Ever since reading The Year I Ate My Yard by Tony Kienitz, I have wanted to experiment with using rebar in the garden. I like that it is an unromantic material which can actually be unexpectedly beautiful as it ages from new iron to a dark rusty brown. We have also discovered that it can easily become a whimsical yet still practical addition.
“Three-eighths rebar can be curled and coiled, bent and boxed in just about any direction and it can be done by hand…
…Rebar gives the garden a sense of age, of decay, and ruin, but ironically, it is sturdier and easier to negotiate than bamboo stakes, redwood or any of the other manufactured verticality offered.”
Tony Kienitz – The year I ate my yard
We decided to try it out on two wine barrel green bean plantings. The concept was to create a vine or tendril-like top to the typical teepeeshaped bean support. The supports were fun to make. We’ll see how they look once the vines have climbed to the tops.
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