DIY Network

Tepees and Espalier Joe Lmap'l demonstrates two differnet methods of training limbing plants. From "Fresh from the Garden" episode DFFG-308

Joe Lamp'l begins by building a small tepee out of bamboo sticks; next, he builds a large and very decorative tepee out of painted PVC piping and plants pole beans at its base. He also introduces the concept of espalier, the ancient gardening technique that involves training plants to grow up against a wall or fence. He demonstrates by planting a raspberry shrub and training it to grow along a wood privacy fence.

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Tepees

	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E
	Figure F
	Figure G

Tepees are conical trellises that are easy to make. They're a traditional support structure for beans of all sorts, as well as for other vegetables such as squash, pea, and cucumbers. They can range from simple, rough-and-ready trellises to more elaborate and permanent garden structures.

To support lightweight vines such as sugar-snap peas and other small crops, you can make a tepee in a matter of minutes (figure A), from old sticks if you have them or from thin bamboo stakes, which will add an English garden look to your vegetable patch. A simple tepee can be made by sticking four 5' bamboo stakes into the ground to make a circle about 2' to 3' wide. Place the stakes at a slight angle and sink them a foot or so deep. After pulling them together at the top, tie them off with garden twine (figure B).

To support pole beans and other aggressive climbers, you'll need a tepee that's on a Jack-and-the-Beanstalk scale.

• To make a large tepee, use 1x2 cedar poles, each 8' long. Cedar is an excellent choice because it's long lasting and has a rough surface that beans can easily grab and climb. You can also make a tepee with strips of scrap lumber or with large (1" diameter or greater) bamboo poles.

• A second option for making a large tepee is to use PVC pipe (figure C), which is cheap, easy to work with and incredibly long lasting; it also comes in almost any length or diameter you can think of.

On the down side, it's not very attractive in its unfinished state, and its slick surface makes it less than ideal for climbing vines to crawl up. But with one easy trick of the trade, you can take care of both of these problems: the trick is to paint the PVC pipes. By using a paint that has a texture added to it, you can instantly give the PVC pipes the rough surface they need. And by selecting a color you like, you dress the pipe us as you wish.

1. To make a tepee with PVC pipes, it's best to paint the pipes first. To paint them, use an exterior spray paint with a texturizer, the kind that is often used for flowerpots or tables. Spraying the pipes makes the job quick and easy (figure D). Another option is to paint the pipes with a can of paint to which you have added a handful of sand. For the color, choose a dark green or black for a traditional look or a bright blue or sunny yellow for an artsy look.

2. To construct a tall tepee, whether of PVC pipes or lumber, choose a spot on the north side of the vegetable garden; that way the tepee won't shade out other plants.

3. To make the tepee, measure a rectangle on the ground, making it about 2'x3' (figure E). Next take the four pipes or lengths of lumber, each of which should be about 8' long, and place them at the corners, setting them into the ground about 10" deep.

4. As you set them in the ground, angle each toward the center (figure F). Pull the four poles together and overlap their ends to form a cone. Using heavy-duty twine, lash them together where they intersect (figure G).

5. With the tepee erected, you can plant beans at the base. Amend the soil and add fertilizer, then plant three Kentucky Wonder bean seeds at the base of each pole. After the seeds germinate, thin them and leave one sturdy seedling at the foot of each pole. Once they get going, beans grow quickly, and you'll be harvesting them in a little over two months.

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