Just wondering if anyone has any good ideas on how to get metal poles? I want to use some as frames for my beans, and maybe for my blackberries. I've seen some people on my allotment site have them. I'm guessing they maybe got them from skips etc but I'm just wondering if anyone has any better ideas?
I use aluminum hollow 8ft poles, I am fortunate as my son is a blind manufacturer and kindly gave me some. Might be worth asking price if you have a blind manufacturer near you. Thay are very strong and no rust problems. Just an idea.
Mostly they're old pipework. Or washing line posts. Most old overgrown gardens have got a few lying around in in my experience. They are very useful. I would have a sneaky look in the metal department at the tip. And just generally keep an eye out. Or saw down a roadsign.
Cast iron water pipes are best - they surface rust but never rust away and rust is pretty much the best camouflage colour in a garden. You can see a galvanised pole under runner beans but not a rusty one!
I'm still kicking myself for throwing a couple out when we had the hot water system rebuilt.
I only ever seem to find old mild steel electrical conduit in skips - it rusts away eventually.
Dammit.
Aluminium really, really doesn't like salt - some of the alloys are 10x worse.
Painted iron is worse than useless after a couple of years.
I used the frame from an old trampoline, and a couple of canes at the top to join them together.
(http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x296/nilly71/allotment/P163001_04-06-09.jpg)
(http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x296/nilly71/allotment/P124501_18-07-09.jpg)
(http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x296/nilly71/allotment/P1714_31-07-09.jpg)
(http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x296/nilly71/allotment/P1710_31-07-09.jpg)
You could ask on freegle/freecycle or place a wanted ad in your local paper for a broken trampoline.
Neil
Wow Neil, that looks amazing. Definitely the kind of thing I'm looking at.
There's one guy on my allotment site who has a permanent structure for his runners, built from metal poles. Every year he digs out a trench underneath it, puts half rotted compost at the bottom and fills it with compost and manure. He has the best runners on site, I reckon.
I have got metal posts from old washing whirly things, from old clothes airers, ironing boards and from clothes rails. If I see anyone chucking anything out, I am right there!
Every thing seems to have a use. :)
I use scaffolding poles. Got mine off freecycle but if you contact a scaffolding company, they may have some no longer safe for use as scaffolding going spare.
If you look at the top right on pic 2, you can see where i have used the same poles in the ground and blue waterpipe to make a support for cabbage netting.
The reason I grew at an angle is so the beans grew over the path so it saved on space in the bed, bush beans and butternut squash were grown under the overhanging beans.
I'll be doing the same this year but have squashes also growing upwards.
Neil
What about metal conduit pipes , elbows etc XX Jeannine
I've got a load of second hand aluminium trussing I'm going to use.... it's really solid cos it's normally used for building handrails etc...
chrisc