Growing Green

Plant cool stuff now…

 

If you haven’t already done so, now is the time to direct sow cool weather things like onions, beets, peas, lettuces, and spinach.  Above is a picture of the part of a row of Arugula coming up in my outside garden right now.  If you wait much longer, then you won’t get a very long run on these cool weather crops.  Assuming you live in the same planting zone – zone 6.  Most of the cool weather crops can be sown when the soil is workable in the early spring.  I have most of my stuff in the ground – some is already coming up!  But I have a new space I want to trellis and plant some oriental snap peas for my stir-frys and what not.  This is the week.  Yes, even though we have still been having light snowfall.  These cool weather things can take a bit of a freeze and be okay.  If you are very concerned you can cover your plantings with a light row cover to protect them.

 

So, now, my new toy.  Home Depot for under $4.00.  This is the 5×8 ft. model.  There is also a 5×15 ft. model for just under $5.00.  Although I have pinned many different types of trellises, the one I have used for years, that I love is a cheap, almost no work model.  Just strings.  I attach it to the ground using those little ground cover “staple” things.  Then I use heavy duty staples and attach it to the fence behind it.  I have found that doing it this way doesn’t block the sprinkler system and since I have yet to install drip irrigation to my garden, I am constantly working around the sprinklers and their spray patterns.  This is what it looks like attached to the fence.

  It kind of looks like a big spider’s web.  Super easy to install and for things like peas and beans, it is just perfect.  I leave it up at the end of the season, and have used the same one for several years in a row without it falling apart.  Takes minutes to install and is super cheap.  I have gotten mine at Home Depot or gardening catalogs in the past.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.