Two growers trellis 100 tomato, bean, and squash plants in a high-tunnel greenhouse using a V-tress twine system. They estimate the harvest at 2,000 pounds, enough to feed five people for a year. The setup leaves extra twine installed for future seasons.
Yesterday was a big day planting these tomatoes, these beans, these squash. Today we've got to hurry. They've, uh, before they get too big, before they start laying on the ground, before we can't get in here, we need to get these guys trellised and off the ground and healthy if we're going to ensure a big crop for our family's food needs this summer. The problem is we need these V-tresses to hang the trellises. Those V-tresses are super wobbly and therefore aren't going to hold any tension. Therefore the trellis wouldn't hold the weight of the plants. I have an idea. We are back home, gonna get on that project directly. What have you been doing?
Well, I'm cleaning this up. Had a lot of trash in it. I'm gonna do from here, I'm gonna do like a just a little rock retaining wall, and then we're gonna fill this in with more dirt. Okay, then I'm gonna put in some compost here and I'm gonna plant some flowers.
All right, we will get that rip saw out. Jarrett— Jarrett's here, cabinet guy, waiting on the countertop guy to come. You guys have a powwow coming up, right? That's correct. And you're just waiting idle and you're just like, I'll help you on the farm. Call me Boots, my late dad. If anybody offered any help or even didn't offer any help he would put them to work. Hey, you might be one of the first service workers here to jump in and get on, get on right here in the middle. Let's put it on a time lapse, at least in my absence. Back from the bank, and look what you've done, Jared. Leave it to a custom cabinet guy to do it really nice. Have you jiggled on it to see if it works? A little bit. We're not connected here. Oh, so this is what I was talking about. We got to connect here, and then the whole thing will be connected. All right, we just need to attach a piece right there so we could secure it to this metal. It'll be attached to the walls too. Jared's securing the— securing the secure post. I'm gonna— oh yeah, let's, uh, how could I do this? I want to get a wire. Here, Annie, just in time. It's like you came out of nowhere. It needs to go as long as the high tunnel, and it's just a good way to measure that. Mark's supposed to be getting in. Like, we got a little bit of rain. It's gonna be good that we're in this high tunnel.
You know, it works better if you have a camera.
I'm telling you. See that 45-year-old woman jump? It was kind of rough to get under these braces, so we're gonna try this smaller ladder, and we're gonna try to unwind it as we go. How about that, Garrett? It's gonna work. We got our lines up. Can you see them? 1, 2, 3, 4. We got 4 beds that need trellised. I call these the thingamajiggers.
It's a tomato Um, tomahawk or something.
It's very handy because she did this new system where she thinks she'll be able to do it. Look how nervous she is.
I am, but I'm all right.
We'll hang it over it. It's where your feet are, really. So she's pulled this twine out, but see, look, I can do it.
I might be nervous, but just because you're nervous doesn't mean you can't do nothing.
And it automatically locks, so the tomato can climb this twine. It's not coming out anymore. See, you're gonna start doing this. Well, this is my project today, so—
well, if you would like to continue, I will not stop you.
Why do you make them so long? You don't have to make them so long.
I like to have length just in case I need it.
There's, there's more twine in there so that next, next year when the animals come in here, we can cut this off and then next year just pull more out.
See, you make them too short and I make them too long.
I know. Next year this will all be up and all I have to do is pull strings down. Exactly.
And I won't even need you. Well, I mean, I love you and I want you, but when you're busy doing other things on the farm, I can come in here and get my high tunnel ready. Yeah, ready is what I'm saying.
Rebecca, you hand them to me, I'll be a little faster. And then your maid— uh, the countertop guy will be here at 5 minutes. That feels good to get done. Every year we just do a little bit more, makes it a little easier every year. Next year all we'll have to do is pull the extra twine down. 99 plants we just trellised today. 99 plants. Freezy math, let's say there's 100 of those plants. And our family, let's say there's 7 of us, but there, let's say there were 5 adult equivalents. Say an adult eats a pound of vegetables a day. Let's say every plant will give about 20 pounds in produce. That's 2,000 pounds. If all that's right, that's gonna last us 400 days. So over a year's worth of veggies. What, I need the granite guy? Done. Done. Okay, you're heading home. Thanks for the help. Good to see you. All right, Jared did these Beautiful cabinets in our homestead house build. Walnut from the land, poplar from the land, trim from the land. The framers have been putting this in today. Boys' room is done.
Well, partially. I like the windows.
It's a lot to trim, isn't it?
It's a lot of work to trim.
I picked up somebody along the way. I'd say that's a good day 11 of Grow 30, prepping to quit the groceries. Happy day.
If I had to start my Homestead all over again, it could only pick one animal… 
