Trellises

I built some trellises yesterday. The first is to go over the path and have runner beans climbing up it. I'm not sure it is sturdy enough. The issue is two fold. The first is connecting the bamboo together. I can't use screws as the bamboo is too small. Though I could for the big ones if I could find a long and thin bolt (I'll have to look for it next time I'm at the store). You don't want to put too large of a hole through the bamboo as bamboo has a tendency to split. It is not as sturdy as wood. I tried to use my hemp twine to connect it. I made the twine wet. I assumed this would stretch out the fibers and if I pulled really tightly when they dried it would be very tight. But did you know that hemp doesn't stretch much when it is wet? In fact if anything the fibers are looser than before. Hmm. It could be is that all I need to do is use a lot of hemp. I'll see.

The second issue is attaching it to the ground. I figured I'd be able to pound it in enough to keep it from moving. Not so. The ground under where the feet go is close to the brick path. These paths are made to go out about 6-12" to the side so the paths don't degrade. I know this when I dig in the garden and leave that part alone. But it is filled with a material that I can't get through with the bamboo either. It stops dead at the level of the fill. Good for the path, bad to pound in bamboo. I could probably attach the bamboo to the bed itself. It wouldn't be hard. But that isn't the side I'm worried about. That side will have beans growing up it and the beans will be firmly attached to the ground. I've never had a bean trellis fly away from me. However the other side just has onions. There will be no plants holding it down. And that side is brick and not mortared in brick or anything but just a couple bricks piled on one another to make the bed. I'm wondering if it is possible to pound in some rebar and attach the legs to the rebar.

Lets just say my trellis isn't ready for prime time yet.

The next trellises that I built were easy to make as I've done them so many times in the past. Notice how I kept the path end a foot away so I could get the poles a foot into the ground. I'll run string or netting (depending on the crop). The closest two will be for my cucumbers and melons. The back one will be beans (one of many bean trellises that will be built) and the empty spot in that bed is for my zucchini. I'd been chitting some early zucchinis inside. One had started to germinate already so I planted that one. I have room for four zucchinis. I figured two would be early and two would be a bit later when it warms up a bit more.

I've got a lot of planting to do over the next couple of weeks. I need to get my corn and some of the beans in soon. Some will wait for the spinach to be harvested. I have so many varieties of beans that I have to organize and figure out what goes in where. But just getting a list of all the varieties I have would be a good start.