Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
12
Easy Trellising
Maximizing your productivity per unit area depends on
making the best possible use of the space available. For many
crops, including pole beans, indeterminate tomatoes,
cucumbers, peas and vining squash, this means using a trellis.
The problem with trellising on a mini-farm is that because of
crop rotation, you might need a trellis for a particular bed one
year but not for the next three. Because of this, portability and
easy setup/take-down are important factors.
In a prior topic, I discussed using electrical conduit cut into
designated lengths for this task. And that certainly works
well, except that the conduit can be difficult to cut, tends to
rust where it contacts the ground, and requires a screwdriver
for assembly. That system is good and if you are already
using it, that's great! If you aren't already using electrical
conduit, or just need to expand your trellising, you might
consider the PVC pipe method I describe here.
PVC pipe is UV-stabilized so it handles the elements well. It
doesn't rust, and the pipe fits tightly into the fittings without
need for tools. Assembly and disassembly are as easy as using
Tinker ToysTM, only the parts are larger. In comparing PVC
pipe to galvanized electrical conduit, the conduit bears weight
better but the PVC is considerably less expensive. Comparing
the two, even though PVC pipe would need support in more
places, it is still less expensive.
