wonder if it post like this...

Nice arbor. I don't know how to join the pieces together to make them strong. What will you use for the vines to grow on?

I don't know what I'll put up for vines to grow on yet. I have a lot of plastic poultry netting.

Re: making the wood strong: Mine isn't that strong, either. My husband showed me where to add a couple of pieces of wood to make it stronger, so I will probably do that. Since I'm sure the kids will want to climb on it. :)

-Katy

Hi Katy and all,

That's a great idea and it looks really nice. Definitely let us know what you plant on it next season and how it does for you. I think it looks great.

Here's an embedded copy of your pic for anyone else curious (you have to view this post via the website rather than email to see this embedded pic). I love it.

Happy gardening and thanks for sharing your handiwork.
Grant

Thanks for embedding that, Grant. I used PhotoBucket, and they give an HTML string for you to use to embed something, but I guess I don't know how to do it, or it doesn't work here or something. I wonder how to do it?

I saw a farm this Summer where a lady grew gourds on a fence. They completely covered it. And my two sons really liked looking for the gourds. Maybe I'll plant those, or some kind of ornamental, vining squash. To decorate with in the Fall. Any suggestions of a variety?

Thanks,

-Katy

I use Photobucket too, and some kind person here explained to me that you click on the middle line underneath your photo (have GW and photobucket both open at the same time) that says tag to select it, then copy it, and paste it into your post where you want it to appear. Then in the preview screen it will load your photo.

My husband always says you have to triangulate to make something stronger, so just a bar across the front to make a triangle with the top would probably make it stronger. I'm chicken to make a wooden one but make easy but unapealing trellises out of those green metal plastic-coated tubular stakes, 8' long with a pointed end, and I fasten welded wire cattle fencing onto them with wire. For bean trellises I make a triangular upside down V shape with 4 stakes, but for a rose arbor I cut one pole in half and make 2 cross pieces at the top for a rectangular shape I can walk under, about 4' wide, with 5 stakes.

Pole beans would definitely cover your arbor, I don't know if gourds would get that tall? I use 4' welded wire fence for cucumbers to grow on and some grew over the top this year. They do much better trellised than growing on the ground.

Thanks, hemnancy...I just so happened to staple metal chicken wire over the whole arbor today. Vines can grow on it. I used my pneumatic stapler. That thing is awesome. My husband bought it for me for a present once. It makes stapling projects go super fast and you don't hurt your hand. It's an "Airy" brand, and it's even pink! :) I know this is off topic, but I think I'm getting osteoarthritis in my finger already, and I'm only 37. :(

---Katy

Katy, GW has a health and herbs forum. I started getting Hebreden's nodes on the last joint of a finger or two 10 or more years ago and read a book that suggested Vit. B6, and Pantothenic acid tablets, and started taking them. I haven't had any further problems. I also find colloidal trace minerals, chelated multiminerals with Boron, Glucosamine, MSM, and Cetyl Myristal Oleate (CMO) helpful in dealing with arthritis. There are also a lot of herbs that act as blood cleansers that are supposed to be helpful. Anyway, you might want to research some of this.

I grow a lot of things on trellises to save space. An additional benefit is that the fruits are out of reach of slugs. This summer, in addition to pole beans, I trellised my cucumbers and two varieties of melons. Great yields on the cukes that way, and surprisingly good yields on the ambrosia melons (grown on concrete-reinforcing mesh inside a greenhouse)

Posted by grant_in_seattle 8B (My Page) on
That's a great idea and it looks really nice. Definitely let us know what you plant on it next season . . .

Well, this is late in reply, but I grew snow peas on it. We had the biggest bumper crop of snow peas...was giving them away to all the neighbors and friends. I think the cool season growing is longer here, so they grew well. The kids loved spotting the snow peas and picking them. --Katy

Great arbor -- are you using lasagna method to fill your boxes? I did this last year and had an amazing crop. My squash plants were huge and ran up the fence. Since yours is "up front" and you have kids, maybe you can get the kids involved -- snow peas for the start of the season, scarlet runner beans later? Last year being so cool, I had snow peas for months. When I was first married, I had a tiny garden and it was amazing how much I harvested from such a little area. Home grown tastes so good.

Hi, Dottyinduncan...
It's nice to get a gardening email in the middle of winter...I've been itchy to get out there but there's not much to do right now! :)

I'm not sure what the lasagna method is, but does it mean anything like filling the bottom of an empty raised bed with uncomposted stuff and then putting soil and compost on top? I do that.

Here's a pic from last summer of the snow peas I was talking about. Compare to the first pic of when I first built the arbor thingy. The vines got about twice this high, but this was the start. I only planted one crop at one time and still got more than we could use (I have yet to try freezing.) Imagine if I planted in succession ever few weeks.

{{gwi:1093231}}

-Katy

Beautiful yummy oregon snow peas dipped in fat free ranch dressing... mmm ... :)

{{gwi:1093232}}

I did some tests where I planted tomatoes and cucumbers, with some supported on a fence, and others sprawling on the ground. The supported ones were much less troubled by bugs and disease, and produced over a much longer period. Has anyone else noticed this?

Yes, Katy, the lasagna method is basically layer composting. Check out the garden web forum on soil, compost and mulch -- there's an amazing amount of info on easy ways to improve soil and use less water. I've learned a lot from that group. Love those peas!