All of a sudden, I saw the numbers going up–quickly–on my blog readership. I realized that tons of people were searching for things like “cucumber trellis” and “twine trellis for pickles” and things like that. It was rapidly becoming my most popular post in terms of random Web searches. I called the man responsible for that post (dad-the handiest of the handymen) and told him. He didn’t say much, but I could tell that he was proud.
I also realized I still haven’t posted our (ha – I say “our”) green bean trellis how-to, which is working out quite nicely I might add. But…if I find the bug who is treating my bean leaves like a free all-you-can-eat-buffet, he or she is going down.
If you are just getting around to planting your green beans, or the seeds have sprouted and the plants are looking for a place to grow on, we’ve…um…my dad has just the thing for you.
This trellis is meant to be placed in a spot where it can lean against something. My yard is small and I have to use my space wisely. Leaning a trellis up to this large white fence seemed to be the most efficient idea. If you have more room, you can build two of these and tie them together at the top to create a sortof A frame.
Start with branches. You’ll want them to be as tall as you (maybe a bit taller). The beans need lots of room to grow. My trellis is actually more like 9 feet or so, which means I will either need a step (or one of the Celtics) to pick the beans at the top.
Step 1: Lay your framework/branches out on the ground. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but try to make the spacing as even as possible.
Step 2: Start with a slip knot at each corner with a long tail. Then wrap twine around each corner in a figure 8. Tie the end to the long tail in a square knot. A square knot holds twine very well.
Step 3: After you’ve tied the four corners, follow suit with the branches in the middle.
Step 4: When your foundation is complete, start to run the twine from the bottom to the top using square knots on each end. Be sure to tie your knot tightly, as if you were wrapping a present. You don’t want any slack on the string. Also be sure to wrap the twine around each branch securely as you go up.
Step 5: Lean the trellis up against your support (wall, fence, etc.). Voila!
Plant your climbing bean plants at the bottom of each string. As they start to grow, train them up the strings.
In just a few short weeks, look how much they’ve grown!
Even more exciting–I discovered flower blossoms today that will one day become delicious, healthy string beans.
