It's time ~ the garden goes from hobby to necessity

**Spirit Deer** · 03-27-2012, 12:19 PM

A note of advice, which is worth more than you're paying for it

:

We put up our trellises last year right next to the side of the garden bed. See first pic. What we found was it proved difficult and uncomfortable to harvest the crops by leaning over the bed in front of the trellises. As you can see in the second pic, we have now moved the trellises away from the back edge of the bed by about six inches. This will give us room to plant peas and beans next to the bricks, and also harvest without any leaning or bending. It shouldn't make any difference as far as sunlight and growth, but it should be much easier to tend those crops this year.

**Russ** · 03-27-2012, 12:25 PM

Originally Posted by Spirit Deer

A note of advice, which is worth more than you're paying for it

:

Experience is priceless.

**freebs** · 03-30-2012, 08:56 AM

I also use cattle panels for trelles. I have 3 16 feet panels installed to use for cucumbers and green beans. We leave it up all year round.

Russ i do like that pvc structure tho! I wonder how well that would work for cantalope and watermelon. It would be awesome for climbing beans too!

**Birdie** · 03-30-2012, 10:48 AM

Fore trellising in my raised beds, I use the sheets of concrete reinforcing wire and zip tie them to stakes that I pound into the beds. The sheets are about 4' x 7'.

I use the same sheets as tomato cages. I ziptie the shorter ends together in 3 places. While they are only 4 feet high, they still work pretty well - they give the tomatoes lots of room to grow. If you can buy the 5' rolls of concrete reinforcing wire, they work better as tomato cages. Or can be used as trellising also.

**freebs** · 03-30-2012, 11:59 AM

I use regular fence for tomato cages as i dont use a small area like a regular tomato cage is. I just wrap the whole container in wire.

How is everyone doing with seed starting or planting??

I am almost done planting!

The greenhouse looks sad now with no plants in it..lol

**sabrelvssammy** · 03-30-2012, 02:03 PM

I have been lazy in getting my seeds in the ground (after I made all those darn seed tapes)....

I think I might pick up some plants this weekend and just plant those.

I have lettuce, cabbage & spinach in the ground but I am not seeing much from them yet.

**freebs** · 04-02-2012, 11:08 AM

I planted watermelons and cantaulope over the weekend. I have everything in the ground now except peanuts that i wanted to try.

**Spirit Deer** · 04-04-2012, 08:41 AM

Just for you, Sabre!
Annie's Kitchen Garden: September 22, 2009: Home Made Seed Mat Tutorial

**freebs** · 04-04-2012, 09:49 AM

we had bad hail last nite and took everything out! I have to regroup and restart!

**peppermint66** · 04-04-2012, 11:15 PM

Oh, freebs! I am so sorry! I hope you can get things sorted out fast and cheap!

**freebs** · 04-05-2012, 07:39 AM

All of my cold weather crops are gone, i wont be restarting them its to late in the season. I went and bought more tomato plants, pepper plants, watermelon plants and egg plants. It stinks as i had started all of these in my green house and now here I am buying them. I need to replant squash, green beans and cucumbers!

**sabrelvssammy** · 04-05-2012, 08:17 AM

Ugh! That sounds like something that would happen to me. I am so sorry for all the hard work and planning that you did. I hope that Mother Nature gives you an extra wonderful, bountiful garden this year to make it up to you!

**Spirit Deer** · 04-05-2012, 09:32 AM

Sorry about your garden, but I'm glad for you it wasn't any worse.

**Ponderer** · 04-05-2012, 10:09 AM

Planted potatoes (yukon gold) yesterday. This is a first for me but hopefully it will go well!

I also purchased the lumber to make a 2 x 6 box at the fence line for pole beans. The box will be built, set and filled this weekend, but planting is not for a little bit on those.