Some vegetables and flowers may need a little extra reinforcement as we nurture and care this season.
In the latest edition of Gardentalk, Master Gardener Ed Buyarski suggests creating a trellis to help them reach for the sun and stay dry.
“We have to provide something for them to climb on so they’re not just flopping on the ground, and their fruit or vegetables, whatever parts that we want to eat aren’t instead being eaten by the dreaded slugs,” Buyarski said.
Propping up plants also helps with air circulation, which mitigates mold and mildew issues.
Tomatoes, peas, beans, cucumbers, raspberries and kiwis benefit from a trellis to hold them up or keep them from falling over.
Flowers such as peonies, monkshood and delphiniums also need some support.
“It seems like the timing of opening their blooms and tall flower spikes seems to coincide with rain and a windstorm, and then over they go,” Buyarski said.
A simple trellis might include sinking unstripped alder branches into the ground or running a string or wire between old posts, he said.
Tomato cages found in local retailers can also be used for peas, cucumbers and peonies.
Recycled gill net or seine webbing also can support plants that climb or may have heavy vegetables or flowers.
Buyarski suggests checking with the harbormaster or looking through the recycle bins down at the docks.
However, such netting may trap robins and other unwary birds, he cautions.
