In the Garden: Fencing, DIY style

I can sometimes be a bit of challenge to get everything growing the direction you want in a garden. So here is a little tutorial that will help your peas (or other viney plants) reach for the sky!

You will need:

Garden Gloves, Sticks (fairly straight), twine, scissors, and throw in a couple tomato cages for good measure!

Step #1: Lay out your four longest sticks parallel to each other.

Step #2:
Make sure that the bottoms of your sticks are (mostly) lined up, and break off any twigs at the bottom that will get in the way when pushing into the earth.

Step #3:
Lay your cross pieces on the support posts. You can do any design you like. I would just suggest that you have at least two cross pieces that cross all four support posts.

Step #4:
Using your scissors cut the twine into pieces approximately 12" (30cm). Cut as many pieces as you think you will need to keep your fence sturdy.

Step #5:
Using 1 piece of twine at a time, tie the sticks together at the cross points.
 1. Lay the twine from corner to corner.
 2. Cross the ends on the other side of the stick.
 3. Pull the ends of the twine so they are 90 degrees from where they crossed the stick. And pull around opposite corners to the other side.
 4. Tie tightly in place.
Confused? Look at the photo below :)

Step #6:
Push firmly into the garden directly above where you planted peas, beans, tomatoes or anything that needs to climb or be tied up. My little peas had already grown a little so I had to carefully untangle them, and wrap then around the posts.

 

I love those little curly cues, so cute! And if you happen to have a couple tomato cages around they will work instead of a fence. I just have a lot of old maples in my garden, and they tend to drop many sticks - good for fence making and fires!

 

The cages also work well to support your tomatoes. Hehe obvious, I know!