DIY Network

Vertical Gardening and Bamboo Trellis The world's easiest garden trellis. Plus the real dirt on...dirt. From "Dirt On Gardening" episode DDOG-103

Twist-ties can be used to secure climbing plants to a trellis.

Welcome to the world of vertical gardening, a practice which is growing in poularity as yards get smaller and horizontal space gets more scarce.

Whether it's covering a wall with an ornamental vine or just getting your beans or tomatoes off to a good start, a suitable support structure helps ensure that your climbing plants don't just lie on the ground. Here's the dirt on vertical gardeniong and on making a simple trellis.

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Morning glory trains easily to a stake or trellis.

Getting Vertical

Pre-made trellises or stakes are a valuable aid in vertical gardening and are available at your home or garden center. Tomato cages, made from wire, are perfect for tomato vines, beans and other garden vegetables.

Some plants climb on their own and some require some "encouragement" by tying with string or twist-ties. "Twining" vines like morning glory are easy to train to a trellis or stake. You can buy stakes, or pre-made trellises--or you can make them yourself. One of the fastest and easiest trellis to make requires no more than three bamboo poles and wire.

	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C

A Simple Bamboo Trellis

But staking plants in your garden in spring time means you may have a few weeks of visible--perhaps unsightly--stakes. The effort will save many headaches throughout the rest of the growing season, however, and your plants will eventually stand tall and proud.

Using stakes with natural looking materials, such as branches and bamboo, fit bettervisually with garden plants than metal and wooden stakes. Here's a quick technique for creating your own tripod trellis froim bamboo. It's just this simple:

1. Buy three bamboo poles (available at garden centers) of the same length--at least 6 feet long.

2. Wrap wire around one of poles, approximately four inches from the top.

3. Line second pole up next to first.

4. Wrap/weave wire around both.

5. Lay third pole next to second and attach in same way (figure A).

6. Twist, secure and cut wire (figure B).

7. Stand trellis up like a tripod, spreading out the legs (figure C).

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