Easy Trellis

I am taking a break from gardening this Saturday so I can add a trellis to my outdoor patio area. The goal is to create an outdoor living space that is inviting even when its 100 degrees outside (good luck). As it stands now its pretty boring.

The first step was to go to the lumber yard and pick up 4 cedar pickets. I prefer to work with cedar when possible because it ages well and has a nice smell. Then its on to the table saw for some quick ripping.

Now comes the challenging part. I could just to the easy route and place the slats perpendicular but I like the way the 45 degree angle looks.

Once the first run is in place and I come to the corner I realize that its not going to lay out perfectly because my total height is 6'7". Oh well, I pressed on anyway using the distance in between each slat as a guide as opposed to 1' increments along the edge.

Were I had slats that didn't reach all the way across I just started from both ends and connected in the middle. The brick wall is about 1" out of plumb (really...1") so the trellis looks a little off but once the vines get around it you will not be able to tell.

With some Confederate Jasmine trained up the trellis things are starting to look right.

Kimberly Acres Part 3

The plots are looking great. This is my favorite part of the whole process....transplantation time! Its nice to see that about 75% of all my seeds have germinated and are looking good. Its amazing what time, patience and H2O will do. The photo above is a homemade crate built to the specific dimensions of the newspaper pots I made. It allows me to move a large number of seeds quickly if inclement weather turns our way. You can see the Black Eyed Susan flowers popping up. Last year I had a hard time getting my tomato's to produce so this is my solution to bring in the pollinators...hopefully not to many.

All the plants have made their move from the protected pot to the open garden nicely and I do not have any stragglers...except my blueberry bush. It seems my blueberry plant needs more sun. Since I placed it in the shade plot (south plot) I have not seen any sign of life. I will give it a little more time before I pull it.

It was nice to have my little seedling to help transplant some of the seedlings. I let him transplant his favorite ...carrots. The raised bed is just the right height for him to explore and critique my work. I just have to keep him from nibbling on the dirt...oh well a little earth never hurt anyone...right?

My next entry we should start to see some buds then some fruits of our labor.