Supporting the Growing Eggplants and Peppers
The season's outdoor vegetable crops are all planted and looking great.
I am always interested in learning new ways to improve the productivity of the gardens at my farm. This year, we decided to create new supports for my eggplants and peppers. Staking various vegetables is necessary to keep fruits off the ground and to reduce the risk of disease. My outdoor grounds crew foreman, Chhiring Sherpa, has made several different types of trellises and supportive structures for the garden - all using natural elements, such as wood from felled trees, bamboo and jute twine, which can be saved after the season and reused again next year.
Enjoy these photos.
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- For all our projects, I always encourage the use of materials we already have on hand. Chhiring was able to find suitable branches in the woodland that would work for our eggplant and pepper supports. Because these structures are outdoors, it is important for them to be very strong and secure, so they could support the weight of the plants, a good, prolific harvest, and any strong winds we may get during the growing season.
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- We also used bamboo stakes cut into two-foot long pieces. We already have a supply of bamboo, so it made sense to reuse and repurpose them.
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- We also use a lot of jute twine for many of our outdoor projects. Jute is the name of the fiber used to make burlap cloth. The fibers are also woven into curtains, chair coverings, carpets and of course, twine and rope.
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- The wood was first cut into lengths measuring about three-feet. Then, Chhiring drilled three one-and-a-half inch holes into each upright.
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- The holes were about six to eight inches apart.
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- And all of them were measured equally, so they aligned perfectly with each piece of wood.
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- To start, Chhiring tied some twine from one end of the garden bed to the other, so all the uprights would be level.
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- Each of these beds was dressed with weed cloth, so Chhiring cut an “x” where each wooden upright would be positioned and then folded each of the four flaps underneath. The weed cloth cutouts were made as small as possible to limit the weeds that would eventually grow in any uncovered spots.
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- A tamping bar is used to help create the holes for the wooden posts. Because the soil was cultivated for planting, digging the holes was easy to do. Chhiring creates deep holes – at least six to eight inches down, so each support is really secure.
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- Chhiring places three upright posts into each bed – one planted with eggplants, one with sweet peppers and one with hot peppers.
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- The holes all face across the beds width-wise.
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- And through each hole, Chhiring inserts a bamboo stake – they all fit perfectly into the hole.
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- Here is one support already completed.
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- Chhiring continues to put up the supports for each bed – one post for each end and one in the middle.
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- Here he is placing the bamboo into the third post of this eggplant bed.
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- The next step is to tie twine from one end to the other using simple knots on the bamboo cross bars.
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- Several lengths of twine are run down the length of the bed to create lined pairs that will hold the eggplants upright. The twine is also secured in a single knot on the center supports.
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- Eggplants are then placed between the twine pairs.
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- In some areas, the twine pairs are crossed to add extra support for the plants.
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- Here is our eggplant bed. Eggplants are prone to falling over when heavily laden with fruit, so supporting them will protect them from potential damage and fruit loss. Staking eggplant also makes for easier harvesting.
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- As the plants grow, twine will be secured to the higher bamboo cross bars in the same way, so the plant stems remain upright.
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- Chhiring did the same for the bed of sweet peppers and the bed of hot peppers. Although many peppers are strong plants, sometimes they need a little help — especially toward the end of the season when some peppers may grow up to three-feet.
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- All our eggplant and pepper beds are now well supported in the garden.
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- Meanwhile, everything is so lush and green. Look at all the brassicas growing – we’ve already started harvesting some broccoli, along with some radishes and peas. What vegetables have you harvested from your garden? Share your comments below.
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