In article , EV wrote:

Phaedrine Stonebridge wrote:

In article , EV wrote:
snip for brevity

We have only been in this house a little over a year
so I keep telling him that the worst of it is already over. Our number
one problem is what to do with peas, cucumbers, pole-type beans, melons
and squash. In a previous fenced garden, we grew many of these up the
fence and netted the larger items.

But we cannot have permanent fencing here (way too much to fence and
some deed restrictions too), though we do have our berries espaliered on
heavy gauge wires on 6x6" posts. The beans have grown just so-so on 8
foot tall tripods wrapped with some horizontal jute twine. The problem
is that they get so bunched at the top and then start flopping all over
the place.

We also grew cukes on tripods. The only ones that did
respectably well were the Divas. We had a huge yield of them before
they finally got some kind of a wilt (yet another problem).

San Marzano tomatoes seem to like to wilt too .... luckily usually after it
doesn't matter anymore. One summer I tried to grow vegetable marrow that all
rotted. It's funny how certain things are precluded. I can grow pretty much
anything but clematis. I've gone through a handful of plants and none of them
lasted. Most everything else grows like gangbusters.


My San Marzanos were not good producers and did not like to ripen. No
doubt they do better in other climates. But I know what you mean about
certain plant types. I tried for years to grow heather and gaultheria
but they need such incredibly acid soil that I just did not succeed.
I'm sure you know clematises like shade at their feet. They can also be
rather fussy about location.

If we made tall bamboo frames, I
suppose we could store them under the deck if neither the netting nor
the bamboo would rot.

That'd be fine for the bamboo, probably the netting too.

Oh great; now I have a winter project (in all my spare time lol) if I
can just find some bamboo. I will let my fingers do the walking first.


Then again, I have never lashed anything as
slippery as bamboo either.

It's not so bad because when you get poles of the same thickness and length,
the notches usually line up fairly well.

I am open to all suggestions.

Phae

I think trial and error is half the fun. Good luck whatever you decide!

:-)

Ether

Thanks again