When you only have a little bit of space… sometimes you need to grow up!
On June 13, 2019, KCD’s Community Agriculture Program hosted a trellis building workshop at Marvista Park Community Garden in Normandy Park. Often community gardeners are working in a small amount of space and vertical growing can leverage a larger yield, increase crop diversity, and be aesthetically pleasing.
There are three types of climbing plants we can build a trellis for. Plants climb using tendrils, or twiners, or they are called scramblers. Scramblers are our popular tomatoes, cucumbers or squash, that can grow vertically, but need to be assisted to stay upright by using with plant clips, ties, or occasionally training the leader as it grows.
Scarlet runner beans have edible flowers, immature/young pods, and delicious mature beans when cooked. Eating mature beans raw should be done sparing, if at all. Sometimes this variety is grown purely as an ornamental. Pole beans are a great example of plants that twine or wrap themselves around a structure to grow upwards.
Anna Beebe, AmeriCorps Individual Placement, Community Engagement