Here’s the first blog about the trellis while it was still just an idea…….. https://sarasinart.net/2015/04/17/spring-is-sprung/

Well actually 3 engineers were involved.  When I first planned and talked about the thing, Dylan said I needed something more than good long tent pegs to go down into the ground.  So I got 4′ rebar and Eliza pounded it almost 2′ down into the ground at each corner.

Then she and I went to work putting the thing up, and using a whole lot of garden wire to lash it together at all the joints. Small branches that were growing on the bamboo were clipped off and provide natural hooks to put wire on to  prevent gravity from pulling pieces of bamboo down. She and I decided we should be called Bamboo Engineers for getting it up and getting it as stable as it is.

My King of the Garden Limas were too crowded together as they grew on the trellis I had them on last year, and with this…….. structure, lol, all the beans will be able to stretch out as long as they want to. Eliza’s yard long purple beans are supposed to be long vines too. And Kentucky Wonder green beans will go long too if the conditions are right and they have somewhere to go. Good conditions will include direct sun most of the day, lots of water, and good aged horse manure as a natural fertilizer.

Not bad for $8 for rebar,  inexpensive wire, lots of free bamboo, and lots of work cutting the pieces and getting it put up. My co-Engineer did all the stuff I can’t do due to recent shoulder surgery: cutting the bamboo, pounding the rebar down into the ground.

It might take minor tweaking, and we wanted it up before planting time so we can learn whether it does, but we all agreed it should stay  up. I did have to look out the window first thing this morning, just to check……..  Once beans get to the top, their incredibly strong vines will provide more reasons for the joints to stay together.  But, the vines plus beans will also add a lot of weight.  That’s where more tweaking might come in. There’s one center pole, and we might need a couple more inside as beans add weight.  The bean plants might even make enough shade to have a cool place to sit under there on a chair, drinking iced tea, and contemplating fresh veggies.

Beans can’t be planted here till around the middle of May, in case of late frosts.  More updates as things start to climb these poles. Fingers crossed, xxx.