TRELLISING PLANTS
Tomatoes and sugar snap peas need trellising, a way to keep them growing upright, off the ground. This makes harvesting easier as well promotes less disease. First I use a post pounder (photo below) to pound hardwood stakes into the ground. Then I use twine and wrap it around the post to make a "trellis" for the peas to climb up on or "basket weave" to hold the tomatoes in place.
I put a stake about every 6 feet, so that made about 130 posts this year. My dear friend Dave volunteered to pound the pea posts so I did the tomatoes. It's not that hard...the ground has been nice and soft from all the rain...but sometimes I get a few blisters. Hard to imagine since my hands are tough as leather.
The twine comes in a neat little box that I strap to my hip with one of my dad's old leather belts. As I work the twine around the plants, it unreels out of the box. (For those of you who are really observant, no my tomatoes aren't this tall yet this year--this was a photo from 2011 :)
I like trellising, because I do it as the plant grows. And sometimes, I think "wow I just did those yesterday, but they already need trellising again". Growth is good.
Speaking if growth...we could use some SUN!!! Right now it is raining...again. Sorry to the Tuesday folks that I am not writing this post until Wednesday am. This year has been full of marathon days between rain events and then a short breather while the ground gets soaked. I told myself I wasn't going to get all worked up about weather this year, as I cannot control it, so I am not. Really I am not. I am fine. I love weather hot, cold, wet, dry...especially when it is real extreme...I love it.
This week's Harvest: Is a smattering of tat soi, spinach, radish, turnips, asparagus and head lettuce. Oh and strawberries!!! Full shares only this week.
Next week...lots of lettuce and maybe some turnips and lettuce and berries for half shares and lettuce. Did I metion there would be lettuce?
