How to Make an Easy DIY Tomato Cage Christmas Tree

Transform your Christmas decor with a festive touch! Learn how to make a DIY tomato cage Christmas tree – a creative and affordable way to add charm to your home this holiday season.

Christmas decor can be so expensive! I’m saving money this year with a couple of DIY tomato cage Christmas trees. One of them will go on our front porch and I will make another for our front yard.

tomato cage Christmas tree

You’ve probably come across lots of ideas to make your own Christmas tree. This tree is my version using natural elements, leftover scrap fabric, and a store-bought tomato cage. I couldn’t find a large one left over from our summer vegetable gardens. Maybe my hubby hid them from me!

Let’s go over the supplies you will need to make your own tomato cage tree. Some of these supplies I already had on hand. Like the cypress trees! We have a row of 15 Leyland Cypress trees in our backyard. I had plenty of fresh greenery to clip my own. 

If you don’t have cypress trees in your yard, Consider asking a friend or neighbor who does. You could make them a tomato cage tree in exchange. Or better yet, make the trees together!

I also had some of the other supplies on hand like the heavy burlap leftover from an antique settee reupholstery project as well as the braided jute trim. The fabric scraps were from previous projects as well.

If you don’t have similar supplies, I encourage you to get creative. Go to your local thrift store and hunt out parts and pieces you could use. Faux greenery, linens, and ribbons can be found at most thrift stores.

DIY Christmas tree outdoor decor

A tomato cage Christmas tree is perfect for the outdoors. Use it on your front porch, near your back door or even make 2-3 and group them together in your front yard!

step-by-step instructions

1. Gather your supplies. I worked on my tomato cage Christmas tree in my outdoor workshop because I knew it would be a little messy.
2. Invert the tomato cage and gather the three long heavy wires of the upside-down tomato cage with one hand. Use a heavy-duty zip tie to secure the three wires together to form the top of the tree. Tighten the zip tie securely to hold the wires together.
3. Attach fresh greenery to the wire tomato cage frame using small to medium-sized zip ties. You could also use heavy-duty twist ties to hold the branches on. Secure the branches in the areas where they come into contact with the wire tomato cage.
4. Move around the frame adding more branches to cover the tomato cage to the desired look. My tree is a bit sparse because that is the look I wanted. Fill your tree to your liking!
5. Cut the fabric scraps into strips approximately 3″ by 18″- 20″. Tie them into a knot or bows around the tree. This will help to hide any bare spaces left from the previous step. Add as many bows and tied fabric ribbons as you like!
6. Cut long strips of heavy burlap and then fray the edges. Attach the burlap to the top of the tree by poking a hole in one end and sticking it onto one of the wires sticking out from the top. Add several pieces of burlap hanging vertically down to the bottom of the tree to fill out any areas that need it.
7. Add a tree topper of your choice! (more on my star tree topper later in this post)

additional DIY xmas tree ideas

Now let’s think about some additional ideas to use on your own tree. 

• add a string of Christmas lights to your tree using as many string lights as you like
• use deco mesh ribbon in place of the fabric ribbons choosing colors to match your style of holiday decoration (a pipe cleaner will be a great way to secure the mesh ribbon onto the tree)
• create a traditional look by adding colorful lights to your tree
• use green garland you found while out thrift shopping by wrapping the garland around the wire tomato cage to create the desired fullness
• add a pine scent by sprinkling some pine essential oils onto the branches of your tree
• make dried orange slices and add to your tree for a rustic look!
• add handmade pine cone ornaments for additional farmhouse-style ornaments.

one more tomato cage tree idea!

Here is another idea that just popped into my head. I like the idea so much that I will probably make one in the future!

YouTube video with full details

I recorded a video of this whole DIY project just for you! I would love it if you subscribed to my YouTube channel if you enjoy this kind of project. I share step-by-step tutorials here on my blog as well as over on YouTube!

Tap the image to watch the full tutorial!

diy Christmas tree topper

Now for the tree topper! You can use whatever tree topper you like. In fact, you could make one over that you find at a thrift store. If you do, share your idea with me! I want to hear about it!

The Christmas tree topper I made came to me in the middle of the night. You know all about those kind of ideas, don’t you??

• I grabbed a wire hanger from the dry cleaners and bent it into a four-pointed star. Then I covered it with jute braided twine that I use for trim on upholstery projects. Hot glue and E6000 worked perfectly together to secure the trim onto the wire hanger. 
• For the next step, I hot glued dried cotton bolls onto the trim. Yep, those are my homegrown cotton bolls! Last year I exercised my green thumb and planted some cotton seeds! I’m excited to plant them again next year and do even more with the gorgeous cotton bolls!
• Anyway, back to the project. The jute trim was a good base to glue on. I also used my glue gun to attach painted pine cone flowers to fill in the empty spaces. 

The hanging part of the clothes hanger was the perfect way to hang the DIY star topper on the tree. This DIY tree topper helped to add to the natural and rustic feel to my tree!

thanks for being here!

I hope you are enjoying this project! Let me know if you have any questions. Or leave me a comment to tell me about your project and ideas!

thanks, Cindy 😀

Tap here to comment!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! Even if you are on a tight Christmas decorating budget, this real Christmas tree could be your solution. If you have any questions about this project, feel free to ask in the comments below. I would love to hear from you!

Happy decorating!