Rick, the ones you are talking about are used for electrical fencing at least for one because that is what we have. Well, actually I do think they may use it for some livestock fencing as well. For the electrical fence there are plastic snap things to string the wire on. Not sure how they do the livestock fence except twisting a piece of wire. They are miserable to try and do any vertical fencing. We tried to use them with wood cross pieces to string up the raspberries but I went out and bout U posts instead.

Nice! They do sound a lot easier to use.

I found some gray-painted steel uprights in the metals dumpster at work: "L" cross section and holes for bolts every inch or so. I may use some of those for short upright supports, but they look a little junky, and my neighbor has been looking for opportunities to give me trouble.

I want to prop up a few lavatera that have grown vigorously, and then flopped over. I guess they just can't be watered or fertilized at all, if you want them to stand on their own. I had to move 6 in a hurry, so I moved most into existing beds, where they share water and minerals with anything else growing there.

I probably should have hacked holes into the clay, shaken all decent soil off their roots, and back-filled with clay so the planting hole didn't turn into a mud-bath.

Arlene,

>> They are miserable to try and do any vertical fencing.

I'm glad it's not just me. "Defeated by the mechanical complexity of a short piece of wire" would be so embarrassing. I'll look for those plastic snap-on things if I decide I have to use the other two that I bought.

For now I have two rigid cross-pieces lashed on with waxed twine, as a good Boy Scout should. I wish I had made the lower bar even lower, since the snap peas did not easily grab it. (That's why I ran a few strands of floppy wire belwo it, to give the vines a hand up.)

After they grabbed the first cross bar, they looked like they could stand upright forever, but JUST before they touched the top bar, they folded over the bottom bar and I had to drag them up with some jute twine. I should have given them several left-and-right or up-and-down zig-zags of twine.

It was my first time with snap peas. Usually I just grew short bush snow peas, which need at most 1-2 strings running horizontally to keep them off the soil.

I grow my peas on bamboo tepees.

Rick:

For now I have two rigid cross-pieces lashed on with waxed twine, as a good Boy Scout should. I wish I had made the lower bar even lower, since the snap peas did not easily grab it. (That's why I ran a few strands of floppy wire belwo it, to give the vines a hand up.)

Looks pretty good to me. But the U posts are much simpler. I have some 2" black plastic net I got years ago (seems to be hard to find 2" now) and just roll it out and loop it over the hooks and you're good to go! My Dwarf Grays are not supposed to need support but they always do! Your peas look fantastic!

Rita:
I tried the bamboo tepees and didn't like them. But then again, I didn't like pole beans either! So I just ordered a new variety because I'm willing to give them another try. I certainly did not like the Blue Lake and some sort of purple one!

Arlene, No problem with having different sets up on our gardens for the way we rather like them. We are all not ever gonna think exactly alike and that is a good thing. Too boring for everyone to be exactly alike.

I also like bamboo tripods, but I have to buy my poles and that's annoying. It would be nice to be able to lash together a criss-cross of light poles with uprights or bipods every 3-4 feet and horizontal strings or light poles every 12-18"

I've been encouraging a Fargesia rufa bamboo to grow up big and strong, since 2009. It was supposed to develop culms "up to" 1/2 inch diameter, and 6-8 feet tall in a few years, then 12-15 feet eventually.

I have 6-7 foot tall culms, but really thin and flubsey. I hope they get thick enough to use as poles SOME day!

I guess i should have started Fargesia robusta instead: one inch diameter and 16 feet tall!

It didn't help that the cow peas were right next to them and crawled right up the poles as well.

RIck, check Craig's List, Farm and Garden. In ours people are always offering free bamboo. Wait, that would be in the FREE posting! LOL! We used to do a lot of dumpster diving for things. I guess people aren't throwing out as much good stuff now, times are tight.

My friends are usually on the lookout for trash for me as well.

But we get some GREAT stuff off CL! I got THREE, yes, THREE Compost Tumblers!!! The good ones!!! And I already had one! One I paid $25 for and she would have given it to me free but her husband made her take money. One was someone moving to vermicomposting. Another one was someone moving. And my DH makes GREAT compost!!! We have lots of grass, manure, leaves, etc. We don't put any night shade family in though, just because of diseases. BLACK GOLD! Oh, I got two garden carts too. You know the good ones with the bicycle tires. One was actually at an auction, for $20, a Vermont cart.

My SO would kill me if I found another source of things to bring home! But YES, for bamboo poles!

Did you ever see the "Dumpster Diving Divas" threads from DG, many years ago? Women that would rescue plants from home depot dumpsters, and clip seed heads or take cuttings from ANYthing, ANYwhere.

One lady was embarrassed to be caught by her priest or minister while "snatchin'" seeds or a cutting from something in his garden, but he couldn't stop laughing because she looked so guilty. he later caught her snatchin' something from a divider in a public road, and shook his finger until she blushed again.

Another DDD put on her old clothes to go dumpster diving behind some big store, and was up to her shoulders inside one when a guy caught her! He walked towards her, and she was sure she was on her way to the police station. He just smiled and gave her a few dollars and walked away. It took her a while to figure out that he had thought she was homeless and scrounging for food.

Great threads!

Too funny about the dumpster diving.

Oh my, I'm not that extreme. and since we did move here and "downsize" I fight off any urges I may get to start again!

RickCorey said:I have a question about those green metal fence posts - I assume they are the green-painted steel stakes with a Tee cross-section. With bumps or studs down one side, no holes or fingers to hang fencing from.

"YARDGARD 1-3/4 in. x 3-1/2 in. x 6 ft. Steel Green T Post"?

How do you fasten things like hog panels or remesh or welded fence from them?
The HD clerk showed me some bent wire things. He said to twist them tight with pliers, to hold fencing in place, so I bought a bag.

I can't figure out how they're supposed to work! I can wrap one around the post, then crimp and twist the heavy wire so it is loosely jammed in place.They do kinda-sorta hang up on the studs and not fall to the ground,, but they seem very lame and clumsy.

Is there some trick to the wire-hanger dinguses?
Is there some other method that people use to hang welded fence or hog panels on these heavy steel stakes?

Waxed nylon twine is neater and seems more secure, so I used that rather than have a rat's nest of heavy gauge wire things looking like they were about to fall off.

Rick, I tried to use the T-post fence clips backward on my first try. They look like they should go one way, but they actually work turned around opposite.

Try this without a plant involved first. Place your wire panel upright with the bottom on the ground, and the top against your chest under your arms. Place the T-post on the far side of the fence, with the bumpy side toward you. Place a clip on the post with the point of the "v" on the far side. The two little bent parts slip over the wires of the fence. Squeeze 'em closed, and that one's done.

Can get a picture tomorrow if it would help.

Oh, yeah...one other thing. In addition to pliers, you might want to have a claw hammer handy. Those clips snap around the post very tightly, so the claw part of the hammer can give you extra leverage.

Chelle,

Thanks, I'll test that next time I find the bag of darn clips. "Backwards" sounds like a good idea, I didn't try that.

Bumps towards me, open side of the clip towards me, open ends go over the fencing then bend back to rest on the bumps and hold the fence tight against the post.

Thanks!

Hey, some of my turnip seeds are up already. Really small now but coming up quickly.

Yesterday I picked my one and only spaghetti squash. The vine was an absolute mess. It had another fruit comming, or so I thought but when it touched it, it was totally soft and I found insect holes. So probably borers. The stems were a totall borer mess. I am not going to be planting these again next year. The plant was just horrendously large and all that for one fruit. So that was one thing tried new that I did not care for and will not be grown again. I will just stick to summer squashes.

RickCorey said:Chelle,

Thanks, I'll test that next time I find the bag of darn clips. "Backwards" sounds like a good idea, I didn't try that.

Bumps towards me, open side of the clip towards me, open ends go over the fencing then bend back to rest on the bumps and hold the fence tight against the post.

Thanks!

Yep. The side of the fence rests against the bumpy side of the post, with the bend of the "v" (clip) on the other (far) side of the post.



Rita, you've done wonders with the squash that you've grown in containers! I'm really impressed. I'd always thought that most squash and melons had to be grown in the ground. Now, we know differently.

Found this exceptional Article at Johnny's Seed explaining all about Cucumber Types and Terminology.

De-Mystifying Cucumber Types and Terminology
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/Ass...

It is the best article on cucumbers that I ever read. Explains about the different classes like the American, English and Asian. Also difference between pickling and slicers. Talks about greenhouse and parthenocarpic and gynoecious cucumbers. And Beit Alpha cucumbers. I have never heard of Beit Alpha cucumbers until now.

It's a big new world out there. Much more to cucumbers than I ever realised.

I am looking at these four varieties there at Johhnys.

Corinto
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-8...

Tyria
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/sho...

And Amiga, a Beit Alpha.
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-8...

And Socrates a cold weather greenhouse Beit Alpha.
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/sho...

chelle said:
Rita, you've done wonders with the squash that you've grown in containers! I'm really impressed. I'd always thought that most squash and melons had to be grown in the ground. Now, we know differently.

I wouldn't try watermelon or pumpkin in containers but zucchini and summer squash do just fine. On the cantaloupe type melons, they like the fact that the soil warms up nicely in the containers. But the fruits are smaller than ones in ground but there are more of them.

Squash I like in the containers. What with the SVB problems I will not be ever growing them in ground. The one in a pot method allows me to inspect each plant much more than if I had in ground ones. By the time they outgrow the pots they are pretty much done for anyway. I just have new plants coming along.