I tried the cement reinforcing wire initially, but found a better use for it in training my boysenberry vines. By making a large circle of wire, then placing the hoop over the vines, allowing them to grow up and over the sides, provided air circulation for the vines underneath. As in jimster's posting, I found that I could utilize fresh bamboo poles easily - cutting as needed to provide support for most of my climbing vegetables, including peas, beans, and tomatoes. I wasn't aware of the name "Florida weave" but that is the method used. As my backyard has been under dire threat of being over-run by this giagantic timber bamboo (planted by a predecessor), I felt it ABSOLUTELY necessary to find a use for it. Aside, it also provides oodles, and oodles of leaves (great for composting) and nice shoots (for eating) and a noise barrier (from freeway cars), so I've learned to live with it. But - yes, it makes nice tomato stakes too! Saves money too! Birds buils nest in it too. Great exercise raking up litter too. Just my 2 c's. Bejay

Michael: Where are you located? Well the ventilation system is all natural. I open up the north and south doors and the sides pull up the four feet. We live on a hill and we always have a breeze. I haven't run into many disease problems. I thought I had some early blight started, but I sprayed with copper and everything stopped. It was either the blight or a magnesium deficiency. I sprayed with epson salt too. I am going to put up a third tunnel like the ones in the pictures sometime early in the spring. I am also working on plans for two smaller movable ones. I would load them with broccoli and cauliflower then move them and load them up with squash and pickling cucumbers. That fall I would replant the outside with carrots and move the tunnel back then we could overwinter them. Then in the spring planted green building, I would replant spinach, chard, kale?, lettuce and other cold tolerant crops. I love working in the tunnels in the late fall or early spring. I had to put a coat hook up this year. Ok, it was just a screw, but I did hold my coat. I got too hot working. Big plans for the tunnels, I hope the pan out! Here is a picture of the sides pulled up.

i saw another post of yours for snow peas. i can send you snow pea seeds if you will send me a couple of the winter melons. i have the chinese variety snow peas.

I'm located in Maryland, in zone 6a. I grew Utah Tall celery this year and put my transplants out in mid-May. I only grew maybe 50 plants total, but will grow more next year. I'll probably try a few different varieties next year, Tango or Calypso. I haven't seen red celery before, but see that Territorial sells one variety, Red Venture. I'm not sure how that would do at my markets, my customers are a bit conservative. It looks interesting tho, and I may try a few red plants next year. It's been COLD here this fall, but my remaining celery is surviving under a row of heavyweight Agribon. Some of the stalks have frozen along the edges where they touch the Agribon, but overall it's doing very well, and it's now a very nice size, much bigger than when I sold it at the market in fall. I agree with Sandy0225 that celery is a very slow grower. I'm going to try to plant at least some celery under Agribon this spring so I can hopefully get decent sized plants while my markets are still open. I did not blanch my celery so it's bright green and crunchier than celery at the grocery store. I like the taste, but I may try mulching at least some plants with straw next year to blanch and get more tender plants. I think I sold my first celery at market for $1.50 or $2, but raised the price because I sold out quickly. I was at $2.50 or $3 by the end of the market. If my plants had been larger I would have charged more.