Staking Our Eggplants and Peppers in the Garden
The season's outdoor vegetable crops are all thriving and looking great.
Earlier this week, I showed you how we support the growing tomato plant vines at my Bedford, New York farm. We do a similar process for our eggplants and peppers. Staking various vegetables is necessary to keep fruits off the ground and to reduce the risk of disease and rot. My outdoor grounds crew foreman, Chhiring Sherpa, has made several different types of trellises and support structures for the gardens - all using natural elements, such as wood from felled trees and jute twine.
Here are some photos - enjoy. And be sure to tune-in today at 5pm ET when I am back on QVC sharing more summer pieces from my popular Apparel Collection.
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- I am always interested in trying new ways to improve productivity in the gardens. This year, we’ve streamlined our process for staking the eggplants and peppers, and I think it looks fantastic.
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- For all our projects, I always encourage the use of materials we already have on hand. Chhiring was able to find suitable branches in the woodland that would work for our eggplant and pepper supports. Because these structures are outdoors, it is important they be very strong and secure, so they could hold the weight of the plants and fruits, and any strong winds we may get during the growing season.
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- We also use a lot of jute twine for many of our outdoor projects. Jute is the name of the fiber used to make burlap cloth. The fibers are also woven into curtains, chair coverings, carpets and of course, twine and rope.
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- The wood is cut into lengths measuring about three feet. Then, using a spade bit, Chhiring drills three holes into each of these upright pieces of wood.
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- The holes are about six to eight inches apart. And all of them are measured equally, so all the holes align perfectly with each piece of wood.
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- Each hole is about one-and-a-half inches in diameter.
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- Each of the beds was dressed with weed cloth, so Chhiring cut an “x” where each wooden upright would be positioned and then folded each of the four flaps underneath. The weed cloth cutouts were made as small as possible to limit the weeds that would eventually grow in any uncovered spots.
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- A tamping bar is used to help create the holes for the wooden posts. Because the soil was cultivated for planting, digging the holes was easy to do. Chhiring creates deep holes – at least six to eight inches down, so each support is really secure.
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- The holes all face across the beds width-wise. Chhiring secures four upright wooden supports along each row of plants and then threads the twine through the holes, starting at the bottom.
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- Chhiring ties the twine from one end to the other using simple knots.
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- Several lengths of twine are run down the length of the bed to create lined pairs that will hold the plants upright. The twine is also secured in a single knot on the center supports.
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- At the other end, Chhiring secures the twine tightly and ties another knot.
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- Chhiring does this for the first two bottom holes of each piece of wood.
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- Once secured, the eggplant and pepper plants are carefully placed in between the twine lengths.
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- In some areas, the twine pairs are crossed to add extra support for the plants.
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- Here one can see how nicely the plant will be supported as it grows. Chhiring did the same for the bed of sweet peppers and the bed of hot peppers. Although many peppers are strong plants, sometimes they need a little help — especially toward the end of the season when some peppers may grow up to three feet tall.
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- Eggplants are prone to falling over when heavily laden with fruit, so supporting them will protect them from potential damage and fruit loss. Staking eggplant also makes for easier harvesting.
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- As the plants grow, twine will be secured to the higher holes in the same way so the plant stems remain upright.
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- Here is Chhiring securing another length of twine.
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- Each bed has two rows of plants, which are about a foot apart. When the plants are well supported, there is also ample circulation and room to develop.
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- Chhiring stopped to pose for this quick snapshot – looks great, Chhiring.
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- One week later, fruits are already growing and needing the support of the twine – we staked them all at the perfect time.
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- Here is a sweet pepper perfectly suspended above the ground with the help of our strong twine.
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- And here is one of our first eggplants of the season – ‘Calliope’. a small white and purple variegated, oval variety. I am so pleased with how our vegetables grow – I can’t wait to harvest more of nature’s bounty.
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