We needed to create a long trellis for the raspberries this year, and we decided to DIY it, learn a little lashing technique, and use some handy leftover branches from last year’s prunings. This was especially cool, since we’re trying to spend as little money as possible during this pandemic recession! After we finished, though, we realized this is way better than some silly, basic thing we could have bought at the store.

Last year, when I pruned our apple tree, I decided to save a bundle of nice, straight, thin branches, thinking they must come in handy for something. So, they sat, seasoning next to our compost bin, waiting for a bright idea to come to me. Then, in the fall, we also pruned (hard!) some old heavenly bamboo clumps in front of our house (some were used in wedding decor for our daughter in October). Those provided some great, straight wood, also.

Some advice on technique

We had some twine buried in the tool bin on a shelf of our garden workbench, and now we just needed some instruction on how to lash them together. What did we do before the internet and google? Guess we would have had to dig up my old Boy Scout Handbook (if I still have it), or check something out from the library. Fortunately, the internet and YouTube are full of great websites on how to lash poles together! Here’s one with animation, and see the great description of square lashing here.

Here’s how it turned out!

We plan to tie the raspberry canes to the lower level as they grow longer, and we’ll try to reserve the upper level for some gourds we’re also growing this year. We may end up using some of the upper level for raspberries if they get bigger than the lower level can accommodate.

Bean tripods, too!

We’re growing some interesting pole beans this year (Romano variety), and I just put them out in the garden yesterday. After recently chatting with my sister-in-law about her experience making tripods, I learned it’s easier to put the tripod in the ground first and then plant the beans, so that’s what I did. Turned out nicely, too!

Oh, and here’s a simple but great YouTube video about lashing the tripod together.

There you have it. Some fun DIY trellises and bean tripods, with some useful lashing technique. Hope you find this useful! Feel free to comment or ask questions below. And happy gardening!