Trellis

[12540dumont]

On farm trellising.

Without a doubt this is labor intensive so I make it last for at least 2 season. Bean trellis becomes pea trellis before they are moved. Or, pea trellis becomes Bean trellis before it is moved.

I was working as a temp in a company where they threw out their current show display which consisted of square stock steel, and aluminum panels covered with canvas. I asked permission and they let me dumpster dive.

It was my intention to recycle this for the money. Leo said I was crazy and there was a million farm uses for this stuff.

So. He took the square stock (steel) and cut them into 6 foot sections.
We pound them in the ground with a post pounder to keep them from mushing on the ends.

We bought foundation wire (7'4" x 4') the stuff you use to make tomato cages. We use this vertically.

The hoops are made from conduit and the bender we bought from Johnny's. We feed the hoops into square stock, lean the wire up them and use twist ties or zip ties to hold them up.

At the end of the dual season, Leo flames the residue, and we take everything down.

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[12540dumont]

It was my thought to use them like giant hoop house to grow peas on and then put the lettuce in the center path. This would keep the lettuce cooler.

I also basket every 3 feet and plant seeds in the basket. (Gopher baskets). The irrigation is run around the baskets on 2 sides. I cut holes for the in black plastic and cover this whole bed. The gophers don't get the peas or beans (usually). The whole thing is 90% weed free.

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[12540dumont]

This is the other design, which I don't like as much, because it takes additional people to set it up. However, it was a brilliant design and very cost effective.

In the barn there was a stack of steel pipe. Leo cut it into 10 foot sections. Standing on a ladder, he pounded them in the ground 3 feet.
We bought a roll of foundation wire. VERY heavy and cut it into 25 foot sections. It took 3 people to walk it down the row.

These rows are 50' so there's 2 sections. They are awkward to deal with and I think we'll cut them in half next year. They are then zip tied to the posts.

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[12540dumont]

In this photo you can see the bean trellis from the trial before it was covered by beans. I also basketed beans in every row...I didn't want some gopher to eat every bean.

You can also see the corn beds that went between the bean rows to prevent the bees from cross pollinating the beans.

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[12540dumont]

And finally, remember those aluminum covered with canvas signs from the display?

Well, we used them to make the traveling chicken road show. The aluminum frame is screwed together on 4 sides. On both short ends, we used a piece of hog panel hinged and covered with chicken wire to give us a human size entrance. One end connects to the chicken house. I put shade cloth on top for the summer, and tarp the thing for winter. The canvas has long since rotted away. To move the chickens, at sundown, they enter their house and I close their door. Leo rolls the house away, it's on a trailer. The two of us push the aluminum pen, it's on skids. We move them to a new section and reconnect the water.

And if this is clear as mud, let me know and I'll go take more photos.

When it's raining, and the fields are very muddy, we move the chickens to the gravel driveway. They still eat the greens (chicory) coming up in the driveway). We don't want the pen getting stuck.

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[oxbowfarm]

Thanks Holly.
Those are some innovative trellises.
The gophers sound like a nightmare.

[bunkie]

great ideas holly!

we can totally identify with the 'gopher' problem!

[castanea]

Squash and pumpkin trellis:

www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=105751

[steev]

That's pretty cool, even though those aren't Atlantic Giants.

[12540dumont]

I did that one year with yellow banana squash...I did not let them hang through. I was afraid one would drop on me and kill me. They weigh 40 pounds!

[steev]

OK, I just flashed on how great it would be if I grew melons that way, then I remembered that the melons I like slip when ripe....plop! It seemed a possible way to evade rodents for a second.

[spud]

I build homemade A frame trellises, 4 ft wide and 8 foot tall. The advantages is that they are easily secured, just pound a stake on each side. I prefer these for pole beans and straight upright trellis for tall peas.

[gixxerific]

Nice I have been looking for ideas. I use stakes and CRW cages for now. I tried the Florida Weave with little success probably my fault though. My neighbor did what you with cattle panel. I like you ideas.

Thanks