Of all the different ways that netting can be used in the garden, a surprisingly small number of people are familiar with garden trellis netting or its uses. For those that are familiar and experienced in its application in the home garden, not actively using the netting for their gardening is simply unimaginable. The versatility and space efficiency are simply too valuable to dismiss.

The primary purpose of trellis garden netting is to implement some form or vertical gardening techniques into your design. Some plants, such as green beans, are naturally inclined to use trellis netting for their growth. They need a way to spread out, grow, and climb. The netting provides that structure for them to grab hold of, and helps facilitate their healthy progress.

What many people fail to recognize is that your typical vine plants are not the only types of vegetables that thrive in a vertical environment. Not only can you grow beans up your trellis, but cucumbers, tomatoes, squash, peas, melons, and a number of other indeterminate plants will also thrive. A basic rule of thumb is that if the plants can spread out on the ground to grow, it can spread out vertically as well.

The first question that people ask is whether or not the plant and/or trellis can really hold the weight of the fruit that is produced. Particularly for plants such as melons, pumpkins, and squash, the fruit can be quite heavy. The only real deterrent to this is whether or not your support structure can handle the weight. As long as the supports for the netting are strongly secured, the netting will hold and the plant will be more than strong enough to handle its own weight. If you grow paranoid, you can simply support the plant with additional homemade systems.

How To Grow a Container Garden

Start by cutting off the bottom of a recycled soda bottle or recycled half gallon plastic milk jug to make it into a funnel. As you water your garden place this funnel right at the base of the plant, pushing it down below the surface if possible, so that when you water, all the water goes directly to the roots of the plant. You’ll be saving water and BONUS, you’re not watering the weeds.

Here are some of the items I’ve repurposed as garden stakes:

• wooden and metal stakes originally used to hold election signs
• handles from brooms, mops and other tools that are past their prime
• wire clothes hangers
• post from old floor lamp
• branches from tree trimmings
• dowels left over from DIY project
• quarter round molding left over from DIY project

check out Amazon.com for gardening tools

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Keep in your diaper bag for dirty diaper disposal.

Keep in your bathroom to place used sanitary napkins inside. Drop it in, tie it up and toss in the trash.

Keep near your kitchen sink to put food scraps in while preparing dinner. If you compost you can dump the food (but not the bag) in your compost heap. If you don’t compost, tie up the bag and toss in the trash.

Tie a couple onto your dog’s leash. They’re perfect pooper scoopers.

Keep in the car to use as trash bags. Fold the top over so the bag keeps its shape and place inside your door pocket.

being green doesn’t have to be hard

Next time you’re repotting a plant in a large planter fill the bottom half of the pot with foam peanuts. Your pot will be much lighter and they allow for drainage.

Cut carpet protector to the desired size and use as a boot tray. It won’t hold water run-off but it will protect your floors from mud and dirt.

Use an old carpet protector as temporary car mats when involved in messy activities like the beach or hiking.

Take with you when camping to use as a boot tray to keep the dirt or snow out of your camping home.

Use as a drop cloth when working on messy projects or painting a room. If you have a larger project then place a drop cloth in the middle of the room and line the edges of the room with the carpet protector. This saves having to tape down the drop cloth.

clean your home without chemicals

Use squares of old carpet to wash textured walls. It gets into all the crevices and won’t scratch your walls like a brush would.

Glue carpet to a scrap piece of wood to make a cat scratch post or use a piece of carpet to recover an old cat scratch post.

Cut carpet into small pieces and place under the feet of heavy furniture or appliances. This will make it easy to move the piece around as well as protect your floors.

Place a piece of carpet in the back of an enclosed truck or van to protect the bed from scratches and make it easier to slide large items across the bed.

Place carpet in the garage to make activities in there more pleasant.

Use scrap pieces of carpet as temporary car mats when involved in messy activities like the beach or hiking.

Take scrap carpet pieces with you when camping to keep the dirt or snow out of your vacation home.

Take larger pieces of carpet to line the inside of your tent for a more pleasant walking surface.

Scrap pieces of carpet can be used to redecorate a doll house.

Line a pet bed with scrap carpet.

Scrap carpet in good condition can be glued to one or more walls in a child’s or teen’s bedroom. Not only does this add a decorative element, but more importantly it helps to deaden sound (especially helpful in a teen’s room!).

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