If you’re looking for a Halloween decoration that’s equal parts spooky and budget-friendly, tomato cage ghosts are the perfect DIY. They’re lightweight, weather-friendly, and can be customized with hats, lights, buckets and other accessories. Plus, most of the supplies can be found at your local dollar store or craft shop—meaning you’ll have a whole ghostly crew haunting your yard in no time!

🛠 Supplies You’ll Need:

• Tomato cages
• Styrofoam ball halves
• White plastic tablecloths
• Black felt
• Scissors
• Hot glue or craft glue
• Witch hats
• Pumpkin treat buckets
• Zip ties
• Pool noodles
• Spray paint
• Painters tape
• Twinkle lights
• Rubber bands
• Push pins

👉 Click here to grab all the supplies in one place

👻 Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Build Your Ghost Base

Flip your tomato cage upside down so the pointed ends face up. Secure them together with a rubber band —this creates the ghost “head” structure.

Step 2: Add the Head

Attach a Styrofoam half-ball on top for a round head shape. Just push the foam directly onto the pointed ends. It should be nice and sturdy. I kept the plastic wrapper on to limit the mess.

Step 3: Shape the Body

Attach a pool noodle to the middle section of the cage using zip ties to form the ghosts arms. You may want to make the noodle shorter and can do so using a serrated knife.

Step 4: Drape the Ghost

Layer white plastic tablecloths over the cage. Let them drape naturally to mimic a floating ghost. Secure in place with glue or zip ties if needed.

Step 5: Add the Face

Cut eyes out of black felt and glue them to the “head.”

Step 6: Customize

Top with a cute witch hats and spray paint pumpkin buckets if you want different colors (use painter’s tape to keep the paint off the handles). Place twinkle lights inside the cage or under the tablecloth for an eerie nighttime glow.

Step 7: Display

Line them up on your porch, scatter them across the yard, or create a whole ghost family!

✨ And there you have it—easy DIY tomato cage ghosts that’ll have the neighborhood talking!