How to Turn Tomato Cages (Yes, Tomato Cages!) Into Cheap DIY Halloween Ghost Decorations

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These DIY Halloween ghost decorations are a little bit spooky and a little bit silly!

light up DIY Halloween ghost decorations for the yard

This year, let’s make some spooky DIY Halloween ghosts for decorations!

If you’re looking for a fun, easy, and cheap DIY Halloween decoration idea for either inside or outside the home, check out these awesome DIY tomato cage ghosts that light up at night!

It’s a brilliant idea to repurpose tomato cages in an inexpensive way, and if you are a gardener, you probably have everything already at home for this easy DIY project.

making diy tomato cage ghosts

It takes just three supplies and ten minutes to make tomato cage ghosts and the results are SO CUTE & SPOOKY! I have done this project in the past and the kids always get a kick out of it.

supplies for tomato cage ghosts

Tips for making DIY tomato cage Halloween ghost decorations:

  • To make the ghost’s eyes, I used a Sharpie marker. If you wanted to reuse the sheets and not make permanent markings, consider pinning on black felt shapes instead.
  • I have used old bedsheets for this. If you don’t have any on hand and want cheap sheets, consider looking at thrift stores, Walmart, Target, Big Lots, or other low-cost retailers for inexpensive twin white sheets. Consider securing the sheet to the cage in a couple of spots with clothespins if your area is especially windy.
  • If you don’t have any tomato cages, they can easily be found at gardening or home improvement stores. I actually scored some recently for just a few dollars each on clearance at Walmart! I like the idea of using two heights for variation.
  • You can attach a ghost head to the top like a large styrofoam ball or volleyball on the 3 points of the tomato cage. I tried it and didn’t like how it blocked the light at night. Perhaps a clear ball of some sort would be better?

adding christmas lights to a tomato cage

adding face with sharpie to tomato cage ghosts

tomato cage Halloween ghost decorations using bed sheets


Tomato Cage Halloween Ghost Decorations

Print

Directions

1

Place the cage upside down so the largest round wire circle is on the ground. You can leave the wire as is, pull it apart a little, or even go further and create a rounded shape for the edge. I just left mine as is. 

2

Wrap the Christmas lights around the tomato cage and cover it with a white sheet.

3

Place your ghosts outdoors on the porch or where desired inside and plug them in to illuminate the lights. Enjoy your new Halloween decor!


DIY halloween tomato cage ghosts

These light-up tomato cage Halloween ghosts look even better in person!

A grouping of them look so festive together, and if you have the supplies this could be a zero-spend DIY Halloween decorations creation! You can of course utilize them inside or outside if you’d like — they’re great either way!

woman making tomato cage Halloween ghost decorations

I first did this idea when my kids were younger, and they were super excited about it, and I got tons of compliments from trick-or-treaters on Halloween. I like that it adds a bit more light to the yard while also looking so GOOD!

tomato cage ghosts

Hip2Save reader Stacy was inspired and made her own! Here are her helpful tips:

I added a white balloon at the top and used white duct tape I had on hand to cover the prongs and hold it in place. I also found some fun Halloween ribbon at Dollar Tree and decided to give each of my ghosts a bow. After searching high and low for white sheets and couldn’t find anything, I ended up using white plastic tablecloths from Dollar Tree as well. I’m using LED lights so they won’t get hot and pop the balloon or melt the plastic tablecloth. 

Next year, if I do this again I’ll maybe try using a clear balloon instead if I can find one so that the whole ghost lights up but I still think this turned out pretty great!” 

Check out our BEST Halloween deals, discounts, and DIY ideas!


About the writer:

Lina has a Bachelor's Degree from Northern Arizona University with 11 years of blogging and photography experience having work featured in Today.com, Martha Stewart, Country Living, Fox News, Buzzfeed, and HGTV.


Join The Discussion

Comments 11

  1. Bigmama1271

    🥰

  2. KMM

    Cute idea! I bet you could use cheap white plastic tablecloths also to resist rainy conditions. And possibly put a balloon or ball at the top with duct tape to give a rounder head? Thanks for the idea- I think I’ll try this!

    • Lina D (Hip2Save Sidekick)

      Yes love that!! Email me a pic if you do as I’d love to see it. 💕 lina@hip2save.com

    • vicki A daley

      I was thinking Dollar Tree Shower curtains too.

  3. Kay

    If you use plastic, make sure to use LED lights as they don’t get hot.

  4. tiredday

    I need more DIY outdoor Halloween decorations!!!

  5. Brittany

    We took the Dollar Tree hanging ghosts and stuck them on garden stakes, last year. They turned out great and you can add lights. Really easy and cheap too!

    • Lina D (Hip2Save Sidekick)

      Oh how fun! Great idea!

  6. Angela

    I have my tomato cage ghost, I use a volleyball for the head!

    • Lina D (Hip2Save Sidekick)

      So fun!

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