Carly, you could make them, but you'd have to use heavy galvanized 3/4" mesh. Gophers bite right through the regular mesh that's used for chicken pens. They can also wiggle through the holes if they're bigger than 3/4".
I started out with Root Guard 5-gallon cages. They were about $5 each at the time, but buying them in cases of 36 brought the price down a little.
https://www.gopherbasket.com/o...
That link doesn't go to the supplier I used. It's just to show you what they look like. The local nursery I bought them from doesn't have a Web presence. They arrive flat and you have to use some brute force to shape them into round cages.
I later found a guy who made them for about $3 each. He has since disappeared, though, so it's a good thing I bought hundreds and hundreds from him. I bought so many from him that I still have a couple left. If I plant anything in cages now, I guess I'll have to go back to the Root Guard brand.
I also used some mesh wastebaskets for a few of them many years ago. They were about the same size as a 5-gallon cage and they were mesh with a mesh bottom. They cost a dollar at the Dollar Store and I wish I had bought more of them. They've held up better than the cages.
