Market Farming

[Joel Bush <jbush4 AT ipa.net>]

>When you refer to fencing, do you mean the welded
wire
>cattle panels?

No, I use what they call "two by four" wire which is a welded
wire much thinner than cattle panels. It's even thinner than woven fence
wire. It's so light I can carry a 50' section by myself but it's too
floppy so my wife helps put it in place. It comes in rolls and comes in a
variety of widths like 3', 5' and 6'..
>
>Won't the majority of beans hang down inside of the
>fencing?

It sounds like you are envisioning a tent-like arrangement. I use one
panel 50' long supported by T posts going straight up. I plant on both
sides of this panel and the beans grow straight up. I also use this for
cantaloupes and cucumbers.

>What do you do about weed control inside the tent
>before the beans grow up and shade things out?

No tent involved. I till along the sides and hand weed in between. I only
have to weed once before the foliage takes over shading out the
weeds.

I've used this for several years and since I'm a lazy gardener, I like
the ease and speed of assembly.



Joel H. Bush, Division Chair
Information Technology
Rich Mountain Community College
Mena, Arkansas