rather than as a row of decorations. The easiest theme to get right and the easiest one to line up like fence posts by mistake.
• → Christmas Tree Forest on a Split-Level or Raised Ranch One idea, repeated. Trees at four or five different heights scattered at different depths, so the yard reads as a small wood rather than as a row of decorations. The easiest theme to get right and the easiest one to line up like fence posts by mistake.
• → Christmas Tree Forest on a Sloped or Terraced One idea, repeated. Trees at four or five different heights scattered at different depths, so the yard reads as a small wood rather than as a row of decorations. The easiest theme to get right and the easiest one to line up like fence posts by mistake.
• → Christmas Tree Forest on a Small Urban Postage Stamp One idea, repeated. Trees at four or five different heights scattered at different depths, so the yard reads as a small wood rather than as a row of decorations. The easiest theme to get right and the easiest one to line up like fence posts by mistake.
• → Christmas Tree Forest on a Circular Driveway One idea, repeated. Trees at four or five different heights scattered at different depths, so the yard reads as a small wood rather than as a row of decorations. The easiest theme to get right and the easiest one to line up like fence posts by mistake.
• → Christmas Tree Forest on a Long Driveway, Rural Frontage One idea, repeated. Trees at four or five different heights scattered at different depths, so the yard reads as a small wood rather than as a row of decorations. The easiest theme to get right and the easiest one to line up like fence posts by mistake.