Siouxland Magazine - Volume 2 Issue 4 - version 2

explore
Get dirty.
Pole beans on a glorious bamboo trellis
I Am A Frayed Knot
By Lisa Cox
Learning to lash like a Boy Scout had me
swearing like a sailor in the middle of my
garden…I am embarrassed to admit this. I was a
Girl Scout counselor. I am an ISU Master Gardener and
a NATA BOC Certified Athletic Trainer. I can do things
with tape people only dream about. However, if I have
to take the frap in hitch and wrap around the spar three
more times it might just finish me off quite neatly.
Growing up as the sister of three Eagle Scouts I thought
that this skill would be easy. If a 13-year-old boy can
get a Pioneering badge with it, a 45-year-old woman
with an education should be able to tie a simple knot,
right? This elementary fastening was supposed to
bring structure, support, and beauty into my garden.
No more bush beans for me, I would be harvesting
pole beans from a vertical trellis made from glorious
bamboo. I chose a red paracord to give it pops of color
from afar and delighted in researching the bamboo
trellis designs.
Like Thoreau, “I went into the ‘garden’ to live
deliberately…to learn what it had to teach…” This
month, I was schooled in lessons of beauty and
support. For years, I had been wanting to do this
network of poles and vines. Not only does it seem like
an efficient use of space, but it also is visually quite
stunning. Getting down to logistics, it appeared quite
simple. Make tripods, make crossbars, assemble, and
plant beans.
The lashing steps took place in the make tripods,
fasten crossbars, and assemble steps. During these
stages, my paracord frayed and the structure was
unstable. I tried zip-ties; they were too loose. Poles fell
on my head. To add to my frustration, I even received
a bamboo splinter through my gloved hand. Through
each new challenge I fought and persevered.
In previous articles we have written about the resiliency
of gardeners and gardening. Every time we have
something wither on the vine, we glean something
new. During this project, I had to take a step back and
ask myself, what could I do differently to get a better
outcome? What I didn’t tell you is that I was working
on an incline. My garden is not on stable ground.
However, it is growing where it is planted, similar to
numerous families here in Siouxland. My answer was
I needed to ask for help. Like many, this is not an easy
thing for me to do.
Having the right support can produce the outcome
needed and the beauty we seek. After my decision
was made to ask for assistance, I trudged up the