My PVC Winter

As previously stated, I'm kinda new to gardening, and learning as I go. I thing I know to be true is that I like starting from seed. To me buying seedlings i like getting a ride for the 1st half of a Marathon

 

( Rosie Ruiz 1980 )

 

      Last year I overplanted, and underprotected my garden. Only thru error do we truly learn, I believe.  I got a couple rabbits in my yard, and Murray the hedgehog lives out back under the woodpiles. Those two critters desimated my squash last year. Cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, basil - they skipped 'em all.... but cleaned out my Butternut Squash leaves without mercy.

      So I find myself thinking this winter about how to better grow squash. I mean I'm limited on space so geting the long vining, Winter Squash out of the way would be a bonus...I gotta go vertical is what I'm coming up with. I'm designing...thinking,....redesigning....and here is what I come up with ( 90 % of the final product ) 

 

 I'm going with small Squash. Acorn, Sweet Potato and Kuri. Gonna put a net trellis over this setup and grow out of 5 gallon buckets. I'm figuring on about 90 sq feet of space for 5 Squash plants. So measured and cut I spent about $25.00 on a 7ft high 5ft wide and 8ft long arbor. Krylon makes a paint called FUSION - for painting plastics. You and I both know that an all white PVC would look like shit. I painted all the connectors and T's black....and here is a pic of the roof to my trellis. Now just waiting for the Spring.

 

  I also build a 8ft x 13ft Cucumber trellis....but that one I will assemble later in April/May...see ya on the other side of this storm.