Those with acumen and a little research know that when limited on space in the garden, that growing up instead of out is always advantageous. This is most commonly the best best with vining plants. In my case, it’s zucchini, cucumbers, and watermelon this year.
I have never tried vertical gardening but it makes a whole lot of sense in my book. However, how does one manage a trellis on a limited budget? Not to mention little helpful bits such as being able to remove the trellis when you’re done, storage during the winter months, and perhaps the desire to not use power tools or infringe on plumbing material.
I couldn’t tell you exactly how the idea came into being, as I can’t really figure that out, but the experiment is this:
A nylon trellis seems to be the drug of choice, as it were, as the fiber does not burn or damage the plants in any way. They are flexible and therefore give when the the plant pulls, yet is sturdy enough (with the right frame) to hold up the plant.
The concept: An inexpensive, easy-to-put-up, easy-to-remove, easy-to-store trellis system.
The attempt: Three six-foot bamboo stakes in an eight-foot bed using a nylon trellis secured with garden ties. Should stakes have trouble standing upright, I am ready to purchase a final eight-foot piece of bamboo stake to run along the top.
The cost:
6′ Bamboo Stakes at $2 x 3
Nylon trellis (5′x8′) at $3 and change
Green flexible garden ties, used to secure trellis to stakes and plants to trellis, an entire roll costs a little over $2
Total cost has racked up a whopping $12. Should I need the other piece of bamboo, it will cost an additional $3, making it $15.
Results so far: I’m feeling good about the low cost of the set up and the renewable material of the bamboo. Certainly the appearance isn’t perfectly symmetrical, which humans tend to favor, but I think it will be sturdy enough when the time comes. We’ll see how it fares once the seedlings are tall enough to make trouble. It was windy today and the stakes were unaffected, it may be a different story when the weight of plants are there to toss them around.
The experiment has begun, check back for updates in a few weeks when the plants have had a chance to start climbing.
Image is copyrighted to me! Yep, that’s a shot of my sad little yard. Work in progress, as always.
