This year I made use of some concrete reinforcing panels left over from a construction job. For some reason the tendrils don't really want to hang onto the wire. One short row is on the west side of fence #1 and the second short row is on the east side of fence #2 since I figured the path between the fences would be my major pea picking path. Due to prevailing winds I started adding twine to keep the plants against the fences but I stopped too soon. Next year I will keep adding lengths of twine to the top of the fence. I thought one side didn't need more twine but on a real windy day they got blown over into the path. I did lose a couple of vines when I lifted the bunch but all in all I've ended up with a tremendous harvest. These are just two five foot rows. The panels are 8' long, longer than my original bed, so I added more garden bed and planted some samples of two new varieties of pods. My sugar snaps are the tall variety and are probably 7 feet tall. I have to reach way up to harvest the tops. Since your fence is only 2' high I don't think you can do anything at this point. You'll still get a good harvest, you'll just have to hunt harder for the peas. Next year put up a taller fence. My husband said these panels cost $20. He was trying to sell the leftovers for $10 on Craigslist but nobody wanted them so I lucked out. You might keep your eyes open for something like that. The panels are attached to metal stakes that are pounded into the ground. We'll probably leave them up all winter. My third panel was used for earlier Sugar Ann snap peas that are much shorter. I didn't trellis them last year and hated the way they grew in a pile. They're only 3' tall but I have some yard long beans started to take over the fence when I pull the Sugar Anns out. BTW my first pea fence was plastic garden netting and that was a mess after the first year. It worked but was too light to save for another year. If your plants didn't snap, just bent, they are probably fine. Some of mine split but healed. Most just bent a little but I was able to tie them back up.

gardenerwantabe - I agree with your point. We built it on the driveway so we would have a flat surface near tools and power. The debate is now on as to the permanent location to which we will move it, which have been thrown into flux due to gato's wind issues. She wants it over in the corner where it will get direct (and sometimes very hot) sun - I am proposing a location between some trees where it will have some shelter from the wind, and a bit less direct sun. I won't install either the corner bracing, or any other enhancements such as angle aluminum across the doorway or 1/2 EMT across the mid-sections until we have the GH sitting on footings at a permanent location. Then I will add all of that to stiffen and secure the unit. 2 questions: We are in Mount Shasta, CA which is snow country (3500' elevation) and the snow can tend to be fairly wet and heavy. We had as much as 3' accumulation in some areas of the property over the past winter during some storms. Obviously I should remove snow from the roof if it accumulates like that, but I'm thinking about establishing some structural support along the roofline - either directly beneath the ridge, or adjacent to the #30 braces that are installed in the roof. Those supports would be probably be 2x4 or 2x6 lumber, supported by wood posts down to the ground. Does this seem a good idea, or unnecessary? In an earlier post, I raised the idea of setting the GH on top of 2x12 PT fir, so that it would sit on a footing like this: I see that you set your's on 4x4 PT. My thought is to raise the GH in this manner so that when snow is on the ground, at least the first foot of snow accumulation would be against the wood foundation. I realize this means a step up and over the threshold. Any thoughts on this? Does anyone believe that this amount of wood foundation, or possibly more, would help in terms of withstanding snow accumulation? Would the additional height raise any other issues concerning the effectiveness of the GH? Thanks, Greg

Bummer! Sorry to hear about the damage, but at least it didn't just totally SNAP off, right? It's hard to find the right balance between giving a tree support and giving it some freedom. You and Pagan are right of course, trees need to be able to move at least a bit. I like using tree anchors in general (stakes in the ground with ropes up to the tree) but even then the trees need wiggle room, hah! I think Pagan's idea of a split sounds good. That's what I'd do too just to help that damaged area be protected for awhile. It's a cute little tree, so hopefully you can help it on the road to recovery. Let us know what you do and how it works out. Thanks for sharing about it--garden updates are fun, whether full of good news or bad. Take care and good luck! Grant

let hope the cold kills a few more of the nasty bugs :-) or the mosquitoes! I love it here, really I do, and I'm willing to live with whatever this tropical world has to offer. But gosh it's frustrating to have a day so hot and awful that the mosquitoes start getting bold in the shade in the heat of the day, then have a night when I have to get up in the middle of the night to find a blanket. Now I've got dogs trying to sleep on couches to get warm, because we put away their dog rugs last weekend, while I'm wondering if we'll be able to make it through the end of the month without turning the a/c on. It's enough to make a family (of dogs and cats and crotchedy old people) cranky. Of course, I'm hoping for a better harvest of broccoli this week because of this cold snap. :)