April 2, 2011
Here is how I did my grid last year:
I used eye screws, you know the ones that you use with door latches. For example I got two boxes of 10 today for $1.79. I did get smaller ones than I used for this example. Fit the eye size to the size of your grid strand. For this grid I used white clothes line rope. There is nylon rope in many colors but I had white. I used rope because it is easy to move out of the way when amending each square when you’re replanting. And when you add more MM you can just throw it on and lift the rope up out of it. It can all be taken off in the fall if you want to. I left mine on because it is nylon so the weathering is minimal.
OK it's cause I was too lazy to take it off and have to put it back on!
I put the eye screws on the one foot marks on each side of the box. I ran my rope up and down for one set of parallel sides. Then I tied a big knot and cut and tied one at the other end and repeated in the other direction. You could cut and tie for each individual line if you want. But working with this large of rope it is more difficult to tie the knots and my fingers don't work so well sometimes.
For my trellis Ben (dh) used a fence post on each side and wired one across the top. No rebar needed!
For the netting I tied a length of rope along the bottom between the posts. Then I tied a length of rope from the top down to that rope. I used one rope per plant. I did make it a little shorter due to I knew the weight of the vines would stretch the rope a little and I didn't want it dragging the MM. I had great luck with cucumbers and beans last year with this. You just have to show the little babies where the rope is when they get big enough!
My garlic from the store I planted last November is up!
If I wanted a netting effect I would weave more horizontal lengths from post to post. These would have to be knotted at each vertical rope. A pain but would be easy to do. But if I was doing heavier fruits such as squash or zucchini I would probably do that.
Final look:
Sorry..the pieces of lath sticking up on each side was to support my hardware cloth cover
In use:
Shhhh, no looking at the grass! We had so much rain last year that mowing was done when possible! While most everyone I knew was drowned out, my raised bed was like the energizer bunny.
Planted at the time of this picture, onions, bush beans, pole beans, cucumbers, squash, nasturtiums, carrots, green pepper, and calendula.
Yup, hubby made me the water barrel so I had water nearby.
Note: cucumbers try to steal space from any vine you have beside it! I was picking cucumbers out of my beans!
In my salad beds I built this year I am going to just use smaller eye screws and masonry line for the grid. I am going to arch a cattle panel between the two 2x4's so I don't need a trellis net. The grid will be all that is necessary.
When I am replanting individual squares I use these cubes I made out of the hardware cloth
I kinda have OCD lol so I made my first section 10" x 30"..bent them into 10" sections....then I cut 10" squares and use some light weight wire to fasten the seams. I only fasten two or three places, just twisted the wire. On this one I used the wire that was used to hold the roll of hardware cloth together. Another way I have heard of it being done is to just set two sections over each other without them being closed. Humm..yup looked it up. Mel's idea! Page 65 "Protecting Your SFG" in the new book. Since I didn't have the new book last year when I started it must be in the old book too.
first time in my life..oh well...
