String trellising with Colin McCrate

In episode 123 of the Encyclopedia Botanica podcast, Hilary and Colin discuss the practice of string trellising in gardening. Colin, an experienced gardener, explains the benefits and methods of vertical and horizontal string trellising, including the use of hemp and jute twine. They describe how this technique supports various crops such as tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and peas, enhancing ease of pruning, harvesting, and plant health. Practical tips and recommendations are provided for managing crops and optimizing garden space using string trellising.

This episode covers the following:

  • Introduction and Guest Introduction

  • What is String Trellising?

  • Benefits of String Trellising

  • How to Set Up Vertical String Trellising

  • Choosing the Right Twine

  • Horizontal String Trellising Explained

  • Managing Overgrown Crops

  • Rapid Fire: Trellising Techniques for Popular Crops

More on string trellising:
String trellising with Colin McCrate
String trellising with Colin McCrate

In episode 123 of the Encyclopedia Botanica podcast, host Hilary Dahl and her husband and business partner, Colin McCrate discuss the benefits and methods of vertical and horizontal string trellising.

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Crops you'll love to grow on the Freyr trellis!

A surprising number of annual crops benefit from the support of a trellis. Because we love trellised crops and because we’ve been trialing a ton of varieties, we started carrying a selection of Renee’s Garden seeds in our shop! Here is a short list of some of our favorite crops and varieties to grow vertically in the garden and links to our store where you can find our favorite types:

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Sustainability first, our environmental philosophy

The combination of the holiday shopping season and the global climate talks makes this a great opportunity to be intentional and make decisions we can feel good about. As a business, we’re committed to providing garden services and products that are good for people and for the planet. 

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Featured
Hilary Dahl
Hilary Dahl

Hilary Dahl is a co-owner of Seattle Urban Farm Company and host of the Encyclopedia Botanica podcast. Since 2010 Hilary Dahl has been helping beginning and experienced growers create beautiful and productive gardens. She has the unique experience of working in on a wide range of projects, from small backyard garden plots to multi-acre vegetable farms. She also works in her own garden every day after work. Hilary is also the creator of our podcast, the Encyclopedia Botanica, which she started as a way to share effective and efficient garden management techniques, and as a way to spread her love of growing food and flowers!

Colin McCrate
Colin McCrate

Colin McCrate has been growing food organically for over 25 years. He worked on a variety of small farms in the Midwest before moving to the west coast in 2003 to teach garden-based environmental education. He founded the Seattle Urban Farm Company in 2007 with the goal of applying years of horticultural and agricultural expertise to help aspiring growers get projects off the ground or more accurately; in the ground.

Since starting Seattle Urban Farm Co in 2007, he has helped guide hundreds of urban farmers through the design, construction and management of their own edible landscape. Colin is the author of three books; Food Grown Right, In Your Backyard(Mountaineers Books, 2012) and Grow More Food (Storey Publishing, 2022); and is a garden writer for the Seattle Times.