DIY Tomato Cage Bird Bath

Last year I saw a post somewhere, possibly Pinterest, where a person used an old tomato cage to make a bird bath. I thought it would be an interesting project that would quick, yet provide another dimension to some of the other bird baths I have made. All you really need is a tomato cage and a planter saucer that that has a rim that fits into the top ring of the cage. Something to cut the cage with, and you are ready to go.

The original post I saw showed a regular green tomato cage being used. However, when I was at a local hardware store, I noticed that they had tomato cages in all kinds of colors. I found a red one that I liked as I have found that red attracts better than green. I then took the tomato cage to my local Home Depot and found a Planter saucer that fit perfectly over the 14" diameter of the top ring of the tomato cage. I was ready to begin.

These are the two pieces you need for the bird bath, a tomato cage and a planter saucer that will
 set inside of the top ring of the cage.

Here you can see that the top ring of the tomato cage fit perfectly in the rim of the planter saucer.

The next step is to cut the tomato cage down so it is more stable and not as high. I chose to use only the two top rings, and cut the third, most bottom ring off. This can be done with a hacksaw, or anything that will cut the thickness of the metal rods used to make the tomato cage. I used a small set of bolt cutters as they easily completed the job.

You want to make sure that when you cut the tomato cage, that you do so above the bottom ring so that you have the uprights between the second ring and where you cut off the third ring, to use to stick in the ground to hold the finished bird bath upright.

This shows bolt cutters being used to cut the uprights on the tomato cage just above
the third and bottom ring.

This is a close-up showing that the uprights are cut just above the bottom ring.

This is what the two pieces will look like after you have cut all three uprights. The piece on the
right is what you will use for the bird bath. The piece on the left can be discarded, or saved
and used to support a flower pot that fits into the smaller ring. 

The next step is to set the tomato cage frame in the ground pressing the bottom three uprights into the ground. Even though it can be leveled after you complete the bird bath, I found that it was easier to level the frame with a level, before placing the planter saucer on top. Even though it might look level, you won't know until you put water in it. That's why I leveled it first.

This shows the tomato cage frame being leveled before adding the planter saucer.

The completed DIY Tomato Cage Bird Bath setting in the garden.

Well there you have it. A simple DIY project that can add a little charm to your garden and provide much needed water for your birds.

Also keep in mind that there are many other ways to improvise a bird bath. One that I have found very simple is to find a nice looking, attractive pot and a planter saucer that has a rim that fits over the rim of the pot. Place the pot where you want your bird bath, place a rock inside to keep it stable, then add the planter saucer. Done in minutes and you have an attractive bird bath. 

A quick bird bath using an attractive pot and a planter saucer.

As you can see, with very little effort you can provide birds a place to get a drink or take a bath. Give it a try!

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Copyright © 2016 by John D. McCann