metal fencing for vertical growing

I do love those T-bars! Let me know when that day comes, though, and I'll send you some rampicante seed.

NO-No-NO

Stanley the crack-cucumber just about killed me. I'm way too busy these days to pick a fight with one of your super-man-eating-rampicantes.

I don't even like squash..... LOL

quiltbea wrote:Try concrete reinforcing wire from a building supply store.


I made cucumber towers with that stuff.

Quiltbea, what is the purpose of those cans in the middle of your tower?

FarmerValerie wrote:We have wire shelves for some of ours at this time, hubby brought them home when he painted a local dollar store.

Valerie, love the idea of the shelving. I am even more impressed by the stake-and-string system you've got going on in front of the shelving trellis. I've read about doing that, but never seen it done. The visual is a big help.

DIY self-watering cans, if I remember right

I will be doing the steak and string for cowpeas and peppers in a box or two this year, but never again will I put 16 tomatoes in one 4x4 box. Those things were over 8' tall last year. When I hurt my back and had to stay inside for 3 1/2 months, no one snipped the suckers nor topped them out. When I was able to get back out, I could not see inside, let alone get my hand in that jungle to get anything. It was a monstrosity. It was one of those things where the wife tells the husband, honey this is what I need, and he says "we still have plenty of time", and then one day he says stick those things in the ground, anywhere, they are dying. I had run out of boxes and posts for supports, and had to stick the tomatoes he bought in right then and there.

This year I have stayed on him about boxes, dirt, and supplies, I don't care if it becomes nagging, I'm tired and I'm too young to be old, but too old to be young, I'm tired of feeling like the Little Red Hen who just wanted to make some bread for her kids. Speaking of which, this is a GREAT book to read to little ones during gardening season, about how no one helped her but everyone wanted some bread. It's a good way to get them involved.

FarmerValerie wrote:I will be doing the steak and string for cowpeas and peppers in a box or two this year, but never again will I put 16 tomatoes in one 4x4 box. Those things were over 8' tall last year. When I hurt my back and had to stay inside for 3 1/2 months, no one snipped the suckers nor topped them out. When I was able to get back out, I could not see inside, let alone get my hand in that jungle to get anything. It was a monstrosity.

LoL... I was afraid to comment about them all being tomatoes. It looks like a great system for trussing up lower-growing plants, though. I may have to steal it for peppers and bush beans. I do hope your back is better!

Thanks, the back pain comes and goes, which is why I have my 14yo son busting his behind right now before it gets too hot getting all my ducks in a row so all we have to do is maintain.

I think Mel mentioned in his first book about some taller plants, like peppers, needing support and suggested the string-and-steak method. I read somewhere about someone doing their tomatoes that way, and they ad success, but then they were able to top them out, I was not, I do not recommend it. But for peppers and southern peas, the string-and-steak can be a real plant saver, they get a bit tall, and one good wind or one stray football, can knock them down.

I bought some cutshort bush bean seed for this year... I may have to get an extra bundle of stakes (or cut up some of my bamboo poles) to try that out. Thanks again!

We just moved in October and I'm getting ready to move all my boxes and stuff. I too was wondering about the cattle panelling. It seems that it would make a great trellis, better and easier than nylon. The netting I've bought falls apart and it's too time consuming to make my own nets.

All three of my nylon nets lasted through last year and the winter, and I was very happy with them during the growing season. It's a pain pulling off dried bits and pieces of vine in fall, though. I am probably going to re-use them, however. I'm interested in a cattle or hog panel to make an arbor, but I don't want to have to duck to get under it.

doc_jh wrote:We just moved in October and I'm getting ready to move all my boxes and stuff. I too was wondering about the cattle panelling. It seems that it would make a great trellis, better and easier than nylon. The netting I've bought falls apart and it's too time consuming to make my own nets.

Everybody speaks well of the cattle panels. I haven't used them.

I am very happy with the concrete re-enforcing wire panels available from Lowes and HD and concrete accessory suppliers. They come in different sizes; can be rolled for transport if you get a 20 footer; are easy to cut for other uses. They are not galvanized, and quickly acquire that rusty metal look.

Yep ...the CRM is a much more cost effective option ..IMHO

The 4/4 10/10 (4" square mesh, 10 gauge wire in both directions) or 6/6 10/10 is really all you need, unless yr doing pumpkins or watermelons. The heavier stuff like 6/6 4/4 is probably suitable for everything up to ....... Volkswagons

doc_jh wrote:We just moved in October and I'm getting ready to move all my boxes and stuff. I too was wondering about the cattle panelling. It seems that it would make a great trellis, better and easier than nylon. The netting I've bought falls apart and it's too time consuming to make my own nets.

The ones I got last year fell apart in the middle of the summer. The ones I got after that have held up through the fall and winter...the real test will be if they make it through the summer. If not, I will be looking into something else.