Early in spring I was thinking about the cool structures I had seen last fall at a non-profit farm. I wanted to put one up, and the “giraffe” was born. I repurposed PVC pipes I had used in hoop house frames (½” size), and also used the ¾” pipes that Kirk had cut me to use for the same things, that held the smaller poles.
Pound the holders into the cleared soil, using a dead blow hammer or rubber mallet. I tied the poles at the top with zip ties, heavy-duty twine or rope will work as well. Then insert the poles into the holders. If doing by yourself, expect cussing and hilarity to ensue…..
We attached trellis netting, using small zip ties.
Then, with visions of grandeur…I planted pole beans. That I swear WERE NOT POLE BEANS. They grew like bush beans, and never got over a foot tall. I am learning what seed companies to avoid at this point. The beans were also not very good either…oh well!
I also planted Fordhook Nasturtiums, which are a trailing one. On a side note, I planted all my seeds on the outside. I think that I should have done half outside, half inside, just on the edge.
Added in 2 little chairs for the boys, and the flowers were incredible this summer. On a side note, we found an even better use for the trellis – the ever bearing strawberries love it, and we have wound runners up it. It gets the berries off the ground, and it makes picking very easy.
I am going to leave the trellis up over the winter, to see how it fares. And if it comes through, I will plant Nasturiums again, along with the right beans. The boys loved having a little hide-a-way, even if it wasn’t as covered as I would have hoped for.