Tomato cage Christmas Tree

Turning a simple tomato cage into a gorgeous, lighted Christmas tree is such a fun way to decorate your porch, entryway, or even your craft room. This version uses deco mesh curls to create a full, fluffy tree that looks amazing day or night. In this tutorial, I’ll walk you through exactly how I made my tomato cage Christmas tree, step by step, using about six rolls of mesh and some basic supplies you can grab from Amazon, Walmart, Target, or your local craft store.

Supplies You’ll Need

Base & Structure

• 1 tomato cage (around 33″ tall – mine came from Amazon)
• Floral wire (about 30 inches or more)
• Rubber band
• Zip ties (lots!)
• Wire coat hangers (2–3, or more if needed)
• Pipe cleaners (green is great for blending, sparkly if you like)

Lights & Mesh

• 1–2 boxes of 100-count mini lights (or more if you want it very bright)
• 6 rolls of 10″ deco mesh (green for a traditional Christmas tree look; mine was a deco poly mesh with foil)

Bow & Topper

• Assorted 1.5″ and 2.5″ Christmas ribbons
• Bow maker (like the EZ Bow Maker) or you can hand-tie a bow
• 26-gauge floral wire
• Optional: ornaments, picks, sprays, angel topper, or other decorations

Step 1: Prepare the Tomato Cage “Tree”

Start by flipping your tomato cage so the wide ring is at the bottom and the prongs are pointing up. These prongs will become the top of your Christmas tree.

1. Gather the three “legs” at the top of the tomato cage together.
2. Secure them with a rubber band first to hold everything in place.
3. Wrap floral wire tightly around the gathered top, right over the rubber band. This gives you a strong point to attach your bow or topper later.
4. Make sure everything at the top is snug and secure so it won’t pop loose when you start adding mesh.

Step 2: Add the Lights First

Always add lights before the mesh. It’s almost impossible to weave lights in nicely once the tree is full.

1. Plug in your string lights to find the plug end.
2. Position the plug end at the bottom of the cage so it’ll reach your outlet.
3. Starting near the base, use zip ties to attach the light strand to one of the vertical bars of the tomato cage.
4. Leave a little slack at the bottom so the plug moves easily, then begin wrapping the lights around the cage, spiraling upward.
5. Every so often, zip tie the strand to the cage to keep it secure. Aim for:
   • One zip tie near the bottom
   • One in the middle
   • One at each junction or crossbar
6. Clip off the tails of your zip ties (being careful not to snip the light wires!).

Work your way up until you’ve covered the whole frame. If you’re using two strands, plug them together as you go and keep spiraling upward.

Step 3: Add Support Rings with Wire Hangers

Most tomato cages have large open spaces between the rings. Deco mesh curls can’t always span those gaps on their own, so we’ll create extra “levels” for attaching mesh.

1. Take a wire coat hanger and bend it into a rough circle or arc. It doesn’t have to be perfect; it’s just a support.
2. Position the wire circle halfway between two levels of the cage.
3. Use zip ties to secure the hanger to each vertical bar of the tomato cage, forming a new “ring.”
4. Pull the zip ties as tight as you can without bending the wire too badly.
5. Push the heads of the zip ties toward the inside or back so they don’t poke out.

Repeat this process to add one or two extra support rings wherever there’s a big gap. You won’t see these once the tree is covered, but they make a huge difference in fullness.

Tip: You can use pipe cleaners instead of wire hangers, but the hangers are sturdier and last longer, especially for outdoor Christmas decor.

Step 4: Cut the Mesh into 10″ Pieces

Now it’s time to prep the deco mesh curls that will create that full Christmas tree shape.

1. Unroll your 10″ deco mesh.
2. Cut it into 10″ lengths all the way down the roll.
3. Repeat with each roll. For my tree, I ended up using about six rolls of mesh.

You’ll need a lot of curls, especially for the bottom row, so it’s easier to cut everything at once.

Step 5: Make Deco Mesh Curl Bundles

We’re going to bundle curls in groups of three.

1. Take one 10″ piece of mesh and let it curl in the direction it naturally wants to go.
2. Roll it into a loose curl and pinch it in the center.
3. Hold it between your fingers (or use a clip or bow maker to help if your hands get tired).
4. Repeat with two more pieces of mesh, stacking them in your hand so you have three curls together.
5. Wrap a half-length pipe cleaner around the center of all three curls and twist tightly.

This trio is one curl bundle. Make lots of these! You’ll need a dense row around the bottom, then fewer as you move up the tree.

Step 6: Attach Curl Bundles to the Bottom Row

Now we’ll start building the tree.

1. Begin at the bottom ring of the tomato cage.
2. Place a curl bundle against the ring with the curls pointing up and down (vertical), not sideways. This helps them fill the height between levels.
3. Use the pipe cleaner ends to twist the bundle tightly around the ring.
4. Fold the pipe cleaner ends inward so they don’t scratch you.
5. Place the next bundle right next to the first one, working all the way around the base so there are no gaps.

As you go, gently make sure the lights on the bottom row are pointing up rather than down so they don’t get stepped on or crushed.

Step 7: Work Your Way Up the Tree

Repeat the same process for each level:

1. Move to the next ring (or wire hanger support you added).
2. Tie the bundles on in the same up-and-down direction so the curls reach toward the level above.
3. On the level where you added a wire hanger, you’ll notice the curls from below reach up to meet the next row. This allows you to skip one ring in some spots and still keep everything looking nice and full.
4. Continue working your way up, row by row, until you reach the top section.

By the time you’re near the top, you’ll probably be using fewer bundles per row, but still enough to keep the tree full.

Step 8: Finish the Top Section

At the very top, you may not have a full ring to tie to, so we’ll create something to attach the last curls to.

1. Wrap a pipe cleaner around the top bars of the cage where you want the curls to sit.
2. Attach your last few curl bundles to those pipe cleaners so they cover any remaining exposed wire and come right up under the gathered top.

When you’re finished, you should have a full, fluffy deco mesh Christmas tree shape from bottom to top.

Step 9: Add a Bow and Decorative Topper

Now for the fun part: decorating!

1. Use your bow maker (like the EZ Bow Maker) or hand-tie a large, multi-ribbon bow with several 1.5″ and 2.5″ Christmas ribbons.
2. Attach the bow to the wired top of the tomato cage using the bow’s wires.
3. Fluff all your loops and arrange the tails so they cascade down the tree.
4. Optional extras:
   • Add long ribbon streamers and secure them in a few spots down the tree for movement and color.
   • Glue or wire in ornaments and picks throughout the tree.
   • Place an angel, star, or decorative figure at the very top for a traditional Christmas tree look.

Plug in your lights, turn off the room lights, and enjoy your glowing tomato cage Christmas tree!